AGM Information • Apr 4, 2025
AGM Information
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Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Funding Circle Holdings plc will be held at the Company's offices at 71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AY, on Thursday 15 May 2025 at 12 pm.
If you are in any doubt as to any aspect of the proposals referred to in this Notice or as to the action you should take, please take advice from a stockbroker, solicitor, accountant or other independent professional adviser.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares, please send this document, together with the accompanying documents, at once to the purchaser or transferee, or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected, for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
Whether or not you propose to attend the Annual General Meeting, please complete and submit a Proxy Form in accordance with the instructions printed on the enclosed form. The Proxy Form must be received not less than 48 hours before the time of the holding of the Annual General Meeting (i.e. by 12 pm on Tuesday 13 May 2025).
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 07123934)
Letter from the Chair
4 April 2025
Dear Shareholder
The Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of Funding Circle Holdings plc (the "Company") will be held at the Company's offices at 71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AY, on Thursday 15 May 2025 at 12 pm.
The formal Notice of AGM is set out on the following pages of this document, detailing the resolutions that the shareholders are being asked to vote on, along with explanatory notes of the business to be conducted at the AGM.
Shareholders who would like to attend the AGM in person are asked to register their intention as soon as practicable by email to [email protected]. We have also arranged for shareholders to be able to raise questions in advance.
We do not anticipate any restrictions to be in place that would prevent shareholders from attending the meeting in person. However, should there be any reason to do so, we will provide an update on our website at https://corporate.fundingcircle.com/investors/shareholder-meetings and, where appropriate, via a Regulatory Information Service, if any changes are required to the AGM arrangements.
The Board remains committed to shareholder engagement and has made the arrangements set out below to help facilitate this.
Whether or not you propose to attend the AGM, I would encourage you to appoint the Chair of the meeting as proxy to vote as you direct at the AGM. Please complete and submit a form of proxy ("Proxy Form") to enable you to vote at the AGM, even if you are unable to attend. This will not prevent you from attending and voting at the AGM in person if you so wish. A Proxy Form is enclosed with this Notice of AGM for you to complete and return or you can submit your Proxy Form electronically at www.shareview.co.uk, through the CREST service or via the Proxymity platform. For further details on appointing a proxy please see the notes to the Notice of the AGM starting on page 4.
Please note that all Proxy Forms and appointments must be received by 12 pm on Tuesday 13 May 2025.
If I am appointed as proxy I will, of course, vote in accordance with any instructions given to me. If I am given discretion as to how to vote, I will vote in favour of each of the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM.
Voting on the business of the meeting will be conducted by way of a poll. The results of voting on the resolutions will be announced via a regulatory announcement and posted on the Company's website as soon as practicable after the AGM.
The Board appreciates that the AGM is an important forum for shareholders to engage with us and shareholders are, therefore, invited to submit questions on the business of the AGM in advance by emailing [email protected]. Questions must be received by no later than 5.30pm on 9 May 2025. Please ensure you include your name and shareholder reference number (as shown on your Proxy Form) with your question.
The Board considers that the resolutions set out in the Notice of AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. The Directors, therefore, recommend that shareholders vote in favour of each of the resolutions, as they intend to do in respect of their own shareholdings.
Yours faithfully
Andrew Learoyd Chair
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ("AGM") of Funding Circle Holdings plc (the "Company") will be held at the Company's offices at 71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AY, on Thursday 15 May 2025 at 12 pm to consider and, if thought appropriate, pass the following resolutions. Resolutions 1 to 14 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and Resolutions 15 to 18 will be proposed as special resolutions.
in each case during the period beginning with the date of the passing of this resolution and ending on the conclusion of the next annual general meeting, or the close of business on 31 July 2026, whichever is earlier. In any event, the aggregate amount of political donations and political expenditure made or incurred by the Company and its subsidiaries pursuant to this resolution shall not exceed £100,000. For the purposes of this resolution, the terms "political donations," "independent election candidates," "political organisations," "political expenditure" and "political parties" have the meanings set out in sections 363 to 365 of the Companies Act 2006.
such authorities to apply in place of all existing authorities pursuant to section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 and to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, the close of business on 31 July 2026, but in each case so that the Company may make offers and enter into agreements during the relevant period which would, or might, require shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares to be granted after the authority expires, and the Directors may allot shares and grant rights in pursuance of that offer or agreement as if this authority had not expired.
For the purposes of this resolution, "rights issue" means an offer to:
to subscribe for further securities, subject in both cases to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates or legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter.
That if Resolution 14 is passed, the Board be generally empowered, in place of all existing powers, pursuant to section 570 and section 573 of the Companies Act 2006 to allot equity securities (as defined in the Companies Act 2006) for cash under the authority given by Resolution 14 as if section 561(1) of the Companies Act 2006 did not apply to any such allotment or sale, and such authority:
(a) shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities in connection with an offer of equity securities (but in the case of the authority granted under paragraph (b) of Resolution 14, by way of a rights issue only):
and subject in both cases to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates or legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter; and
(b) in the case of the authority granted under paragraph (a) of Resolution 14, shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities (otherwise than pursuant to paragraph (a) above) up to a nominal amount of £15,934,
such authority to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, the close of business on 31 July 2026 but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Board may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
The authority in this Resolution 15 applies in relation to a sale of shares which is an allotment of equity securities by virtue of section 560(3) of the Companies Act 2006 as if in the first paragraph of this resolution the words "under the authority given by Resolution 14" were omitted.
meeting of the Company or, if earlier, the close of business on 31 July 2026 but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Board may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
The authority in this Resolution 16 applies in relation to a sale of shares which is an allotment of equity securities by virtue of section 560(3) of the Companies Act 2006 as if in the first paragraph of this resolution the words "under the authority given by Resolution 14" were omitted.
By order of the Board
Lucy Vernall Company Secretary 4 April 2025
Funding Circle Holdings plc Registered in England and Wales
No. 07123934 Registered office: 71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AY
The notes on the following pages give an explanation of the proposed resolutions.
Resolutions 1 to 14 are proposed as ordinary resolutions. For each of these resolutions to be passed, more than half of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution. Resolutions 15 to 18 are proposed as special resolutions. For each of these resolutions to be passed, at least three quarters of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
The first item of business is the receipt by the shareholders of the Annual Report and the Accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2024. The Directors' Report, the accounts and the report of the Company's auditors on the accounts and on those parts of the Directors' Remuneration Report that are capable of being audited are contained within the Annual Report.
This resolution is inviting shareholders to vote on the Directors' Remuneration Policy which can be found on pages 94 to 100 of the Company's Annual Report and Accounts. The Directors' Remuneration Policy sets out the Company's proposed forward-looking policy on Directors' remuneration. The intention is that, if approved, the Directors' Remuneration Policy will legally take effect immediately after the AGM on 15 May 2025 and last for three years. The Company is obliged to present a policy on Directors' remuneration to shareholders for approval at least every three years. The Company's current policy was last approved by shareholders at the 2024 AGM.
If the Directors' Remuneration Policy is approved by shareholders, it will take immediate effect and the Company will not be able to make a remuneration payment to a current, past or prospective Director or a payment for loss of office to a current or past Director unless that payment is consistent with the revised remuneration policy or has been approved by a resolution of the shareholders of the Company. If the Directors' Remuneration Policy is not approved for any reason, the Company will continue to make payments to Directors in accordance with the current remuneration policy which was approved at the Company's 2024 AGM and is available in the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 on the Company's website, and will seek shareholder approval for a further revised policy as soon as it is practicable.
This resolution is the annual resolution inviting shareholders to vote on the Directors' Remuneration Report (excluding the Directors' Remuneration Policy), which can be found on pages 90 to 111 of the Company's Annual Report and Accounts and sets out details of payments made to Directors for the financial year ended 31 December 2024. The Directors must include specific information within the Directors' Remuneration Report in accordance with relevant regulations.
This vote is advisory only, meaning that payments made or promised to Directors will not have to be repaid, reduced or withheld in the event that the resolution is not passed.
The auditors of a company must be appointed or reappointed at each general meeting at which the accounts are laid. Resolution 4 proposes, on the recommendation of the Board, the reappointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's auditors, until the conclusion of the next general meeting of the Company at which accounts are laid.
This resolution seeks shareholder consent for the Audit and Risk Committee to fix the remuneration of the auditors.
In accordance with the Company's Articles of Association and the UK Corporate Governance Code (the "Code"), each of the Directors is standing for election or re-election at the AGM this year, with the exception of Andrew Learoyd who is retiring from the Board at the 2025 AGM. Both Ken Stannard and Tony Nicol are standing for election to the Board for the first time, having been appointed by the Directors on 1 January 2025.
Following a formal performance evaluation of the Directors during 2024 in relation to the fulfilment of their duties to act in the long-term interests of the Company, on behalf of its members, while also having due regard for other stakeholders, the election and re-election of each of the relevant Directors is recommended by the Board, each having demonstrated continued competence, commitment and effectiveness. Further details can be found in the Nomination Committee Report on pages 78 to 81 of the Annual Report.
The Board confirms that the Directors each make a valuable contribution and together bring a depth and wide range of experience from a diverse range of backgrounds and countries. The biographical details of the Directors provided on pages 68 to 69 of the Annual Report illustrate this. Their balance of skills combined with their knowledge, diversity, industry expertise and business experience ensure the continued effective and successful functioning of the Board and its Committees.
The Board has carefully considered the guidance criteria on the independence of Directors given in the Code and believes that each of the independent Directors seeking re-election remains independent in character and judgement, and that there are no relationships or circumstances that are likely to affect, or appear to affect, their judgement.
Separate resolutions are proposed for each of the elections and re-elections.
Part 14 of the Companies Act 2006 requires companies to obtain shareholders' authority for donations to registered political parties and other political organisations in the EU totalling more than £5,000 in any 12-month period, and for any political expenditure in the EU, subject to limited exceptions. The definition of donation in this context is very wide and extends to bodies such as those concerned with policy review, law reform and the representation of the business community. There are further restrictions on companies incurring political expenditure (as defined in the Companies Act 2006) without first obtaining shareholders' consent. The Company has not made any and does not envisage making any political donations; however, this resolution is proposed for approval as a precaution in order to avoid inadvertent breach of the legislation as a result of the wide meanings given to the terms "political donations" and "political expenditure". This resolution, if passed, will authorise the Directors until the annual general meeting in 2026 to make donations and incur expenditure which might otherwise be caught by the terms of the Companies Act 2006, up to an aggregate amount of £100,000 for the Company and for subsidiary companies.
Under the Companies Act 2006, the Directors of a company may only allot new shares (or grant rights over shares) if authorised to do so by the shareholders in a general meeting (other than in connection with an employee share scheme). The authority which is sought in respect of this is dealt with in Resolution 14. The authority in paragraph (a) of the resolution will allow the Directors to allot new shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert other securities into, shares up to approximately one third (33.3%) of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company which as at 20 March 2025, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice of meeting, is equivalent to a nominal value of £106,229.
The authority in paragraph (b) will allow the Directors to allot new shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert other securities into, shares only in connection with a rights issue up to a nominal value of £212,458, which is equivalent to approximately two thirds (66.6%) of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 20 March 2025. The Company currently holds no shares in treasury.
In total, the resolution will allow the Directors to allot a maximum aggregate of two thirds of the issued share capital of the Company and is considered routine by the Investment Association (as set out in its share capital management guidelines).
The directors have no present intention to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security into shares pursuant to this authority. However, the Directors consider it desirable to have the flexibility to respond to market developments and to enable allotments to take place in appropriate circumstances.
If the resolution is passed, the authority will expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting, or close of business on 31 July 2026, whichever is earlier.
Resolutions 15 and 16 are special resolutions which, if passed by shareholders, will enable the Board to allot ordinary shares, or to sell any shares out of treasury, for cash, without first offering those shares to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings.
At the Company's last AGM held on 15 May 2024, the Company was granted the authority to issue on a non pre-emptive basis for cash shares in any one year representing: (i) no more than 5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital; and (ii) no more than an additional 5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital, provided that such additional authority is only used in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment. This authority reflected the Statement of Principles on Disapplying Pre-Emption Rights published by the Pre-Emption Group in March 2015 (the '2015 Statement of Principles').
The 2015 Statement of Principles were last updated in November 2022 (the 'Updated Statement of Principles') and now provide that a company may seek authority to issue on a non-pre-emptive basis for cash shares in any one year representing: (i) no more than 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital; and (ii) no more than an additional 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital, provided that such additional authority is only used in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment.
The Board notes the increased flexibility offered by the Updated Statement of Principles but it has concluded that, at this time, the previous thresholds noted in the 2015 Statement of Principles as approved at the last AGM remain in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.
Resolution 15 deals with the authority of the Directors to allot new shares or other equity securities pursuant to the authority given by Resolution 14, or sell treasury shares, for cash without the shares or other equity securities first being offered to shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings. Such authority shall only be used in connection with a pre-emptive offer, or otherwise, up to an aggregate nominal amount of £15,934, being approximately 5% of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 20 March 2025. The Company currently holds no treasury shares.
Resolution 16 seeks to authorise the Directors to allot new shares and other equity securities pursuant to the authority given by Resolution 14, or sell treasury shares, for cash up to a further nominal amount of £15,934, being approximately 5% of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 20 March 2025, only in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment, or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the issue. If the authority given in Resolution 16 is used, the Company will publish details of the placing in its next Annual Report.
If these resolutions are passed, the authorities will expire on the earlier of the next annual general meeting, or, if earlier, 31 July 2026.
The Directors have no current intention of exercising the authorities in Resolutions 15 and 16 to make nonpre-emptive offers, but the Directors consider them to be appropriate in order to allow the Company the maximum flexibility to respond to market developments and to finance business opportunities should they arise. The Directors confirm that should they utilise the authorities in Resolutions 15 and 16, they intend to follow the shareholder protections set out in Section 2B of the Statement of Principles.
The effect of Resolution 17 is to grant authority to the Company to purchase its own ordinary shares, up to a maximum of 47,803,082 ordinary shares, until the annual general meeting in 2026, or 31 July 2026, whichever is earlier. This represents 15% of the ordinary shares in issue as at 20 March 2025, being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice. The Company's exercise of this authority is subject to the stated upper and lower limits on the price payable, the upper limit being the price stipulated in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 as referred to in Article 5(6) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Listing Rules.
As announced on 7 March 2024, a discretionary buyback programme to purchase for cancellation ordinary shares worth up to £25 million was completed 15 October 2024. A further buy-back programme commenced on 16 October 2024 to purchase for cancellation ordinary shares worth up to £25 million. As of 20 March 2025, a total of 42,615,924 ordinary shares have been bought and settled under the two buy-back programmes. Pursuant to the Companies Act 2006, the Company can hold any shares which are repurchased as treasury shares and either resell them for cash, cancel them, either immediately or at a point in the future, or use them for the purposes of its employee share schemes. Holding the repurchased shares as treasury shares will give the Company the ability to resell or transfer them in the future and will provide the Company with additional flexibility in the management of its capital base. No dividends will be paid on, and no voting rights will be exercised in respect of, treasury shares. Shares held as treasury shares will not automatically be cancelled and will not be taken into account in future calculations of earnings per share (unless they are subsequently resold or transferred out
The Directors consider it desirable and in the best interests of shareholders to grant this authority. The Directors will exercise the authority only when to do so would be in the best interests of the Company and of its shareholders generally.
The Company will not, save in accordance with a predetermined, irrevocable and non-discretionary programme, repurchase shares in the period immediately preceding the preliminary announcement of its annual or interim results as dictated by the Listing Rules or Market Abuse Regulation or, if shorter, between the end of the financial period concerned and the time of a relevant announcement or, except in accordance with the Listing Rules and the Market Abuse Regulation, at any other time when the Directors would be prohibited from dealing in shares.
As at 20 March 2025, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice, awards over to 26,043,181 ordinary shares were outstanding under the Company's share schemes, representing 8.17% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital as at 20 March 2025, and 9.61% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital if the full authority to purchase its own shares (as is being sought in Resolution 17) is used.
Under the Companies Act 2006, the notice period required for all general meetings of the Company is 21 clear days, though shareholders can approve a shorter notice period for general meetings that are not annual general meetings, which cannot, however, be less than 14 clear days. Resolution 18 seeks such approval. Annual general meetings will continue to be held on at least 21 clear days' notice. The shorter notice period would not be used as a matter of routine, but only where the flexibility is merited by the business of the general meeting to be held, and is thought to be to the advantage of shareholders as a whole. Shareholder approval will be effective until the Company's next annual general meeting, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed.

Funding Circle Holdings plc 71 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4AY corporate.fundingcircle.com/investors
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