UK business lender criteria comparison

Name: UK SMB lender criteria comparison
Creator: BestBusinessLoans
Published: 2026-05-10
License: https://bestbusinessloans.ai/editorial-policy/

Side-by-side comparison of 110 UK SMB lenders across eight criteria: product type, ticket range, decision time, trading-time minimum, turnover minimum, soft search, Ltd-only and FCA-regulated. Grouped by tier, sorted by editorial rating within each tier.

How to read this table

Each row is a UK SMB lender from our master dataset. Cells are populated from our published lender reviews; where a criterion is not reducible to a single comparable cell (trading-time minimum, turnover minimum) the row shows "See review" and the lender name links to the full editorial entry.

Tier matters more than rating across the whole table. A 4.4 Mainstream lender and a 4.4 MCA lender have nothing in common on cost, speed or eligibility; comparing them on rating alone hides that. The tier groupings below force the right comparison: rating-against-rating only inside the same tier.

Use Ctrl+F or Cmd+F to jump to a lender name. The lender review is one click from any row.

What the columns mean

Product: the primary product type the lender writes. Many UK SMB lenders run multiple products; this cell shows the dominant one.
Ticket: minimum to maximum ticket size as published by the lender. Real-world offered tickets often sit in the middle of the range.
Decision: typical decision time on a clean application with documents in hand. Same-day means the credit decision, not always the funds.
Trading min: minimum trading history before the lender will engage. "Card flow basis" means the lender underwrites on card-machine takings instead of filed accounts.
Turnover min: minimum annualised turnover before the lender will engage. "Card flow basis" applies the same logic.
Soft search: Yes if the lender runs soft search at quote stage (no credit-file footprint until full application).
Ltd-only: Yes if the lender restricts to limited companies. No means sole traders and partnerships are also accepted.
FCA reg: Yes if the lender holds FCA permissions for at least some of its activity. Note that limited-company business lending is largely unregulated.
Rating: our editorial overall rating from the published review.

Tier definitions

Mainstream (8 lenders)

High-street banks and the largest UK SMB term-loan platforms. Tightest underwriting, lowest pricing for clean-credit borrowers, slowest decision cycle.

Challenger (15 lenders)

PRA-regulated newer banks lending to UK SMBs. Often more transparent on criteria than the high street, comparable pricing, faster on bespoke deals.

Fintech (18 lenders)

Tech-led UK SMB lenders, soft-search at quote, fast decisions. Pricing higher than mainstream, eligibility wider, decision time measured in hours not weeks.

MCA (11 lenders)

Merchant cash advance and revenue-based finance. Underwritten on card flow or marketplace data, not filed accounts. Fastest funding, factor-rate pricing.

Asset finance (22 lenders)

Equipment, vehicle, invoice and asset-backed specialists. The asset itself is the security, so credit profile carries less weight than the asset value.

Specialist (32 lenders)

Post-decline, bridging, development and niche commercial lenders. Higher pricing, narrower eligibility, but the realistic answer where mainstream and challenger decline.

Reference-only (4 lenders)

Brands absorbed, in run-off or not corporate-verified. Listed for completeness and so brand-name searches land on an editorial answer rather than a dead end.

Mainstream

High-street banks and the largest UK SMB term-loan platforms. Tightest underwriting, lowest pricing for clean-credit borrowers, slowest decision cycle.

Lender	Product	Ticket	Decision	Trading min	Turnover min	Soft search	Ltd-only	FCA reg	Rating
Funding Circle	Term loan	£10k to £500k	1 to 3 business days	24 months	£100k+	Yes	No	Yes	4.3
Barclays	Business loans, overdrafts, asset finance, commercial mortgages	£1k to several million	1 to 4 weeks depending on ticket size	24 months	See review	No	No	Yes	3.8
Lloyds Bank	Business loans, overdrafts, commercial mortgages, asset finance	£1k to £500k+ unsecured; larger via secured facilities	5 to 15 business days	24 months	See review	No	No	Yes	3.8
NatWest	Business loans, overdrafts, asset finance, commercial mortgages	£1k to £500k+ unsecured; larger via secured facilities	5 to 15 business days	24 months	See review	No	No	Yes	3.8
HSBC UK	Business loans, working capital, asset finance, international trade finance	£25k to several million	1 to 4 weeks depending on ticket size	24 months	See review	No	No	Yes	3.8
Santander UK	Business loans, overdrafts, commercial mortgages, international finance	£5k to £500k+ unsecured; higher via secured facilities	5 to 15 business days	24 months	See review	No	No	Yes	3.7
Royal Bank of Scotland	Business loans, overdrafts, asset finance, commercial mortgages	£1k to £500k+ unsecured; larger via secured facilities	5 to 15 business days	24 months	See review	No	No	Yes	3.7
Clydesdale Bank	Business banking and SME lending	£25k to £25m+	1 to 4 weeks	24 months	See review	No	No	Yes	3.5

Challenger

PRA-regulated newer banks lending to UK SMBs. Often more transparent on criteria than the high street, comparable pricing, faster on bespoke deals.

Lender	Product	Ticket	Decision	Trading min	Turnover min	Soft search	Ltd-only	FCA reg	Rating
Allica Bank	SME term loan + commercial mortgage	£150k to £5m	5 to 10 business days	24 months	£250k+	No	Yes	Yes	4.4
Starling Bank	Business term loan + overdraft	£25k to £250k	2 to 5 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.3
OakNorth	SME term loan + bridging	£500k to £50m+	7 to 14 business days	24 months	£250k+	No	Yes	Yes	4.2
United Trust Bank	Bridging, development finance, asset finance, structured property	£100k to £25m+	5 to 14 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.2
Investec	Corporate banking + asset finance + commercial property	£500k to £50m+	2 to 6 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.2
Aldermore	Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial mortgages	£25k to £5m	5 to 10 business days	24 months	£250k+	No	Yes	Yes	4.1
Hampshire Trust Bank	Asset finance, commercial mortgages, bridging, development finance	£25k to £25m+	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.1
Paragon Bank	Asset finance + commercial property + development finance	£25k to £25m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.1
Arbuthnot Latham	Private bank commercial lending	£1m to £25m	2 to 6 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.1
Redwood Bank	SME commercial mortgage and term loan	£250k to £2.5m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.1
Shawbrook Bank	Term loans, asset finance, commercial property	£25k to £25m	7 to 14 business days	24 months	£250k+	No	Yes	Yes	4.0
Hodge Bank	Commercial mortgage + asset finance + bridging	£250k to £10m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.0
Secure Trust Bank	Commercial finance + asset finance + invoice finance	£50k to £25m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.0
ABN AMRO Asset Based Finance	Asset-based lending and lease finance	£2m to £50m+	2 to 6 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.9
Cashplus Bank	Business loan + creditbuilder + overdraft	£2k to £25k	1 to 3 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	3.9

Fintech

Tech-led UK SMB lenders, soft-search at quote, fast decisions. Pricing higher than mainstream, eligibility wider, decision time measured in hours not weeks.

Lender	Product	Ticket	Decision	Trading min	Turnover min	Soft search	Ltd-only	FCA reg	Rating
iwoca	Flexi-loan / line of credit	£1k to £500k	Same day to 24 hours	12 months	£50k+	Yes	No	Yes	4.4
Capital on Tap	Business credit card with revolving credit line	Up to £250k credit limit	2 minutes to same day	6 to 12 months	£50k+	Yes	No	Yes	4.3
Fleximize	Term loan with flex features	£5k to £500k	24 to 48 hours	See review	£100k+	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
Cubefunder	Unsecured fixed-fee term loan	£5k to £100k	24 to 48 hours	12 months	£50k+	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.0
LendingCrowd	Term loan	£75k to £500k	24 to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.0
ThinCats	Mid-market SME term loans (now part of Shawbrook Group)	£1m to £15m	2 to 6 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.0
Assetz Capital	SME term loan + commercial property + bridging	£250k to £10m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.0
Kriya	Invoice finance + B2B BNPL + business loan	£10k to £1m	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.0
Momenta Finance	SME term loan + merchant cash advance	£5k to £500k	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
Hydr	Invoice finance (selective)	£1k to £150k per invoice	Same day to 24 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	No	4.0
Tide loans (Funding Options)	Broker / aggregator (not a direct lender)	£500 to £20m (panel-priced)	24 hours to 5 days	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	3.9
MaxCap	Unsecured term loan	£3k to £100k	Same day	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	No	3.9
Swishfund	Unsecured term loan	£10k to £400k	Same day decision; funds 24 to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	No	3.9
Swiftfund	Merchant cash advance	£10k to £500k	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	No	No	3.8
Crowd2Fund	P2P SME term loan	£10k to £1m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	3.7
Sigma Lending	Unsecured term loan	£5k to £150k	Same day to 24 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	No	3.6
Funding Alternative	Short-term unsecured cash flow advance	£25k upwards	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	No	No	3.6
Just Cashflow	Revolving credit / cashflow facility	£10k to £500k	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	Yes	0.0

MCA

Merchant cash advance and revenue-based finance. Underwritten on card flow or marketplace data, not filed accounts. Fastest funding, factor-rate pricing.

Lender	Product	Ticket	Decision	Trading min	Turnover min	Soft search	Ltd-only	FCA reg	Rating
Sonovate	Embedded finance and contractor pay funding for recruitment and consultancy agencies	£10k to £15m+ rolling facility	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.3
Got Capital	Revenue-based business funding advance	£2k to £300k	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	No	No	4.2
MCL Finance	Unsecured term loan and merchant cash advance	£5k to £100k	24 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	No	4.2
Wayflyer	Revenue-based finance for e-commerce	£10k to £20m	24 to 48 hours	6 months	Card flow basis	Yes	Yes	No	4.2
365 Business Finance	Merchant cash advance	£10k to £500k	24 to 48 hours	12 months	Card flow basis	Yes	No	Yes	4.1
Outfund	Revenue-based finance for online and subscription businesses	£10k to £10m	24 to 48 hours	6 months	Card flow basis	Yes	Yes	No	4.1
Capify	Merchant cash advance + term loan	£3.5k to £500k	Same day	6 months	Card flow basis	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
Liberis	Merchant cash advance and BNPL for SMBs	£1k to £1m	Same day to 48 hours	6 months	Card flow basis	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
YouLend	Embedded MCA / revenue-based finance	£1k to £1m	Same day	6 months	Card flow basis	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
SellersFunding	E-commerce working capital and term loan	£5k to £1m	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	No	3.9
Boost Capital	Merchant cash advance + small business loan	£3k to £500k	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	3.8

Asset finance

Equipment, vehicle, invoice and asset-backed specialists. The asset itself is the security, so credit profile carries less weight than the asset value.

Lender	Product	Ticket	Decision	Trading min	Turnover min	Soft search	Ltd-only	FCA reg	Rating
Propel	Asset finance (hire purchase and lease)	£2k to £1m	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.3
Close Brothers	Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial loans	£25k to £25m+	5 to 14 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.2
Haydock Finance	Asset finance (hire purchase and lease)	£5k to £500k	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.2
Ultimate Finance	Invoice finance, asset finance and bridging	£10k to £5m	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.2
Bibby Financial Services	Invoice finance, factoring, asset-based lending	£25k to £25m+ facility	5 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.1
Skipton Business Finance	Invoice finance (factoring + invoice discounting)	£25k to £5m	5 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.1
Time Finance	Asset finance, invoice finance, vehicle finance	£10k to £2m	2 to 5 business days	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
Nucleus Commercial Finance	Term loans, asset finance, invoice finance, property finance	£25k to £20m	24 hours to 7 business days	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
IGF Invoice Finance	Invoice finance and ABL	£100k to £15m	1 to 3 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	4.0
Liberty Leasing	Asset finance (hire purchase and lease)	£3k to £500k	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.0
eCapital	Invoice finance + asset-based lending	£50k to £10m	5 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	3.9
TFG Capital	Short-term business loan	£25k to £500k	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.9
TradeRiver	Trade finance (revolving purchase facility)	£100k to £3m	1 to 3 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.9
Acorn Commercial Finance	Asset-backed and commercial finance specialist	£10k to £2m	3 to 7 business days	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	3.8
4Syte	Invoice finance and asset-based lending	£25k to £5m	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	No	3.8
Breal Zeta CF	Asset-based lending and commercial finance	£2m to £30m	2 to 6 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.8
FGI Finance	International factoring and trade finance	£500k to £20m	2 to 4 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.8
GapCap	Invoice and asset finance	£25k to £1m	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	No	3.8
Creative Capital	SMB term loan and asset finance	£10k to £500k	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	No	3.4
Catalyst Business Finance	Invoice finance and asset finance	£25k to £2m	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	No	0.0
Corporate Asset Solutions	Asset finance broker	Bespoke	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	No	0.0
Sterling Trade Finance	Trade finance (brand absorbed)	Closed to new business under this brand	N/A	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	0.0

Specialist

Post-decline, bridging, development and niche commercial lenders. Higher pricing, narrower eligibility, but the realistic answer where mainstream and challenger decline.

Lender	Product	Ticket	Decision	Trading min	Turnover min	Soft search	Ltd-only	FCA reg	Rating
LendInvest	Bridging + buy-to-let + development finance	£75k to £15m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.2
Kuflink	Bridging finance and P2P property lending	£75k to £3m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.2
MT Finance	Bridging and BTL mortgages	£50k to £10m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.2
Octane Capital	Bridging, refurbishment and BTL	£150k to £30m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	No	4.2
Together	Bridging, BTL, commercial mortgages and second charge	£25k to £30m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.2
Growth Lending	Growth term loan + asset-based + recovery finance	£1m to £25m	4 to 8 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.1
Glenhawk	Bridging finance	£300k to £10m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.1
Mint Property Finance	Bridging and refurbishment finance	£100k to £5m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	No	4.1
Octopus Real Estate	Property finance: bridging, development, healthcare	£500k to £200m+	5 to 20 business days	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	4.1
Roma Finance	Bridging and BTL mortgages	£75k to £3m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	Yes	4.1
Selina Finance	Property-secured business and personal credit lines	£10k to £500k	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	4.1
White Oak UK	SMB term loans, asset finance, professional finance	£5k to £500k	24 hours to 5 business days	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	4.0
Avamore Capital	Bridging and development finance	£500k to £25m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	No	4.0
Blazehill Capital	Asset-backed term loans and special situations	£5m to £75m	4 to 8 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	4.0
Fiduciam	Bridging and short-term SME loans	£250k to £25m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	No	No	4.0
Hope Capital	Bridging finance	£50k to £10m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	No	4.0
Maslow Capital	Development finance	£10m to £150m	4 to 8 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	4.0
Ortus Secured Finance	Bridging and short-term commercial property finance	£150k to £5m	3 to 10 business days	See review	See review	No	No	No	4.0
Pluto Finance	Development finance and residential lending	£2m to £100m	4 to 8 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	4.0
Puma Property Finance	Development and investment property finance	£3m to £75m	3 to 6 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	4.0
Reparo	Short-term business loan and bridging	£10k to £1m	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	No	No	No	4.0
Shard Credit Partners	Private credit / direct lending	£5m to £30m	4 to 10 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.0
Triple Point	SME private credit and leasing	£500k to £20m	3 to 8 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	4.0
Caple	Unsecured SME growth loan	£500k to £5m	4 to 8 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	Yes	3.9
Credit4	SME term loan + revolving credit	£25k to £250k	24 to 72 hours	See review	See review	Yes	Yes	Yes	3.9
SME Capital	SMB term loan	£250k to £5m	2 to 6 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.8
JPM Capital	Specialist post-decline term loans and MCA	£5k to £500k	Same day to 48 hours	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	3.7
Bolton Finance	Specialist commercial finance for SMEs	£25k to £1m	3 to 5 business days	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	3.7
Iron Bridge Finance	Property-secured short-term finance	£100k to £5m	5 to 15 business days	See review	See review	No	No	No	3.7
Argyll Property Partners	Property-backed business and development finance	£500k to £15m	1 to 4 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.7
PNC Business Credit	Asset-based lending (cross-border)	£10m to £100m+	4 to 8 weeks	See review	See review	No	Yes	No	3.7
Bizcap	Specialist post-decline / fast cash	£5k to £500k	Same day	See review	See review	Yes	No	Yes	3.6

Reference-only

Brands absorbed, in run-off or not corporate-verified. Listed for completeness and so brand-name searches land on an editorial answer rather than a dead end.

Lender	Product	Ticket	Decision	Trading min	Turnover min	Soft search	Ltd-only	FCA reg
Masthaven	Specialist lending (in run-off)	Closed to new business	N/A	See review	See review	No	No	No
Infund	SMB lender (entity not verified)	Bespoke	Not published	See review	See review	No	No	No
Invocap	Invoice finance (entity not verified)	Bespoke	Not published	See review	See review	No	No	No
Spotcap	Unsecured term loan (closed)	Closed to new business	N/A	See review	See review	No	Yes	No

Reading the comparison: practical notes

Five things to keep in mind when using this table to shortlist a UK SMB lender:

Decision time is the credit decision, not the funds. A "same-day" MCA can fund the same day; a "same-day" mainstream term loan often funds two to three days later once documentation completes. The cell here is the underwriting clock.
Soft search at quote does not mean soft search forever. Almost every lender hard-searches before drawdown. The flag here protects the quote stage; the hard search appears once you accept an offer.
Ltd-only does not always mean Ltd-only forever. Some lenders flagged Ltd-only here engage with LLPs and partnerships of four or more on a case-by-case basis. The flag captures the published policy.
FCA-regulated is a coverage flag, not a product flag. A lender holding FCA permissions for one product does not mean every product they sell is FCA-regulated. The cell is "does the lender hold FCA permissions at all", not "is this specific product regulated".

How we built this dataset

Each row in this table is fed by an individual lender review on BestBusinessLoans. The reviews are published with a methodology, a dated last-reviewed marker, a Companies House cross-reference where the entity is verifiable, and the editorial author named on every page (Oliver Mackman, Best Business Loans Ltd).

Tier classification is editorial. The seven tiers (Mainstream, Challenger, Fintech, MCA, Asset finance, Specialist, Reference-only) reflect how UK SMB lending is actually organised in 2026, not a single company-house code or regulatory schedule. Mainstream is the high-street banks plus the largest term-loan platforms. Challenger is PRA-regulated newer banks. Fintech is the tech-led platforms with soft-search-at-quote workflows. MCA is card-flow and marketplace finance. Asset finance is equipment, vehicle and invoice specialists. Specialist is post-decline, bridging and niche commercial. Reference-only is brands absorbed, in run-off or unverified.

When a lender straddles two tiers, we place them in the dominant one. Funding Circle sits in Mainstream (largest UK SMB term-loan platform) even though it is technically a fintech. Allica Bank sits in Challenger (PRA-regulated bank) even though its product range overlaps fintech term loans. The tier is the editorial best-fit.

When to use this table vs the editorial picks

This page is a comparison reference. It is the right tool when you already know roughly which tier you sit in (mainstream Ltd company with two years of accounts vs MCA-against-card-flow vs post-decline) and want to scan the criteria in one place.

It is the wrong tool when you want a ranked editorial pick. For that, the right entry points are:

Best UK business loans 2026, six-lender ranked editorial pick.
Cheapest UK business loans, lowest realistic APR for clean-credit established borrowers.
Fastest UK business loans, same-day decision specialists.
After a decline, decline-reason routing including the full decision tree.
By product, product-type hubs (term loan, MCA, asset finance, stock finance, commercial mortgage, bridging).
By sector, hospitality, construction, retail, recruitment, manufacturing, healthcare.

Frequently asked questions

How is this UK lender comparison table sorted?

Within each tier (Mainstream, Challenger, Fintech, MCA, Asset finance, Specialist, Reference-only) the lenders are sorted by editorial overall rating descending. The tier order is fixed: Mainstream first, Reference-only last. Sorting by rating inside the tier is more useful than rating across tiers because the underwriting and pricing differ between tiers.

What does "soft search at quote" mean for a UK business loan?

A soft search is a credit-file check that does not leave a footprint visible to other lenders and does not affect your credit score. Most reputable UK SMB lenders use soft search at quote stage and a hard search only when you accept an offer and full application begins. Lenders flagged "Yes" in the soft-search column run soft search at quote.

Why are some UK lenders flagged Ltd-only?

Some UK SMB lenders only underwrite limited-company borrowers, not sole traders or partnerships. Reasons include the legal cleanliness of personal guarantees against directors, the fact that Ltd accounts are filed at Companies House, and the regulatory carve-out for unregulated commercial lending. Sole traders apply on the personal-credit file, which sits under different consumer-credit rules.

What does FCA-regulated mean in UK business lending?

A subset of UK business lending is FCA-regulated, mainly where the borrower is a sole trader or unincorporated partnership (regulated consumer credit), or where the lender holds permissions for related activities (deposit-taking, mortgage lending). Limited-company business lending is largely unregulated by the FCA. The "FCA-regulated" column flags whether the lender holds FCA permissions; it does not mean every product they offer is FCA-regulated.

Are reference-only lenders worth approaching?

Usually not directly, but the editorial entry exists for completeness. Reference-only covers brands that have been absorbed (Sterling Trade Finance, Masthaven), are in run-off (some specialist lines) or where the corporate entity is not verifiable. We list them so that a reader searching the brand name lands on a useful editorial answer rather than a dead end.

Can I filter or sort this table interactively?

The current page is a static comparison rendered server-side from our lender dataset. Interactive sort, filter and column toggles are on the roadmap; until they ship, the tier groupings plus rating-descending order inside each tier give most readers the answer in a single glance. Use browser find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to jump to a specific lender name.

Why are some criteria shown as "See review"?

Trading-time minimum and turnover minimum are not always published in a clean numeric form by UK lenders. Some publish ranges, some publish "case-by-case", some only disclose to applicants. Where we cannot reduce the criterion to a single comparable cell, we link to the individual lender review where the editorial detail is captured in full.

Read the lender review before applying

Every row in the table above links to the full editorial review for that lender, with our methodology score, ticket range, decision time, regulatory footprint, the use cases the lender is strongest at, and the use cases where it is consistently weak.

Application is direct to the named lender or via our /get-quotes/ form, which runs a soft-search broker panel matcher. BestBusinessLoans does not take applications.

By Oliver Mackman, Best Business Loans Ltd. Last reviewed 10 May 2026. Editorial only. BestBusinessLoans is not a regulated adviser. We work with UK Ltd companies, LLPs and partnerships of four or more. Dataset rebuilt from /src/data/lenders.ts on each deploy; rows: 110.