How long does it take from enquiry to funds being released?

Enquiry to funds in UK SMB lending typically takes 24 hours to 5 working days for fintech term loans and merchant cash advances, 5 to 15 working days for bank-issued SME loans, and 4 to 8 weeks for secured facilities involving property or asset registration.

Speed by product class breaks down as follows. Merchant cash advance: same-day to 48 hours (Capify, 365 Business Finance, Liberis). Fintech term loan: 24 hours to 3 days for established borrowers (iwoca, Funding Circle, Fleximize). Bank SME loan: 5 to 15 days (Allica Bank, Shawbrook, Aldermore). Asset finance: 3 to 7 days once invoice and supplier details are confirmed. Commercial mortgage: 6 to 12 weeks. Invoice finance: 7 to 14 days for first drawdown after facility approval.

The 24-hour decisions you see advertised refer to indicative quotes, not funds in the account. Real funding speed depends on three things: how complete your documents are at submission, whether KYC checks need additional verification (overseas directors, complex group structures, recent restructures all add days), and whether security is being registered at Companies House (adds 5 to 10 working days for a debenture).

For genuinely time-critical situations like missed VAT or a stock window, see our fastest UK business loans listicle and how fast could funds be available after I'm introduced to a provider.