Founded in 2013, Best Egg has become one of America’s most recognized personal loan platforms, specializing in prime borrowers and maintaining a strong reputation for risk management. Since inception, it has facilitated over $40 billion in personal loans for more than two million customers nationwide.
In 2025, Best Egg is projected to originate over $7 billion in new personal loans. Its funding model relies on securitization programs and forward flow arrangements with various alternative asset managers, generating predominantly fee-based, capital-light income through origination and servicing operations. Currently, the company services approximately $11 billion in outstanding loans.
Following completion, Barclays plans to maintain Best Egg’s existing operational structure and will retain a modest portion of new lending on its own balance sheet.
The acquisition complements Barclays US Consumer Bank’s existing co-branded credit card business, which already provides unsecured personal lending solutions through multiple partner programs. The deal enhances Barclays’ position in the U.S. consumer finance space by adding Best Egg’s advanced digital capabilities, underwriting expertise, and scalable platform—offering greater flexibility in deploying capital efficiently.
The $800 million acquisition represents a high single-digit Price-to-Earnings multiple and is expected to generate strong long-term returns. Barclays anticipates the deal will be accretive to Return on Tangible Equity (RoTE) for its U.S. Consumer Bank by 2027, supporting the bank’s goal of achieving mid-teens RoTE post-2026. The acquisition is also expected to be accretive to Group RoTE and Earnings Per Share by 2027.
Completion is expected in Q2 2026, following the previously announced sale of Barclays’ American Airlines co-branded credit card receivables. The combined impact of these transactions is projected to increase the Group’s CET1 ratio by approximately 6 basis points in Q2 2026, while the Best Egg acquisition alone will utilize around 16 basis points of CET1 capital upon completion. Barclays reaffirmed that the deal will not affect its planned total shareholder distributions of at least £10 billion between 2024 and 2026.
C.S. Venkatakrishnan, Group Chief Executive of Barclays, commented:
“The U.S. consumer finance market presents tremendous opportunities for growth. Acquiring Best Egg significantly enhances our U.S. Consumer Bank, giving us a robust platform to expand into personal lending and deepen our customer relationships.”
Denny Nealon, Chief Executive of Barclays US Consumer Bank, added:
“This acquisition marks a key milestone in our strategy to diversify and strengthen our U.S. consumer banking franchise. Best Egg’s proven success and customer-first approach align perfectly with our vision to serve more consumers through innovation and trust.”
Paul Ricci, Chief Executive Officer of Best Egg, said:
“At Best Egg, our mission has always been to help people achieve financial confidence and flexibility. Joining Barclays allows us to scale that mission further, reaching more customers and expanding our suite of financial solutions. This partnership represents a powerful next step in shaping the future of digital consumer finance.”
For more information, visit Barclays Investor Relations.
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