Leading fintech provider Paylink has been shortlisted for the prestigious Credit Connect Business Partnership of the Year Award 2025, recognising its impactful and long-standing collaboration with PayPlan, one of the most trusted and well-respected debt advice companies in the UK.
Since 2016, Paylink and PayPlan have worked in close partnership to help creditors across financial services, banking and the utilities industries better support customers facing financial difficulties. At the centre of this initiative is Embark, Paylink’s award-winning Income & Expenditure (I&E) platform, designed to deliver a streamlined journey from financial assessment to supportive, non-judgemental debt advice.
Embark enables seamless referrals to PayPlan within a single digital experience – a crucial advantage for creditors operating in today’s compliance-driven and customer-centric environment.
Nisha Korpal, CEO of Paylink, commented: “We’re proud to be recognised by Credit Connect for our work with PayPlan. Our partnership has always been about creating real-world impact – helping creditors fulfil their duty of care, while empowering consumers to regain financial control. Being shortlisted for this award is a testament to the results we’ve achieved together.”
Rachel Duffey – CEO of PayPlan, also commented: “Being in debt can be an incredibly stressful experience, and too often people delay seeking help due to personal circumstances. Our partnership with Paylink shows that we can reduce the stress of getting help, making it simpler and less daunting for consumers to access the support they need. By streamlining the journey consumers are receiving debt advice earlier”.
How we’ve delivered measurable outcomes for creditors and consumers
Across high-street banks, tier-one lenders, and utility providers, the Embark and PayPlan solution has delivered standout results:
- 84% of Eon Next customers submitted a digital payment proposal after using Embark
- Virgin Media achieved six-figure cost savings by optimising form completion
- Zopa reduced I&E form time from 45 to 16 minutes, improving conversion from 53% to 81%
A leading UK bank also saw a dramatic increase in engagement after redesigning its Embark journey to more prominently feature PayPlan’s support:
- 27% of vulnerable customers opted for debt advice (previously just 3%)
- 41% of contacted customers engaged with full debt advice, exceeding the 30% industry average
We have real-world testimonials that highlight how the partnership is transforming lives. Here’s how one individual felt after using the free debt advice service: “The assistance and understanding I have received has been excellent. I had a very difficult set of circumstances which were listened to and incorporated within a solution to enable me to recover from debt. I am very grateful for the help I received.”
Providing fairer outcomes through collaboration
The Paylink–PayPlan partnership offers a proven model for delivering fairer customer outcomes across a wide range of industries. The collaboration meets regulatory expectations and reduces operational costs – all while improving repayment rates and customer engagement.
As financial institutions continue to navigate evolving regulatory landscapes and rising consumer vulnerability, Paylink’s Embark platform, enhanced by its strategic alliance with PayPlan, stands out as a critical enabler of responsible collections and ethical customer treatment.
