Stax and Zopa: converting approvals into completed purchases

Why Stax chose Zopa

Stax, one of the UK's longest established consumer finance brokers, funded £7.5m+ with Zopa Retail Finance in H1 2026. Clear, fast decisions helped Stax finance 2,300+ customers on major home improvements, with applications up 495% year on year. 

At a glance

Stax helps customers finance major home improvements. As a broker working with a panel of lenders, it looks beyond approval volumes. It wanted a lender whose technology fitted its own. 

Zopa's binary lending decisioning aligns closely with Stax's waterfall decision engine, so customers get clear outcomes faster, without referrals and manual reviews slowing them down. In H1 2026, Stax funded £7.5m+ with Zopa, financed 2,300+ customers and saw applications rise 495% year on year. 

Why this matters: major purchases run on confidence and momentum

Stax's customers aren't funding everyday purchases. They're investing in kitchens, windows, doors, solar installations, heat pumps and other major home improvements, often with order values running into five or six figures. 

Customers may spend weeks researching suppliers, comparing quotes and weighing up options before they ever reach a finance application. By the time they apply, they're looking for confidence and certainty. Any unnecessary delay or friction risks killing momentum at a critical stage of the buying journey. 

Customer confidence and momentum are just as important as lending decisions. 

Why Stax chose Zopa

As one of the UK's longest established consumer finance brokers, Stax works with a panel of lenders to help customers access finance for major purchases. When choosing lending partners, Stax looks beyond approval volumes alone. It wanted a lender whose technology aligned closely with the Stax platform. 

A key reason for choosing Zopa was the alignment between Zopa's binary lending decisioning approach and Stax's waterfall decision engine. 

Together, they created a smoother customer journey. Customers who didn't qualify for prime lending products could move more quickly towards alternative products better suited to their needs and circumstances [CONFIRM: Compliance to approve, and whether these are Zopa products or other panel lenders']. Rather than being held up by referrals and manual reviews, customers received clear outcomes faster, which helped them keep momentum through the buying journey. 

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The synergy between Zopa's binary lending decisioning and our waterfall technology was a big part of why we wanted to work together.

Gareth Weaver

Stax, Managing Director

The results: £7.5m+ funded and 2,300+ customers financed in H1 2026

• £7.5m+ funded with Zopa in H1 2026 

• 2,300+ customers financed 

• 70% customer acceptance rate  

• 495% increase in applications year on year  

Clearer, faster outcomes kept customers moving through the buying journey. 

Why the partnership works

Rather than relying on a fixed, off-the-shelf lending model, Stax wanted a lender willing to collaborate, respond to real-world challenges and keep improving the customer journey. 

Throughout the relationship, both teams have worked closely to identify conversion challenges, refine processes and improve outcomes for customers and retailers alike. Whether tackling customer drop-off, refining application journeys or improving conversion performance, the relationship has been built on continuous improvement and a willingness to adapt. 

For Stax, the value has gone beyond lending performance. It created a framework for spotting opportunities, improving customer outcomes and building a stronger platform for future growth. 

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The partnership with Zopa has been a genuine partnership. We've worked through problems together, found solutions together, and always focused on what's right for the customer.

Looking ahead: payments and finance, working more closely together

Stax and Zopa are exploring how payments and finance can work more closely together to help retailers improve cash flow, reduce administration, simplify operations and create better customer experiences. 

The relationship continues to evolve, with a shared focus on better outcomes for customers and merchants. 

The takeaway

Technology alone doesn't create great customer journeys. Partnership, collaboration and continuous improvement do. 

By combining Stax's waterfall technology with Zopa's binary decisioning, both businesses created a more effective lending journey and helped more customers complete the process successfully. 

For Stax, this isn't simply a lending story. It's a story about partnership, customer confidence and continuous improvement. 

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The biggest difference has been the willingness to listen, adapt and solve problems together. That's what has made the partnership successful.