For a business raising money, the first useful figure is the cash it actually needs, and the date it needs it. Buying a competitor, bridging a seasonal gap and replacing an existing facility can all involve a similar sum but produce very different repayment timetables.
Prepare for a funding conversation
Use the funding brief builder to capture the amount, purpose, security and source of repayment. If you already have terms to compare, the cost-of-debt calculator shows the effect of fees, rate and repayment structure on your monthly cash flow.
Choose a guide by purpose
- Acquisition finance covers the purchase price, equity contribution and the combined business after completion.
- Working capital follows the gap between paying suppliers and receiving customer money.
- Growth finance separates investment expenditure from the cash needed before it earns a return.
- Refinancing brings together settlement costs, maturity dates and the cash left after fees.
Understand the market
The UK SME credit monitor follows Bank Rate and lending balances. The published bank product catalogue explains the limits of public product information. To put today's figures in context, see the original UK SME credit indices.
In this collection
8 pagesBuild a business funding brief
Prepare a printable summary of how much your business needs, how it will use the money, the proposed repayment source and the records you have ready.
Compare the cost of two business loans
Put two term sheets side by side to compare net cash at drawdown, interest, fees, monthly payments and any principal due at maturity.
Financing business growth
Separate growth investment from the cash needed to trade through the launch, then test the timing of repayments when the payback arrives later than forecast.
Funding a working capital gap
Follow a sale through stock, supplier payments and customer receipts, then size a working capital facility against the largest weekly cash shortfall.
Planning an acquisition loan
Build a funding requirement for a business purchase, reconcile the purchase price to cash needed at completion, and check the merged cash flow against repayments.
Preparing to refinance business debt
Reconcile lender settlement figures, upfront fees and the new repayment schedule before deciding how much cash a refinancing actually releases.
Published SME bank loan products
Read the names and identifiers a bank publishes about standard SME loans and understand how a public product record differs from the terms in an individual offer.
UK SME credit monitor
Explore dated Bank of England figures on Bank Rate and outstanding SME borrowing, with chart data, source definitions and a quarterly reading of credit conditions.