Salad’s founder warns that gaps in access to affordable credit are deepening financial exclusion in some of Scotland’s most deprived communities.
JULY 2026
In an interview with Hannah Brown from The Herald, Salad founder Alan Campbell warned that “credit deserts” are emerging across parts of Scotland, leaving people with too few safe and affordable borrowing options when illness, job loss or unexpected costs hit.
Alan argues that financial exclusion is often concentrated in the same communities already experiencing some of the worst poverty and health outcomes, and that the link between financial resilience and wider wellbeing is being overlooked.
The article also explores the structural gap in affordable lending. Research cited by The Herald estimates that 175,000 people in Scotland each year need to borrow less than £1,000 but cannot access an affordable provider, creating an annual lending gap of up to £130 million. Alan calls for greater long-term investment in community lenders and a dedicated Scottish approach to financial inclusion, arguing that ambition alone is not enough without the infrastructure to deliver it.
Salad’s approach is built around Open Banking, using applicants’ real income and spending patterns to assess affordability rather than relying solely on traditional credit scores. As Alan explains in the interview, this can help identify whether someone can genuinely afford repayments while still being left with a financial buffer.
Read the full interview with Alan Campbell in The Herald here.