Knowledge Centre
You do not need to know the product to apply. But if you want to understand the structures, the pricing and what funders test, start here.
Most funding requests fail on presentation, not viability. This guide sets out how funders assess a request, which structure fits which need, and what to prepare before you approach anyone.
9 min readBoth release cash tied up in unpaid invoices. The differences are who collects payment, whether your customers are told, and whether the facility covers the whole ledger or single invoices.
7 min readTrade finance funds the gap between paying an overseas supplier and being paid by the end buyer. It is underwritten on the transaction, not the balance sheet.
8 min readThe choice between hire purchase and leasing turns on whether you want to own the asset, who should carry residual value risk, and how you want the cost to appear in your accounts.
6 min readCredit teams read hundreds of requests. The ones that progress answer the obvious questions before they are asked and explain the awkward numbers rather than hiding them.
7 min readProfit and cash are not the same thing. Growth pulls cash forward into stock and debtors long before it arrives as profit — which is why fast-growing, profitable companies fail.
6 min readAcquisition debt is sized on the target's sustainable earnings, not the buyer's ambition. Understanding the stack early prevents renegotiating price late.
7 min readCross-border transactions rarely fail on credit. They fail on enforceability, currency mismatch and the time it takes to satisfy KYC across a group structure.
7 min readProperty lending is priced on the asset, the income it produces and the credibility of the exit. Match the term of the debt to the life of the plan.
7 min readAdverse credit narrows the market and raises price; it rarely closes the market. The route through is security, transparency and a facility underwritten on something other than your covenant.
6 min readInvoice finance is priced in two parts plus a long tail of ancillary charges. This guide shows how to read a facility quote and calculate what a ledger really costs.
7 min readQuotes across funding types are not comparable as issued. This guide converts each structure to a common basis so you can see which is genuinely cheapest for your need.
8 min readBoth are short-term, both are secured on property, and choosing the wrong one adds cost or stalls a site. This guide sets out where the line sits.
7 min readSecurity lowers price and raises limits, but widens what is at risk. This guide sets out the trade-off in practical terms.
6 min readAdvances are fast and flexible on repayment but expensive once annualised. This guide converts both to a common basis so you can see the real difference.
6 min readOne funds a fixed sum against trading performance, the other releases cash already earned. The right choice follows from where the cash gap sits.
6 min readAsset finance spreads the cost of equipment, vehicles and plant over its working life, secured on the asset itself rather than the wider balance sheet.
8 min readDevelopment finance funds land purchase and construction in staged drawdowns, sized against build cost and end value, and is repaid from sale or refinance.
9 min readBuying a business is rarely funded from one source. Acquisition finance layers senior debt, asset-backed lines, mezzanine and deferred consideration around the buyer's equity.
8 min readSupply chain finance lets suppliers be paid early at the buyer's cost of funds while the buyer keeps or extends its payment terms.
7 min readLeasing pays for the use of equipment rather than the ownership of it, which suits assets that date quickly or are replaced on a cycle.
7 min readAn RCF is a committed line you draw, repay and redraw as needed, sized against trading performance and priced on both used and unused amounts.
7 min readA forecast is the single document a credit analyst reads most carefully. This guide explains what belongs in it, how to evidence assumptions, and how to present downside cases without undermining your own request.
8 min readA funding proposal is a credit paper written from your side of the table. Get the structure right and you shorten every stage that follows.
7 min readA letter of credit replaces the credit risk of your buyer with the credit risk of a bank. This guide covers the mechanics, the cost and the practical pitfalls.
8 min readInventory finance releases cash tied up in goods you have bought but not yet sold. It is one of the least understood facilities and one of the most useful for importers and distributors.
8 min readOverdraft facilities are shrinking across the banking market, often reduced or removed at annual review with little notice. This article sets out the practical alternatives and when each one fits.
8 min readRefinancing existing debt can lower cost, extend terms or release capital tied up in an asset, but it only works when the underlying trading and security stack up. Here is how the process actually runs.
8 min readA personal guarantee is one of the most common and most misunderstood documents in business lending. This explains what it actually commits you to and how to negotiate its scope.
7 min readA debenture is the standard document lenders use to secure lending against the general assets of a company. Understanding how it works helps you negotiate cleaner terms and avoid conflicts between lenders.
7 min readCovenants are the ongoing conditions attached to a facility after it completes. Understanding what is measured and how breaches are handled prevents avoidable defaults later.
7 min readThe value a lender puts on an asset is rarely the same as its book value or even its market value. Here is how different asset classes are actually assessed for lending purposes.
8 min readA management buyout is usually funded through a layered structure rather than a single loan. Here is how each layer works and what lenders look for from the incoming management team.
9 min readSeasonal businesses need funding that flexes with a predictable annual cycle rather than a flat facility sized for an average month. Here is how that is typically structured.
7 min readExporters face a longer cash gap between committing costs and receiving payment than domestic sellers, plus currency and country risk. This sets out the main funding tools used to bridge it.
8 min readImporters often have to pay overseas suppliers before goods arrive or are sold, creating a funding gap that ordinary working capital facilities do not always cover. This is how import finance bridges it.
7 min readConstruction businesses face a specific set of cash flow pressures around retentions, staged payments and bonding requirements. This sets out the funding tools built to address them.
8 min readHaulage operators run thin margins against high upfront vehicle costs and slow paying customers. This sets out how the sector typically funds its fleet, fuel and working capital needs.
7 min readFranchise finance is assessed differently from a standalone start up loan, because lenders lean heavily on the track record of the franchise brand itself. Here is how that shapes the terms available.
7 min readFunding a business through a recovery period requires a different conversation from standard lending. This explains what turnaround lenders assess and how facilities are typically structured.
8 min readTimelines vary enormously by product, and the single biggest factor within your control is how complete your information pack is when you first approach the market.
6 min readMost mainstream lenders want trading history a new business does not have. This guide sets out what is genuinely available before year two and how to present a young business credibly.
8 min readUnsecured does not mean unconditional. This guide explains what lenders rely on instead of a charge over assets, what it costs, and where the limits sit.
7 min readCreditworthiness is built well before an application is submitted. This guide covers the practical steps that make the biggest difference in the months before you apply.
7 min readThe lowest headline rate is not always the cheapest or the most suitable offer. This guide sets out what else to weigh before signing terms.
7 min readBeyond the interest rate, most facilities carry a layer of fees that materially affect the real cost of borrowing. Here is what each one covers and when it is reasonable to query it.
6 min readFor larger or more complex funding requests, a well built information memorandum does much of the work a lender otherwise has to extract through repeated questions.
7 min readDue diligence is where funding timelines usually slip. Preparing the core file before it is requested keeps a process moving and signals organisation to the funder.
8 min readHealthcare businesses combine strong underlying demand with sector specific regulatory and staffing risk. Here is how that plays out in a funding decision.
8 min readHospitality funding hinges on trading performance metrics lenders understand well, and on managing the seasonality that defines much of the sector.
8 min readNot every technology business wants or needs equity dilution. This guide covers the debt based options available and what lenders look for in a sector with few hard assets.
8 min readAgriculture and food production combine long production cycles, seasonal cash flow and significant asset value, all of which shape how funding is structured.
8 min readRenewable energy projects are usually funded in distinct stages, each with different capital, risk and lenders involved. Understanding the stages avoids mismatched applications.
9 min readShipping funding sits at the intersection of high value asset finance and international trade finance, with a small pool of specialist lenders who understand both.
8 min readBusinesses earning or spending in more than one currency face a mismatch risk that funding structures can address directly, if set up correctly from the start.
7 min readGroup structures add complexity that lenders need to see through clearly. This guide covers what changes when a borrowing entity sits within a wider group.
8 min readA borrowing base sets your available limit from the assets you actually hold each month. Understanding how it is calculated stops the facility from shrinking at the moment you need it most.
7 min readWhen more than one lender takes security over the same business, an intercreditor agreement decides who ranks where and who controls enforcement. It shapes your flexibility for years.
7 min readStatutory accounts show where a business has been. Management accounts show where it is now, and they carry more weight in a live credit decision than most borrowers expect.
6 min readSale and leaseback converts an owned asset into cash while you continue to use it. Used well it funds growth cheaply. Used badly it swaps a one off gain for a long lease liability.
7 min readCredit insurance is usually presented as protection against bad debt. Its bigger commercial effect is on funding: insured receivables attract higher advance rates and wider limits.
6 min readEnvironmental and social reporting has moved from disclosure to pricing. Some facilities now tie margin to measurable targets, and most large lenders ask questions that did not appear five years ago.
7 min readFunding a recovery is possible, but only against a plan an outsider can test. The difference between a fundable and unfundable turnaround is almost always evidence, not optimism.
8 min readDistribution is a working capital business. Margin is thin, volume is high, and the whole model depends on funding the period between paying a supplier and collecting from a buyer.
7 min readA good broker compresses months of work into weeks. A poor one scatters your details across the market and leaves declines on your file. The difference shows up in a handful of simple questions.
7 min readMost declines are not verdicts on the business. They are verdicts on the request. Understanding which of the two you received determines whether reapplying is worth the effort.
8 min readContract recruitment runs on a structural cash gap: contractors are paid weekly, clients pay monthly or later. Receivables funding is what closes it, and the sector has products built specifically for the problem.
7 min readManufacturing ties up cash in three places at once: plant, raw materials and work in progress. Funding each with the right instrument costs far less than funding all of them with one overdraft.
8 min readProfessional firms have almost no hard assets, so lending leans on fee income, work in progress and the strength of the partnership. The available structures are quite different from those used by asset heavy businesses.
7 min readRefinancing can cut cost, release equity or replace a facility that is about to mature. The decision turns on the numbers after fees, not the headline rate difference.
7 min readOne customer at half your turnover is a commercial strength and a credit weakness at the same time. Knowing how funders treat it lets you structure around the problem instead of being surprised by it.
6 min readFunding offers are quoted in incompatible units on purpose. Converting them all to one number is the only reliable way to see which is actually cheapest.
7 min read