High Street Banks – Metro Bank

Business Account, credit card, overdraft, loans, asset and invoice finance. EFG loan.

High Street Banks – HSBC

Business Accounts, credit cards, overdrafts and loans. Also offer commercial mortgages, asset finance and invoice finance. Foreign currency account. Offers EFG loans – see below.

High Street Banks – Barclays

Business Accounts, credit cards, overdrafts and loans. Also offer commercial mortgages, asset finance and invoice finance. Foreign currency account – reduces exposure to exchange rate fluctuations and simplifies international payments whether importing or exporting. Offers EFG loans – see below.

Fuel Ventures 

Venture capital company offering investment 

Funding Options 

Peer to peer (P2P) loans, invoice finance deals, growth funding, equipment leases and commercial mortgages. You put in your requirements and then you are matched to 70+ lenders.

Funding Circle 

Peer to peer (P2P) funding

Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG)

Government scheme to help viable smaller businesses that have adequate security. EFG provides the lender with 75% government-backed guarantee against the balance of the loan, potentially allowing a ‘no’ decision to become a ‘yes’.

Crack It Challenges

Series of grants in the form of challenges. Can apply for single or double phase challenges. Funding comes from National Centre For Education Research (NCER)

Calculus Capital 

Investment 

Cultural Impact Development Fund

Loan to help socially driven arts and culture organisations improve the quality of their impact and evaluation.

Crowd Cube 

Equity finance and mini-bond platform.

Business Rates Relief

There are several core types of business rates relief which can reduce or even exempt your business from paying business rates including small business rate relief, retail discount, hardship relief, enterprise zone relief, charitable relief and rural rate relief. 0-100% reduction in business rates possible. Varies Council to Council. Approach your Council to see if you qualify. If you do not qualify you can also look at appealing against your ratable value with the Valuation Office Agency.

Big Issue Invest 

Loan funding 

Better Business Finance

A search engine that provides UK businesses with free, quick and easy access to a directory of approved finance providers, including business angels: regional funds and government schemes; and banks across Britain. Also lots of business support information.

Ascension Ventures 

Venture Capital company offering Investment, professional business support and mentoring