Lender review · Merchant cash advance
Swiftfund
- Reviewed May 2026
- Editor Oliver Mackman
- Companies House 11608105
- Methodology Public
Cheshire-based MCA specialist, the trading name of Bizlend Limited. Requires £20k monthly card-machine turnover. Strong Trustpilot footprint for category, with funds typically released inside 48 hours.
Director, BestBusinessLoans
Oliver leads BestBusinessLoans's editorial reviews and methodology. With a background in UK commercial finance, he oversees lender research, rate verification and review independence.
Last reviewed: 8 May 2026
At a glance
- Product
- Merchant cash advance
- Ticket size
- £10k to £500k
- Typical rate
- Factor rate, quoted at offer
- Decision time
- Same day to 48 hours
- Soft search at quote
- Yes
- Limited companies only
- No
- FCA regulated
- No
- Companies House
- 11608105
- Founded
- 2018
Scores against our methodology
- Rate transparency3/5
- Eligibility clarity4/5
- Decision speed5/5
- Decline handling4/5
How Swiftfund works
Swiftfund operates as a merchant cash advance provider in the UK SMB market. Cheshire-based MCA specialist, the trading name of Bizlend Limited. Requires £20k monthly card-machine turnover. Strong Trustpilot footprint for category, with funds typically released inside 48 hours.
The product mechanic is straightforward in shape but the underwriting is sector-specific. Tickets sit in the £10k to £500k band, decisions land within Same day to 48 hours, and the published rate range is Factor rate, quoted at offer. Soft search at quote means no impact on your credit file at the eligibility stage. Like most UK lenders to limited companies, the standard SMB lending sits outside the FCA perimeter.
Where Swiftfund fits best: hospitality, retail, salons, businesses with £20k+ monthly card flow, borrowers needing 24-hour funding. Where it does not fit: b2b service businesses, sub-£20k monthly turnover, long-term project finance.
Pricing examples
Worked examples using Swiftfund's published rate range (Factor rate, quoted at offer). This lender prices by factor rate or bespoke quote, so we show the structure, not a worked APR.
| Ticket | Term | Estimated total cost | Approx monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | 24 months | See lender quote | See lender quote |
| £50,000 | 36 months | See lender quote | See lender quote |
| £100,000 | 48 months | See lender quote | See lender quote |
Indicative only. Confirm on a Swiftfund quote.
Eligibility
- Trading time: typically 12 to 24 months minimum for the cleanest pricing. Weakness flagged: Sub-£20k monthly turnover.
- Turnover floor: not always published. As a working figure, expect a £100k+ turnover requirement for term loans of £50k+. Smaller tickets and MCA structures have lower floors.
- Sector exclusions: B2B service businesses; Long-term project finance.
- Credit profile: Clean credit preferred; older satisfied items often acceptable.
- Company structure: Limited companies and (in some cases) sole traders / partnerships.
- Best fit: Hospitality, retail, salons; Businesses with £20k+ monthly card flow; Borrowers needing 24-hour funding.
Pros
- + Direct MCA underwriter, no broker layer.
- + Funds typically inside 24 to 48 hours.
- + Repayments scale with daily card sales.
- + Accepts borrowers with light credit history.
Cons
- − Factor-rate quoting hides effective APR.
- − Card-machine flow required; poor fit for B2B service businesses.
- − Ticket floor of £10k.
- − Trading name and underwriter name differ; expect paperwork in Bizlend Limited.
Best for
- · Hospitality, retail, salons
- · Businesses with £20k+ monthly card flow
- · Borrowers needing 24-hour funding
Weak at
- · B2B service businesses
- · Sub-£20k monthly turnover
- · Long-term project finance
When to use Swiftfund
Use Swiftfund when
Your application matches the best-fit profile: hospitality, retail, salons, businesses with £20k+ monthly card flow, borrowers needing 24-hour funding. The published ticket range (£10k to £500k) covers your ask, the decision speed (Same day to 48 hours) fits your cash-gap timeline, and the rate range (Factor rate, quoted at offer) is acceptable to you given your credit profile. Soft search at quote means there is no downside to running an eligibility check before committing.
Do not use Swiftfund when
Your profile sits in the weak-at list: b2b service businesses, sub-£20k monthly turnover, long-term project finance. Swiftfund will likely decline, and the decline itself can sit on broker records for 90 days. If you have any of these flags, route directly to a specialist (post-decline lender, MCA against card flow, asset-backed alternative) rather than using Swiftfund as a screen.
FAQs
What is the minimum trading time for Swiftfund?
Swiftfund is weaker on sub-£20k monthly turnover. As a working figure, expect Swiftfund to ask for at least 12 months of trading for most product lines, and 24 months for the cleanest pricing.
Does Swiftfund require a personal guarantee?
Most UK SMB lenders require a personal guarantee from at least one director. Swiftfund is no exception in the standard case. The few exceptions: asset-backed lending where the asset itself stands as security, and a small number of MCA structures where card flow is the underwriting basis. For merchant cash advance specifically, expect a PG to be requested.
How fast does Swiftfund fund?
Swiftfund quotes Same day to 48 hours for an underwriting decision. Funding to bank account typically follows within one to three working days of acceptance, subject to KYC, signed documents, and (where applicable) registration of any debenture or charge.
What rate should I expect from Swiftfund?
Swiftfund's published range is Factor rate, quoted at offer. The headline number is rarely the offered number. Rate transparency on this lender scores 3/5 in our methodology. Expect the cleaner end of the band only if you have 2+ years of trading, clean credit, and turnover comfortably above the lender's stated floor.
What happens if Swiftfund declines me?
If Swiftfund declines, you have three realistic next steps. First, ask for the decline reason in writing, most reputable UK lenders will tell you. Second, route the application to a specialist post-decline lender (Bizcap, JPM Capital, Bolton Finance) where credit issues are the constraint, or to an asset-backed alternative where security is available. Third, use a broker panel to fan the application across the lenders most likely to accept your specific decline reason. Swiftfund scores 4/5 on decline handling in our methodology.
Where to apply
Apply directly via swiftfund.co.uk, or use our free quote form to be matched across the UK broker panel most likely to approve your specific profile, not just Swiftfund.
Specialty alternatives
- · 365 Business Finance, UK direct MCA lender with broker-free pricing and no-personal-guarantee options for some SMEs. Sister site to BestBusine...
Swiftfund compared head-to-head
Side-by-side breakdowns of rate, ticket band, decision speed, eligibility and best-fit for UK SMEs.
Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Director. Last reviewed: 8 May 2026. Lender website: swiftfund.co.uk.