There are many sources of funds available to businesses, but it is often difficult to know what is available, from whom and at what cost. We present two sources of funding for you to check out:

  • Ebury

If you have invoices available for discounting and\or you need to finance your purchases, then Ebury offers attractive trade financing solutions. Furthermore, Ebury can help you offer trade credit to your clients.

(If you are an importer or exporter. Ebury's foreign exchange service can reduce exchange rate uncertainties and costs.)

Ideal Client Profiles: Companies with a turnover of over £1 million and Shareholder Funds of over £100,000 - Companies with good FX exposure are also more likely to be approved and get cheaper lines. (If your profile and requirements do not match the above, then try Fund Finder.)

  • Fund Finder

Every business is different. That’s why Fund Finder has access to a huge range of funding types to suit every need.

  • iwoca

Business loans. Simplified. Borrow £1,000 - £500,000. (Applying won't affect your credit score.) It takes just 2 minutes to check your eligibility.

N.B. TradeTech Solutions does not provide financial advice. If you are considering taking out loans then you should take appropriate financial advice before entering into any financial agreements.


(For Ebury's FX services see "Foreign Exchange".)

Ebury’s lending solutions provide you with credit to finance international and domestic payables.

Many businesses experience cash flow issues due to unforeseen risks, market volatility and seasonality blocks. Ebury’s unsecured payables finance allows your business to use capital when it’s needed most. Ebury helps limit your exposure to market volatility by giving you the option of sending payments in your suppliers’ local currency and repaying in your local currency.

  • Unsecured finance lines No guarantees required! With a repayment period of up to 150 days for payables.
  • Total flexibility No hidden costs, no commitment credit lines – use them only when you need them.
  • Interest is only charged for the line used and no fees for not using the line or early repayments.
  • Quick, secure and direct payments to suppliers in over 130 currencies.
  • Simple and transparent online trading platform for improved reporting and payment visibility.
  • Control all your international trade under one roof thanks to the seamless integration with other Ebury products.
  • Ebury's solution does not conflict with any existing lending facilities, ensuring that you always have peace of mind to focus on what matters most.

Ebury's Payables Finance Solution.png

No matter whether you are a Buyer or a Supplier, one of the best ways to finance your trade is to generate finance against invoices. There are three basic structures:

  1. For Suppliers: Receivables Finance: Ebury pays you a proportion of the invoice when you issue it (e.g. 90%). When payment is received on the due date you then receive the balance (10%) less the interest charge.
  2. For Buyers: Payables Finance: Ebury pays invoices for goods as you receive them (allowing you to negotiate a better price for cash payment) and then grants you a period to repay the amount advanced giving you the time you need to sell the goods.
  3. For Buyers & Suppliers: Reverse Payables: Offering a payables finance line to your customers as a collaborative arrangement. Buyer submits the Supplier invoice to Ebury, Ebury pays the Supplier 100% upfront and wear all the risk of your customer settling the balance up to 150 days later. (This allows Buyers to agree a discount on the price payable to their Suppliers for cash payments - Buyers will pay interest rates from 0.15% per month to 1% p.m.)

To contact Ebury click here.

How the Ebury Trade Finance solutions work:

For Suppliers:

Ebury_Buyers_Credit.png

  1. You sell your goods or services and invoice your client.
  2. You upload the invoice to Ebury's platform and Ebury pays you 90% of the invoice up front.
  3. Your client repays up to 120 days later.
  4. Ebury pays you the remaining 10% minus any interest.
  5. Interest rates are currently from 0.15% per month to 1% per month.

If you are an exporter and your invoices are denominated in a foreign currency, Ebury will pay you at your option either in that currency or in sterling, bringing you further certainty as to cash-flow.

Other Benefits:

  • Off-balance sheet financing.
  • Unsecured (no title over goods, no all-assets debentures, no collateral required).
  • No personal guarantees.
  • Free to set up.
  • Free to have in place (no regular fees, admin fees etc).

N.B. This service will require you to open an account with Barclays, London - via Ebury. Only invoices payable to this account will be eligible for discounting. The opening procedure is entirely online. There are no costs or obligations to use this account for any other purpose. You will have complete, online control over any balances in this account.

For Buyers:

Ebury_For_Importers.png

  1. Your supplier sends you an invoice.
  2. You forward the invoice to Ebury and Ebury pays your supplier (in any currency).
  3. You sell your goods or services.
  4. You repay Ebury up to 150 days later in your domestic currency.
  5. All you have to do is calculate whether the discount you can negotiate with your Supplier for paying cash and see whether this covers the cost Ebury will charge you for this service.
  6. Interest rates are currently from 0.15% per month to 1% per month.

For Exporters:

This works exactly the same as the example above - but with the added flexibility:

  1. You forward the invoice to Ebury and Ebury pays your supplier in any currency - and fixes the amount in sterling that you need to repay - and provides certainty re: the exact amount of foreign currency that your Supplier will receive. (For example, international suppliers might be willing to drop the mark-up that they typically apply when quoting prices in US Dollars.)
  2. You repay Ebury up to 150 days later in sterling - removing your exchange rate uncertainty.

Other Benefits:

  • Unsecured (no title over goods, no all-assets debentures, no collateral required)
  • No personal guarantees 
  • Free to set up
  • Free to have in place (no regular fees, admin fees etc.)
  • No shipping docs required
  • Up to £3m revolving line size to start (subject to the credit profile of client)

For business cases where Ebury provided trade finance services, see:

  • Dyrhoff
  • Fred Balls Fastenings
  • UK Shelving Importer
  • UK Toy Retailer

Signing Up with Ebury

It takes just 3 steps to sign up with Ebury (no costs and no commitments):

Ebury_Signup.png
  1. Register.
  2. Compliance check*.
  3. Sign T&Cs
  4. You are all set.

The documentation that you will need to provide*:

  • Two years of full accounts.
  • Monthly (or quarterly) management accounts for the past 12 months
  • A list of aged debtors and creditors.
  • Furthermore, we require financial monitoring on an ongoing basis to further use the line.

(Once you have submitted all the required, information the process usually takes between four working days to two weeks.)


User Interfaces

The user interfaces are incredibly user-friendly: See the following examples for using the Receivables Finance service :

  1. Choose the service you want to access:

Ebury_Menu.png

See the usage and availability of your credit line:

Ebury_Credit_Line.png

See outstanding invoices discounted:

Ebury_Submitted_Requests.png

See invoices that have been paid:

Ebury_Repayments.png

Submit a new request to discount an invoice - uploading the relevant documentation.:

Ebury_Submit_a_new_request.png

This is then reviewed prior to approval.

Ebury_Reviewing_submission.png

If you think either of these solutions could be of interest, contact Ebury and see how they can help you.


N.B. TradeTech Solutions does not provide financial advice. If you are considering taking out loans then you should take appropriate financial advice before entering into any financial agreements.

Every business is different. That’s why Funder Finder has access to a range of funding types to suit every need. The free and easy way for you to research and find finance for your business. The Funder Finder engine uses straightforward information to match you with an impressive selection of funders within minutes, offering access to a broad range of funding products across the UK.

  • Funding Types: Key areas: Asset Finance, Business Loans, Commercial Property Finance and Other Types of Funding.
  • Situational Content to Support Your Journey: The Big Idea, Starting Up, Growing Fast, Surviving a Recession, Building for the Future, Exit Strategy.
  1. Completely free to use.
  2. Over 140 funding choices.
  3. Funds of £500 to £50 million available.

See the Introductory Video: Introducing Alternative Business Funding

How it works:

  1. Search – Tell us a little bit about your business and your funding requirements. (N.B. If you are looking to discount invoices you have issued, you can choose either "Cash Flow" or "Working Capital" as the "Funding Purpose".)
  2. Match – Our Funder Finder engine matches your business with the most suitable funders and appropriate funders.
  3. Select – Choose who you would like to contact or let our experienced Service Team choose on your behalf. (No Funders will be contacted until specifically approved by you.)

The Fund Finder process is:

  • Simple – Search in under 5 minutes. (N.B. The questions you will be asked will depend upon the type of funding and the amount that you are looking for - and how quickly you will need it. These questions will include: (a) personal details relating to the business owners\directors and (b) the company's details & financials.)
  • Safe – Your data is protected at all times.
  • Efficient – One place to search, one place to find.
  • Free – Free to use and search for funding.
  • Fair – Funders can’t buy their way to the top of our rankings.

Search for business funding now (it takes just a few minutes!)

N.B. Should you decide to move forward with a funding opportunity, you may well be requested to provide further documentation (e.g. filed accounts, recent bank statements, business plans, forecasts, etc.). Within the platform, you can upload any documents requested to support your application and these will be forwarded directly to the relevant funder.

N.B. TradeTech Solutions does not provide financial advice. If you are considering taking out loans then you should take appropriate financial advice before entering into any financial agreements.


If you need immediate access to liquidity, then you may consider making an application to iwoca.

  • Applying will not affect your credit score.
  • £1,000 to £500,000 - to buy new stock, invest in growth plans or just keep your cash flow smooth.
  • It takes just 5 minutes to check your eligibility.

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To check indicative pricing and repayment schedules, use their online calculator.

iwoca - loan calculation.png

If you think you would like to apply, iwoca states that the process is straightforward:

  1. Apply online in 5 minutes.
  2. Get approved in 24 hours.
  3. Borrow from 1 day to 2 years.

The key information required by iwoca*:

  • You're based in the UK
  • You're a limited company or a partnership
  • Basic details about the business.
  • Bank statements from the last year (or you can link your account via Open Banking).

* The document requirements may change according to the loan size and type of company.

N.B. TradeTech Solutions does not provide financial advice. If you are considering taking out loans then you should take appropriate financial advice before entering into any financial agreements.