Merlin
Student budgeting that works.
Is your bank balance more confusing than your lectures? This is because all budgeting tools expect you to have a monthly paycheck, a boring job, and a predictable life. But being a student is like living on a rollercoaster.One week, your loan comes in, and you're practically a millionaire. Next, you’re staring at a £4 balance and a 3-week gap until the next installment. Your rent and your part-time income have a timetable of their own. Oh, and that number in your bank account? It doesn't have a clue whether you're sticking to that budget you set for yourself on September 15th.Existing budgeting tools are failing us. It's time to take this into our own hands.
How it Works
Do you avoid checking your bank balance? It's not your fault. Whether saving up for a holiday or just trying to get through your degree, we'll reassure you about your financial future so you can worry about more important things.No Monthly Cycles: From termly home Student Loans to £30k international tuition fees sitting in the bank – we speak the language of the student situation.Expected Income: We know that budgets often fall through because often students will have the cash, just not yet. We don't just track what you spent. We show you how much you're going to have.The Emergency Date: We find out whether you're on track to run out of money (or credit) before it happens. When it comes to avoiding the red, we'll do the maths so you never get caught out.
Want to Try?
The beta is now available on iOS – click the image below to install TestFlight and try Merlin!
University Partnerships
We believe financial clarity is a right, not a luxury, so we don't charge students a penny to use Merlin.Instead, we operate on a B2B SaaS licensing model with university partners who benefit from improved academic engagement and reduced drop-out rates – because when a student drops out, it doesn't just cost the individual their aspirations, but also their university thousands in tuition fees.How does Merlin protect students from dropping out due to running out of money? By visualising students' cash flow gaps weeks in advance, Merlin provides the power to mitigate them without stress. When students check Merlin instead.
How it Works
Moreover, when their university promotes Merlin at the start of the term, it becomes an essential tool on students' home screens. This means that Merlin is there to guide them to university support when a laptop breaks or a parent stops sending money.Merlin encourages at-risk students to proactively self-refer to their university's money advice and hardship funds. Like a personal assistant, we help students to overcome any shame, confusion, or denial and arrive at support appointments with clarity and runway.With minimal costs and a scalable model, we bridge the gap between student anxiety and university support.
Security & Compliance
We prioritise student privacy and institutional trust above all else.No IT integration: Just promote Merlin to your students at the start of the term, and we'll refer them back when needed.Data Minimisation: We only collect what is essential. We strictly don't sell or share identifiable information with third parties.Bank-Grade Security: Data is protected by AES-256 encryption and TLS 1.3 standards.Regulated Connectivity: Our read-only Open Banking (from Sept 2027) will use FCA-regulated providers.Non-Custodial: We are an insight tool to give students agency, not a bank. We never hold, move, or manage student funds.
The 2026/2027 Pilot
From September 2026 to January 2027, we're providing Merlin for free to a handful of universities. Interested? Enter your name and email below, and we'll send you a follow-up email within 5 days.