Borrowell to acquire Refresh Financial

Toronto-based free credit score provider and credit education company Borrowell announced it is acquiring Refresh Financial , a company that helps underserved Canadians gain long-term access to affordable forms of credit.

The combination of the two businesses will accelerate the breadth and accessibility of Borrowell’s product offering by providing a large segment of its growing user base an active way to build their credit history and access payment products. It also doubles Borrowell’s size in terms of revenue and number of employees.

“Many Canadians are living paycheque-to-paycheque, they’re struggling with their bills and they’re feeling increased stress about their personal finances. By integrating Refresh Financial’s products and team, Borrowell can provide more people with accessible loans and secured cards to help them manage their expenses, build their credit history and take their next steps towards financial stability.” – Andrew Graham, Borrowell’s co-founder and CEO.

Since 2016, Borrowell has provided over 1.5 million Canadians with ​free credit score​ and report monitoring, automated ​credit coaching​ tools and AI-driven financial product recommendations based on their credit profile. The fintech’s mission is to make financial stability possible for everyone. Acquiring Refresh Financial brings Borrowell closer to achieving that mission.

“We know how critical a strong financial reputation is to Canadians in order to access affordable credit, and achieve life goals like buying a house or car. Borrowell has been a great partner for many years and I am truly excited about further integrating Refresh’s products into their platform. I know that as a combined organization, we can play an important role during these times in providing Canadians from all backgrounds with access to credit, helping them not only manage today but thrive tomorrow.” – Michael Wendland, Refresh Financial’s founder and CEO.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. Raymond James Ltd. acted as financial advisor to Borrowell and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP acted as legal advisor. Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance Inc. acted as financial advisor to Refresh and Bennett Jones LLP acted as legal advisor.