UK specialty finance guides
Plain-English guides to the specialty finance products UK limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of 4+ actually use. Each guide explains how the product works, what it costs and when it fits, with no fabricated lender data.
- Merchant Cash Advance Explained for UK SMEsHow an MCA works, factor rates versus APR, hold-back percentages and who an MCA suits.
- Asset Finance Explained: HP, Leases and RefinanceHire purchase, finance lease, operating lease and refinance compared on ownership, cost and balance-sheet treatment.
- Bridging Finance: Regulated vs Unregulated ExplainedWhen bridging applies, the regulated versus unregulated split, and the exit strategies lenders expect to see.
- VAT Loans Explained: Fund Your VAT BillHow a VAT loan spreads a quarterly VAT bill, what it costs, and when it beats HMRC Time to Pay.
- Term Loan vs Invoice Finance vs MCA: Which Fits YouThree working-capital routes compared on shape, cost and fit, with a five-question decision framework.
- Asset-Backed vs Unsecured Business LoansHow each is priced, the sizes available, and when a charge over assets beats a credit-led unsecured loan.
- Acquisition Bridging Without PropertyFunding a business purchase against plant, stock, contracts or guarantees when there is no freehold to charge.
- Supply Chain Finance for UK B2B BuyersHow reverse factoring releases working capital for buyers, when it pays back, and the reporting risks.
- Business Finance With a CCJHow specialist lenders treat a County Court Judgment, who engages, and the steps to take before applying.
- Business Finance in Your First Year of TradingThe lenders that engage with sub-12-month trading, and what an early-stage company needs to show them.
- Business Finance During and After an IVAHow an Individual Voluntary Arrangement affects director-led applications, and the realistic routes afterwards.
- Overdrawn Director's Loan Account: Refinance OptionsWhat S455 charges after the April 2026 rise to 35.75%, and the refinance versus absorb decision.
Related reading from the blog
Shorter, focused pieces that go deeper on a single decision or cost.
- MCA factor rates explained: converting to APR Turn a merchant cash advance factor rate into an annualised cost you can compare with a term loan.
- Equipment refinance: releasing capital from owned assets How sale-and-leaseback frees cash trapped in plant and machinery you already own.
- VAT loans: when to use them and what they cost Spreading a quarterly VAT bill, the fees involved, and when it beats HMRC Time to Pay.
Unfamiliar with a term? The business finance glossary defines the language used across these guides. The full archive is on the FundBiz blog.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-27. Editorial by Oliver Mackman.