# Metro Bank Sells for Growth

> Metro Bank seeks buyer after record profits and lending surge.
- Title: Metro Bank Sells for Growth · Pymnts | Shortify
- Summary: Metro Bank seeks buyer after record profits and lending surge. Metro Bank is selling after reporting record profits and 37% loan growth to small businesses.
- Keywords: metro bank, lending growth, small businesses, challenger bank, financial conduct authority, pymnts intelligence, Pymnts
- Source: Pymnts — https://pymnts.com/news/banking/2026/metro-bank-searches-for-a-buyer-as-lending-grows
- Author: PYMNTS
- Published: 2026-11-12T12:06:30+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: metro bank, lending growth, small businesses, challenger bank, financial conduct authority, pymnts intelligence, business, finance
## Metro Bank up for sale
Metro Bank announced a formal sale process after reporting record profits for 2025.

> Metro Bank continues to demonstrate its business and financial momentum, having reported the highest profits in its history for Full Year 2025
## Lending growth to SMBs
Loan growth reached 37% driven by commercial and small business lending.

> Metro Bank last week reported quarterly earnings showing loan growth of 37%
## Regulatory challenges
Financial Conduct Authority fined £16.7 million for money laundering gaps in 60 million transactions.

> The Financial Conduct Authority fined Metro £16.7 million pounds in 2024 for a lack of proper money laundering protections on 60 million transactions between 2016 and 2020
## SMB financing gap
Just 44% of small businesses have access to financing during economic uncertainty.

> Just 44% of SMBs reported having access to financing and working-capital solutions
## Key takeaway

Metro Bank is selling after reporting record profits and 37% loan growth to small businesses.