Start with the need, not the product
Businesses often approach the market asking for "a loan" when the underlying need is a timing gap, an asset purchase or a contract that has to be pre-funded. The structure that solves each of those is different, and applying for the wrong one is the most common reason a viable request gets declined.
Write down three things before anything else: what the money is for, when it is needed, and where repayment comes from. If repayment comes from customer invoices, receivables finance is the natural fit. If it comes from the cash generated by a machine or vehicle, asset finance fits. If it comes from trading profits over several years, a term loan fits. If it comes from the sale or refinance of a property, bridging or development finance fits.
What funders actually assess
Almost every credit decision comes down to four questions: can the business service the debt, what happens if trading deteriorates, what security or recourse exists, and how credible is the management team. Financial statements answer the first two; security and structure answer the third; the quality of your information pack answers the fourth.
Funders are not looking for perfection. They are looking for a coherent story where the numbers, the plan and the security align. An explained loss is usually easier to fund than an unexplained one.
The information pack
Prepare the last two years of statutory accounts, year-to-date management accounts, a current aged debtor and creditor listing, the last six months of bank statements, a short business overview and a 12-month cash-flow forecast showing the facility in place. For property or project transactions, add valuations, planning consents, contracts and offtake agreements.
Sending a complete pack up front routinely halves the time to a credible indication. Sending information in fragments signals disorganisation and slows every subsequent stage.
Realistic timelines
Invoice finance and asset finance can complete in one to three weeks. Unsecured cash-flow lending typically takes two to four weeks. Secured commercial mortgages, acquisition debt and structured trade lines usually take six to twelve weeks because valuation, legal work and credit committee sit in the path. Project finance takes longer still.
Whatever the structure, the first fixed cost is time. Approach the market with a complete pack and you compress every stage that follows.
Approaching the market
There are thousands of banks, funds, leasing companies, private credit providers and specialist financiers, and each has a narrow appetite defined by sector, jurisdiction, ticket size and security. Applying to the wrong ones leaves declines on your file and wastes weeks.
Global Funding Gateway exists to shorten that step: you describe the requirement once, we structure it into a fundable proposition and approach providers whose stated criteria actually match. There are no upfront fees — all charges are due only once funding is in place.
Frequently asked questions
How much funding can a business borrow?
As a rule of thumb, cash-flow lenders work to two to four times EBITDA, invoice finance advances 80–90% of an approved sales ledger, asset finance covers up to 100% of an asset's value, and commercial mortgages run to 60–75% loan-to-value. Structured and multi-source packages can exceed any single one of these.
Can I get business funding with bad credit?
Often yes, where the funding is secured on an asset, a receivable or a property rather than the general covenant of the business. Adverse history narrows the lender pool and raises pricing, but it rarely closes the market entirely if there is tangible security or a strong contract behind the request.
Does applying affect my credit file?
An enquiry through Global Funding Gateway does not create a credit search. Searches happen only when you choose to progress with a specific provider and consent to it.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-15