Morpheus launches as UK’s new digital-only bridging lender

Morpheus, a new specialist and digital-only bridging lender offering funding solutions for UK commercial, corporate, and property professionals, has been launched by Matt Mawdesley, an entrepreneur from Manchester.

The company was founded on the belief that there’s a better way to provide mortgages in the specialist lending space, drawing on decades of combined experience across multiple sectors. Mawdesley, the co-founder and CEO of Morpheus, has been the main driver in building the business and advocating for a disruptive new lender in the market.

Previously head of strategy at Together and AO.com, Mawdesley has held senior roles across the mortgage, technology, private equity, and banking sectors. An investor and consultant, and now a founding member of Morpheus, he’s passionate about leveraging the power of technology to modernise lending.

Mawdesley has joined forces with industry specialists Lee Jones (co-founder and chief financial officer), Richard Lawton (operations director), and Ash Richardson (head of sales) to bring extensive multi-sector experience to the start-up.

They are supported by a team of board advisers and non-executive directors, including Together’s former chief risk officer Steve Miller, HSBC’s head of growth lending Roland Emmans, and Connells Group’s chief information officer Tom Pirrie.

Morpheus will initially focus on bridging loans up to £750,000 and offers competitive rates. The lending platform operates exclusively through digital channels to streamline every stage of the loan process and accelerate deal completions.

Morpheus leverages market-leading technology in its platform, including biometric authentication, open banking, digital Know Your Customer and due diligence checks. The team has built a bespoke property valuation tool using data analytics and AI, removing paper via electronic signatures and automated tasks for brokers and customers.

This approach to lending significantly reduces the time it takes to secure funding compared to the industry average of 58 days last year.

Matt Mawdesley expressed his confidence in the launch, stating, “I’m incredibly proud to launch Morpheus with the team and introduce an innovative, new way of lending.

“This digital and more efficient experience is what customers have been crying out for, and with the right people on board, we’re confident in our offering going from strength to strength. We’ve secured strong funding and have a clear commitment to simplifying the customer journey through technology.

“Drawing on years of industry experience and understanding of the complexities that customers, brokers and lenders face, we saw an opportunity to change that by creating a solution that takes a truly digital-first approach. This ultimately will set us apart in the UK bridging lending space and therefore lead to better collective outcomes for all stakeholders.”

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