Launched in 2017, Tide is the leading business management platform in the UK. Tide helps SMEs save time (and money) in the running of their businesses by not only offering business accounts and related banking services, but also a comprehensive set of highly usable and connected administrative solutions from invoicing to accounting.

With a strong track record supporting over 1.6 million small businesses worldwide, Tide accelerates its international expansion, and France stands out as a natural next step. By establishing a presence in the Paris Region, Europe’s most vibrant hub for entrepreneurship and fintech innovation, Tide is laying out the foundations for long-term growth in continental Europe.

In this exclusive interview, we spoke with Marc Lacroix, Managing Director of Tide France, about the company’s ambitions in France. He explains why France represents a pivotal market for Tide, and how Paris Region is a real driving force that will contribute to Tide's development.

To begin, could you briefly introduce yourself and your role within the organization?

I joined the Tide team in 2025 as Managing Director of Tide France. I am thrilled to be building the team to launch the platform in France and offer entrepreneurs there an easy-to-use all-in-one platform to tackle business admin.

Tide, the UK’s leading business management platform, is an easy-to-use solution for SMEs. Having just arrived in France, Tide continues its local development with the launch of its business account offering and will be progressively offer other services as it rolls out in the French market. Tide's mission is to save SMBs time and money so they can get back to doing what they love. SMBs are burdened by a myriad of business management tasks that are repetitive and time-consuming. Existing offers are often complex, disjointed, and rarely tailored to SMBs’ needs.

What made the Paris Region the obvious strategic hub for Tide’s expansion in France?

We have a flexible workplace model where we support both in-person and remote work to cater to the specific needs of our different teams. Our offices are designed as hubs for innovation and team building. The main ones are in London, Delhi, Hyderabad, Sofia and Berlin. And as with each of its core markets (UK, India & Germany) Tide will establish a local office in Paris to support our expansion in France. We currently have a number of employees based in France, working remotely. This number will increase as we invest in our France operations functions.

The French market potential is huge, as in most countries, SMBs are the backbone of the economy. Paris is one of the key capitals for entrepreneurship and a logical choice for Tide; as this 2022 study from INSEE shows, more than 1 in 3 startup is based in Île-de-France.

Following your recent $120M funding round valuing Tide at $1.5B, how does this financial momentum strengthen your ability to enter the French SME market, particularly from your base in the Paris Region?

This investment by TPG is an important milestone for Tide and a strong recognition of our growth, which now positions us as the global leader in corporate financial management platforms, supporting more than 1.8 million members worldwide. It is also key to our establishment in France.

Tide sees strong growth potential in France, one of the biggest European economies, with 2.971 million auto-entrepreneurs active in 2024 (sole trader, micro entrepreneur registered in the individual’s name). One third of economically active companies in France in 2022 belong to the micro-entrepreneur regime. SME’s employ 4.5 million people and are rapidly turning to digital to manage their finances.

You chose to launch in France with Partner Credit Services (PCS) rather than starting directly with a full account offering. What made this credit‑first strategy the right fit for the Paris Region and its SMEs?

Tide has chosen to enter the French market via credit, following its success in the UK, where the company relied on three distinctive strengths. First, a tool that connects lenders with businesses to identify the best financing opportunities. Second, a 100% digital platform that meets the expectations of French entrepreneurs. Finally, for its launch in France, Tide relies on a carefully selected ecosystem of partners to enable rapid deployment (Aiffin, Avanseo, Defacto, dimpl, Karmen, Wavo, We do Good) allowing Tide to offer from day one a comprehensive and versatile solution covering the diverse financing needs of French SMEs.

The launch of Tide’s PCS offering represents a strategic pillar of Tide’s European expansion strategy. It immediately addresses a key challenge for French entrepreneurs and lays the first building block of a complete financial platform.
Tide’s business management platform now also offers business current accounts, and integrations with Google Wallet and Apple Pay with more products like invoicing coming soon.

How does being in the Paris Region help Tide with its broader global strategy?

As the European Union’s second largest economy, France is an exciting market, and our entry into this market marks the second stage of our expansion in continental Europe after Germany. Paris is a real driving force that will contribute to Tide's development. The capital has a leading FinTech ecosystem that offers Tide proximity to many institutional key players (Choose Paris Region, Banque de France, Station F, etc.) as well as key potential partners with whom Tide can form strategic alliances with.

France is also often at the forefront of European financial regulations (such as PSD3 and sustainable finance mandates). By having a presence in Paris, Tide will be able to help shape the regulations that will ultimately influence global financial standards.

Finally, the Paris region is famous for its wealth of talent, particularly in AI and data science, which will be a great advantage to support the development of our future services.

Tide is building local teams in the Paris Region. What profiles are you recruiting in the Paris Region, and what would you say to local talent to attract them to Tide?

Tide has a team of more than 2,500 employees; in the UK; India, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Serbia, Luxembourg and France. We are growing our French team and are actively recruiting for a list of roles you can see here.

I am looking forward to build, with our growing French team, a strong established presence in France.

The financial services market is highly competitive. How does Tide differentiate itself from its competitors?

In the UK, India, Germany and now France, more than 1.8m members use Tide to manage their businesses. Entrepreneurs trust Tide to help them tackle their business admin and grow their business in a fast and compliant way.

Our international community of members is a real strength. We know entrepreneurs, we know business, that’s all we do.

Looking ahead, what milestones do you aim to reach in the Paris Region to establish Tide not just as a service provider, but as a long-term partner for French SMEs and the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem?

We champion SMEs and we see ourselves as advocates for our members, who as small businesses might not have a strong political lobby. We want to become deeply embedded in French networks and a supporter of the fintech and small business ecosystems.

Finally, do you have a favorite place or address in the Paris Region? What makes it special for you?

My favorite place is undoubtedly les Quais de Seine. Whether I’m running or walking, the views of Paris and its iconic architecture, especially the majesty of Notre-Dame, are a constant source of wonder. It’s the perfect setting to clear one's head and appreciate the unique blend of history and vitality that defines the Paris Region.