New lending increased by 69.5% to £32.7 million (2024: £19.3m) with 64.5% committed to organisations in parts of the country where it is needed most.

Scott Hutchinson, Regional Director (North) at Unity Trust Bank, said: “As a social impact bank we support organisations whose values are aligned to ours.

“Our annual results demonstrate how our lending is supporting growth in Scotland across a range of sectors and creating positive impact in communities.”

All of Unity’s lending to housing associations in Scotland went to high deprivation areas and was classified as ‘C – Contribute to Solutions’* within Unity’s classifications for organisations that deliver dedicated service to vulnerable or marginalised communities.  

42.4% of lending to pharmacies, and 54.8% of lending to organisations focused on education, went to high deprivation areas. This included nurseries, pre-schools, primary or secondary spaces,

Of Unity’s lending to care homes in Scotland, 23.7% went to high deprivation areas and 39.5% was classified as ‘C – Contribute to Solutions’.

Family-run Bellerose Care Ltd bought Bankhouse Care Home in Lesmahagow, thanks to a £2.5m refinance package from unity.

Willie, Sam and Caroline McDonald acquired it after it went into administration with the aim of preserving the well-respected and much-loved part of the local community.

Willie said: “We bought our first care home 27 years ago because it was failing and we had a genuine desire to save the home and jobs. We turned it around and that led to us buying a second home and so on.

“I was introduced to Unity after looking for a new banking partner. As soon as I spoke to our relationship manager, Michelle Wilson, I knew we wanted to be with Unity.

“Unity’s ethos and philosophy of being in business for the greater good is the equivalent to what we do in the care industry and it felt like the perfect match.

“Michelle has been absolutely fantastic. She’s been so supportive and you can tell she’s genuinely passionate about what she’s doing and what we’re doing.

“When you work with people you trust and you share the same values and vision, it’s such a pleasure.

“Every single interface we’ve had with Unity has been exceptional. Unity feels like family.”

Across the UK, Unity’s overall lending grew by 12% to over £1.1 billion (2024: 1bn).

New lending more than doubled to over £333m (2024: £137m). A record £165m of new lending (53.7%) went to customers delivering services in areas of high deprivation.

Customer balances rose by 8% to a record £1.9bn (2024: £1.8bn), as more organisations seek assurance that their savings will only be used for good.

Colin Fyfe, CEO at Unity, said: “Unity is committed to supporting organisations that contribute to a better society for all.

“That includes providing business loans for frontline healthcare professionals, education establishments and housing associations, which all make a positive difference to people’s lives.

“Unity’s ‘double bottom line’ strategy is to deliver positive social impact as well as sustainable returns. I’m proud to say that we deliver this year after year.”

Other key milestones in 2025 include:

• Unity being awarded an Investment Grade credit rating from Fitch Ratings. This landmark accreditation strengthens its position as a robust bank.
• Unity became one of a small number of banks globally to be independently verified by the Good Economy as meeting the Global Impact Investing Network’s ‘Operating Principles for Impact Management’ standards. This underscores the bank’s drive for positive change and is a benchmark for quality impact management.
• The first UK bank to invest in Local Climate Bonds, supporting local councils to deliver on their Net Zero objectives. It committed an initial £15m towards councils’ environmental projects with more to come in 2026.
• Unity’s values are also embedded in its culture.

A record £140,500 in grants and donations was distributed to good causes throughout the year from staff salary sacrifice, fundraising and match-funding. This included £50,000 for the Unity Impact Grants programme split between 10 customers. Break The Silence in North and East Ayrshire was one of the recipients.

Mr Fyfe added: “At the core of everything we do at Unity is our customers. They are at the fore of every decision we make.

“Our ambition is to be the bank of choice for all socially-minded organisations in the UK and I’m delighted that more than 11,300 values-aligned customers choose our business banking services.”