If you are seeking a financial solution which allows you to access funding quickly and confidentially, then an invoice discounting service could be the solution for you.
This solution enables you to access the working capital that is tied up in unpaid invoices with the option of not having to disclose the service to your customers. If this could be the right solution for you continuing reading on to find out what these lending UK financial providers can offer you.
The table below gives a quick comparison of the top UK invoice discounting companies.
Company | Maximum % Discounting Value |
---|---|
Close Brothers | 90% |
Aldermore | 90% |
RBS Facflow | 90% |
Bibby Financial Services | 100% |
MarketInvoice | 90% |
Ulimate Finance | 95% |
Innovation Finance | 90% |
Calverton Finance | 90% |
HSBC Invoice Finance | 90% |
Nucleus Commercial Finance | 100% |
Skipton Business Finance | 90% |
IGF Invoice Finance | 90% |
Sancus | 90% |
Positive Cashflow Finance | 85% |
Catalyst Finance | 80% |
Advantedge | 90% |
Barclays Invoice Finance | 90% |
Peak Cashflow | 85% |
Santander Invoice Finance | 85% |
Metro Bank Invoice Finance | 85% |
ABN AMRO Commercial Finance | 90% |
Lloyds Bank Invoice Finance | 90% |
Outsauce Financing | 100% |
Trade Finance Global | 90% |
Satago | 85% |
* The facts and figures included here come from each company’s website and were accurate at the time of writing but may have since changed. Also, please keep in mind these may not be apples to apples comparisons as each provider offers different solutions. This guide should be used as a starting off point for more research on your part.
Below we profile each of the companies’ services and features in a bit more detail.
Topics
1. Close Brothers
Some of the features and benefits of Close Brothers’ invoice discounting.
- Unlock up to 90% of your invoice value
- Immediately receive a cash injection at the point the invoice is raised
- Retain control of your customer accounts and payments
- Receive the balance of your invoice when the invoice is paid
- Only take a small fee
- Also offers invoice factoring where they collect the payment for you
- Available to companies with over £250,000 annual turnover
- Service provided by a leading UK provider
- Services available to a wide range of businesses including manufacturing, engineering, and service providers
- Particularly suitable for invoices with 30 day plus payment terms
Close Brothers Group is a leading merchant banking service that offers a range of lending to businesses with a turnover of over £250,000 per year which includes finance products such as invoice factoring, invoice discounting and asset-based lending.
Close Brothers’ invoice discounting service allows you to retain control of your customer accounts and to collect the invoice payments yourself so that you benefit from the cash injection without losing control. The value of the invoice that can be released varies depending on the agreement made but can be for up to 90% of the value which will be released immediately when the invoice is raised.
2. Aldermore
Some of the features and benefits of Aldermore’s invoice discounting.
- Flexible funding tailored to your needs
- Release up to 90% of your unpaid invoice value
- Access to funds within 24 hours
- Designed for businesses that have good in-house finance teams
- Free up funds
- Confidential service
- Allows you retain control of your customer invoices
- Optional Bad Debt Protection
- Positive customer reviews
- Award-winning invoice finance provider
Aldermore is a relatively new financing business that understands the needs of small businesses and therefore offers a service that supports small businesses to grow and survive. They offer a range of financing services like invoice finance including invoice factoring, invoice discounting and asset-based lending.
Aldermore’s invoice discounting service allows you to release up to 90% of your unpaid invoice value within 24 hours so that you can use the funding to help your business. With their invoice discounting you maintain control of your customer accounts and the service is confidential so your customers will not know.
3. RBS Facflow
Some of the features and benefits of RBS Facflow’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of invoice value
- Release cash that is tied up in unpaid or late invoices
- Receive funds within 24 hours
- Confidential service
- Suitable for businesses with an annual turnover of over £300,000
- Manage your invoices online
- Offers invoice factoring
- Offers asset-based lending
- Experienced banking provider
RBS offers an invoice finance function that is called FacFlow. This invoice finance function is one of many of the financial services that RBS offers. Their services include invoice factoring, invoice discounting and asset-based lending.
RBS FacFlow’s invoice discounting service allows businesses to access the cash that is tied up in unpaid or late invoices so that they can finance their business whether that is to grow or survive. The invoice discounting service releases up to 90% of the invoice value and is a completely confidential service and you remain in to control of your customer accounts and debts.
4. Bibby Financial Services
Some of the features and benefits of Bibby’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 100% of your invoice value
- Quick and easy way to release cash
- Retain control of your customer accounts
- Get access to cash to give you a cash injection and assist growth
- Ideal for businesses that need cash quickly
- Reduce the burden of longer payment terms
- Choice of contract length – 30 days, 12 or 24 months
- Optional bad debt protection
- 24/7 online account management
- Confidential service
Bibby Financial Services is a funding services provider who specialises in invoice financing and offers a range of services which include invoice factoring, invoice discounting and Forward Finance. Their Forward Finance offers finance to smaller businesses with a turnover below £300,000 per year.
Bibby Financial Services’ invoice discounting offers its customers up to 100% access to the cash that is tied up in their invoices within 24 hours. The invoice discounting service allows its customers to retain control of their customer accounts and have confidentiality about their service with the flexibility of a choice of contract length from 30 days to 12 or 24 months.
Bibby Financial Services website
5. Marketinvoice
Some of the features and benefits of Marketinvoice’s invoice discounting.
- Released up to 90% of your invoice value
- Optional credit control facilities
- Integrates with your accountancy software
- Online account management
- Same day cash withdraw
- Simple service
- Straightforward cost and no hidden fees
- Dedicated account manager
- Choice of contract lengths including a pay-as-you-go model
- Choice of service fees
To be eligible for MarketInvoice’s invoice discounting service you need to be a limited company in the UK or Ireland with a minimum annual turnover of £500,000 or £250,000 if you take their credit control option. Businesses must have been trading for more than two years or one year if you take their credit control option. You also need to use one of the accountancy software packages that they support.
MarketInvoice offers selective or confidential invoice discounting services. Selective discounting can be used for one-offs or occasional use. Confidential discounting is contracted for 12 months and has a monthly subscription fee and well as the transaction fee.
6. Ultimate Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Ultimate Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Release up to 95% of your invoice value
- Confidential service
- Retain control of your sales ledger
- Access to funds within 24 hours
- Competitive pricing
- Dedicated relationship manager
- Customers won’t know about the service
- Rolling contract
- Set up within a week
- Flexible service
Ultimate Finance offers invoice finance which has a range of options that although they are not called invoice factoring and invoice discounting they do offer these services within the invoice finance solution. Their service is flexible, and you can vary the service you receive.
Ultimate Finance typically offers a service where they manage your sales ledger for you and your customers would know about their involvement. But if you don’t want to hand over control of your sales ledger or want your customers to know you can opt not to which is normally called invoice discounting.
7. Innovation Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Innovation Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice value
- Receive cash within 24 hours
- Confidential service
- Flexible service
- Retain control of your sales ledger
- Maintain customer management and communications
- Online account management
- Optional bad debt protection
- Credit advice and credit management
Innovation Finance is an invoice financing specialist company that provides only these services to businesses to help them release the cash flow they require from their invoice values so that they can survive and grow.
Innovation Finance’s invoice discounting service is a confidential discrete service that allows businesses to access up to 90% of their invoice values and receive funds within 24 hours. Your customers do not need to know that you are using the service. The service is flexible and can grow with your business and it has optional bad debt protection which can be applied to individual accounts or your whole sales ledger.
8. Calverton Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Calverton Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice value
- Funds in your account within 24 hours
- Confidential service
- Retain control of your sales ledger
- Maintain relationship with customers
- Online portal
- Payments are made to a trust account in your business’ name
- A flexible facility that can grow with your business
- Pay fees when the invoice is paid
Calverton Finance offers businesses a variety of financial solutions which allows them to access the funding tied up in invoices on longer payment terms quickly so that they can utilise the funds to survive or grow their business. They offer invoice discounting, invoice factoring, short-term finance and finance for recruiters.
Calverton Finance’s invoice discounting service allows businesses to access the invoice finance solutions in a confidential manner that does not let the customers know about their involvement. The funding is released at the point of the invoice being raised and the customer is instructed to make the payment to a trust account that is in your business’ name that Calverton Finance manages.
9. HSBC Invoice Finance
Some of the features and benefits of HSBC’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of the invoice value
- Cash received within 24 hours
- Dedicated support team
- Confidential service
- Maintain control of your customer accounts
- Manage your own sales ledger
- Online account management
- Improve cash flow
- Service that grows with your business
- Optional bad debt protection
HSBC’s invoice finance function is called Receivables Finance which offers businesses access to working capital. This service is available to businesses that do not bank with them and you can also opt to include bad debt protection with these services.
HSBC’s invoice discounting service allows you to maintain control of your finances as you will retain control of your sales ledger and all communications for your customers. The invoice discounting service is confidential and none of your customers will need to know about you using the service. You can access funds within 24 hours and unlock up to 90% of your invoice value.
10. Nucleus Commercial Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Nucleus Commercial Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 100% of the invoice value
- Quickly release cash flow
- Available for values between £100,000 and £50 million
- Dedicated relationship manager
- Offers complementary financial services that it can be combined with
- Tailored to your needs
- Enhance your cash flow to grow your business
- Available for new start-up businesses
- Retain control of your sales ledger and customer payments
- Eligible for contractual debt
Nucleus Commercial Finance is an experienced financial services business that offers a wide range of commercial funding services to businesses. Their services are available to all sectors of businesses and they offer their services to both new businesses and established businesses.
Nucleus Commercial Finance offers an invoice discounting service which enables its customers to receive a confidential service that allows them to retain control of its customer accounts and the collection of payments. Through their invoice discounting service, you can release up to 100% of the unpaid invoice value. The value of the invoices that you want to release funding from can be between £100,000 and £50 million.
Nucleus Commercial Finance website
11. Skipton Business Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Skipton Business Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Access to invoice values up to 90%
- Speedily access your funds
- Confidential or disclosed service
- Improve your cash flow
- Flexible service that grows with your needs and business
- Customised finance solution
- Retain control of your credit management
- Maintain customer relationships
- UK’s premier invoice discounting specialist
- Free credit checks on clients
Skipton Business Finance is part of the Skipton Building Society Group that specialises in providing financing solutions to businesses that allows them to increase their cash flow. They offer invoice finance solutions as well as other financial solutions, these include invoice factoring and invoice discounting.
Skipton Business Finance’s invoice discounting service allows you access the funding tied up in unpaid invoices at the point that they are raised rather than waiting 30-90 days for the funds. The invoice discounting service allows you to retain control of your sales ledger and payment collections. The service can be confidential or disclosed to your clients.
Skipton Business Finance website
12. IGF Invoice Finance
Some of the features and benefits of IGF Invoice Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice values
- Release funds within 24 hours
- Confidential service
- An effective method to release working capital
- Retain control of your sales ledger
- Keep control of your customers
- Flexible service
- Secure early payment discounts
- Dedicated support
- Experienced provider
IGF Invoice Finance is an experienced financial services provider that offers invoice finance and asset-based lending solutions to small to medium-sized businesses. They offer flexible solutions to access working capital through their tailored financial solutions.
IGF invoice discounting service allows you to release up to 90% of your unpaid invoices within a day of raising the invoice so no more waiting 30-90 days to get paid. Their invoice discounting service is confidential and none of your customers needs to know that you are using their service. You will retain control of your sales ledger and communications with your customers.
13. Sancus
Some of the features and benefits of Sancus’ invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of the invoice value
- Improve your cash flow within days
- Straightforward fees
- No setup or exit fees
- The option of selective or all invoices
- Access funds from £25,000 to £15 million
- Online account management
- Flexible service to meet your needs
- Works alongside other financial arrangements
- A higher level of control compared to other finance options
Sancus is a financial service provider who offers a wide range of financial service products to businesses to help them release working capital and fund their business plans which include invoice financing and asset-backed loans. Sancus offers invoice discounting which they call invoice trading.
Sancus’ invoice trading is an invoice discounting service which offers selective invoice financing or all invoices to give you the flexibility to access the funding you need from £25,000 to £15 million. As an invoice discounting service, you will maintain your own sales ledger and customer accounts. You can also utilise this funding alongside other finance solutions.
14. Positive Cashflow Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Positive Cashflow Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 85% of your invoice values
- Remain in control of your credit control services
- Confidential service so customers are unaware
- Quick cash injection that bridges the gap until invoices are paid
- Suited to businesses with a turnover above £500,000 per year
- Release funding from £100,000 to £1 million
- Flexible solution
- Experienced financial services business
- Offers a wide range of financial products
- Part of a larger group
Positive Cashflow Finance is an experienced financial services business that is part of the 1pm Group and offers a wide range of financial services products that enables businesses to unlock the finance that is tied up in unpaid invoice and assets to fund business growth and development.
Positive Cashflow Finance’s invoice discounting services is most suited to larger businesses that have an annual turnover of over £500,000 and have strong financial processes in place to manage their credit control. The service is confidential, and you will retain control of your sales ledger and customer accounts.
Positive Cashflow Finance website
15. Catalyst Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Catalyst Finance’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 80% of the invoice value
- Utilise funding from selective invoices
- Simple financial solution
- Charge a fixed daily rate
- No set-up or contract costs
- Designed to minimise costs for infrequent borrowers
- Choose either confidential or disclosed service
- Service designed for SMEs
- Retain control of your sales ledger
- Can work alongside other finance solutions
Catalyst Finance is a smaller and newer financial services provider who specialises in helping SMEs to access working capital that is tied up in either unpaid invoices or assets. As a smaller provider, they claim to understand SMEs better and they designed their services to cater for them and provide more flexible and cost-effective solutions.
Catalyst Finance’s invoice discounting service is called selective invoice financing as they offer a discounting service that allows its customers to choose which invoices they want to release funding from and to only pay the funding they borrow and not for a contract.
16. Advantedge
Some of the features and benefits of Advantedge’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice value
- Release funds on the same day invoices are raised
- An ongoing source of funding
- Flexible service that grows with your business
- Confidential service
- Manage your own client accounts
- Retain collection of your payments
- Improved cash flow
- Secure early settlement discounts
- Online management
Advantedge is an independent and private-run financial services business who provide a personalised service that is delivered by local support teams who help businesses to access the right financial solutions that suit them.
Advantedge’s invoice discounting service provides access to the funding tied up in unpaid invoices. When you raise an invoice you would upload the invoice on to your online account and if it is before midday you will receive the funding the same day once the transaction is approved. You can access up to 90% of your invoice value from invoice discounting with Advantedge and you will receive the balance minus their fee once the customer pays.
17. Barclays Invoice Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Barclays’ invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice value
- Release funds within 24 hours
- Request funds the same day that invoices are raised
- Maintain control of your sales ledger
- Continue to collect your own invoice payments
- Confidential service
- Flexible service that grows with your needs
- Can be used for multiple currencies
- Bad debt protection available
- An experienced provider with a range of other services
Barclays is a large financial institution that offers a wide range of financial services to help businesses to manage their finances and cash flow. They offer both cashflow finance and asset-based lending to enable businesses to access the capital that is tied up in assets or unpaid invoices.
Barclays call their invoice discounting service cash flow finance, but it offers the exact same service. Their cash flow finance solution gives businesses access to up to 90% of their invoice values within 24 hours through a confidential service that allows them to not disclose the service to their customers. To be eligible businesses need to be forecasting sales of a minimum of £500,000 per year.
Barclays Invoice Finance website
18. Peak Cashflow
Some of the features and benefits of Peak Cashflow’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 85% of your invoice values
- Release funds as soon as you raise your invoices
- Confidential service
- Retain control of your customer accounts
- Tailormade service
- Flexible service that grows with your business
- Available for advice at anytime
- Set up within 7 working days
- Flexible solution length from 1 to 12 months or longer
- Optional bad debt protection
Peak Cashflow is a financial service business that provides funding solutions to business start-ups to larger SMEs to help them release funds that are tied up un unpaid invoices or assets. They offer three invoice finance solutions – invoice factoring, invoice discounting and confidential factoring.
Peak Cashflow’s invoice discounting service is a confidential solution that enables businesses to discretely access the funding tied up in unpaid invoices up to the value of 85% on the day you raise the invoice. Invoice discounting also allows businesses to retain their own customer payment collection. If you would rather outsource your credit control, then factoring may suit you better and with confidential factoring, the service is not disclosed.
19. Santander Invoice Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Santander’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 85% of your invoice value
- Instant release cash flow that is tied up
- Utilise invoice value as soon as you raise it
- Flexible service that grows with your business
- Tailored service
- Discrete and confidential service
- Retain control of your credit control
- Expert support from a trusted bank
- Online account management
- Provides a range of other services
Santander is an international bank that provides a wide range of business banking and financial services products that includes overdrafts, loans, asset finance and invoice finance. Santander’s invoice finance service is a wide term that incorporates both invoice factoring and invoice discounting.
Santander’s invoice finance solution offers business a choice of a disclosed or confidential service. The confidential service is normally referred to as invoice discounting. Through this service, businesses retain their own credit control and their customers will not be aware of the service. This service is most suited to businesses with a good back-office function to handle the credit control.
Santander Invoice Finance website
20. Metro Bank Invoice Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Metro Bank’s invoice discounting.
- Release up to 85% of your invoice value
- 24 hours to receive funds
- Borrow funds against invoices as soon as they are raised
- Discrete and confidential service
- Customers won’t be told about the service
- Retain control of your sales ledger and credit control
- Flexible service that can grow with your business needs
- Dedicated relationship manager
- A bank that is open seven days a week
- Expert support
Metro Bank is a financial service provider who delivers their services in a different way to other banks as they offer a seven day a week store service to enable their customers to access their services when it suits them.
Metro Bank offers a range of financial services that include invoice financing solutions that are invoice factoring and invoice discounting. Their invoice discounting service offers businesses access to funding from unpaid invoices up to the value of 85% but also allows them to keep their service confidential and their customers won’t know about it. Invoice discounting allows businesses to also retain control of their payment collections and customer accounts.
Metro Bank Invoice Finance website
21. ABN AMRO Commercial Finance
Some of the features and benefits of ABN AMRO’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice value
- Receive funds within 24 hours of requesting it
- Apply for funding immediately after raising your invoices
- Confidential service
- Retain control of your sales ledger
- Dedicated relationship manager
- Online account management
- Access your account 24/7
- Set up within five working days
- Optional bad debt protection
ABN AMRO Commercial Finance is part of a leading Netherlands based banking provider who offers private and commercial banking across the global. They offer commercial lending solutions such as invoice finance and asset-based finance to small to large businesses.
ABN AMRO Commercial Finance offers invoice finance solutions that include invoice factoring and invoice discounting. Both solutions offer access to up to 90% of your unpaid invoice values after raising your invoices. In addition, invoice discounting will allow you to retain control of your customer accounts, your payment collections and give you a confidential service where customers won’t be told about it.
ABN AMRO Commercial Finance website
22. Lloyds Bank Invoice Finance
Some of the features and benefits of Lloyds Bank’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice value
- Funds deposited within 24 hours
- Confidential service
- Maintain your own sales ledger and payment collection
- More cost-effective than other finance solutions
- Flexible service that grows with your business
- Gives you the ability to negotiate better rates with suppliers
- Online account management
- Dedicated service teams
- Named client service manager
Lloyds Bank is an established bank and lending provider who offers businesses commercial lending solutions which include invoice financing and asset-based lending services. Lloyds Bank’s invoice financing services include invoice factoring and invoice discounting.
Lloyds Bank’s invoice discounting service is a confidential and allows businesses to access this lending solution to release the funding tied up in unpaid invoices whilst not having to disclose the use of the service, unlike invoice factoring. This service is available to businesses with a minimum annual turnover of £250,000 and is most suited to businesses that have well-established credit control processes.
23. Outsauce Financing
Some of the features and benefits of Outsauce Financing’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 100% of your invoice values
- Improve your cash flow quickly
- Dedicated service to recruitment agencies
- Assists businesses to grow
- Flexible service that can grow with your business
- Online account management
- Manage your own credit control
- Discrete service
- Also offers payroll and other credit control services
- Option to add bad debt protection
Outsauce is a recruitment specialist support business that provides back-office and financial solutions to these businesses to help them support their growth. They offer finance, payroll and credit control services to recruitment agencies.
Outsauce offers both invoice factoring and invoice discounting services. Their invoice discounting service is a discrete service that allows businesses to access their funding tied up in unpaid invoices without letting the client know. You can access up to 100% of your unpaid invoices quickly to help improve your cash flow. Unlike invoice discounting you will retain management of your credit control and sales ledger.
24. Trade Finance Global
Some of the features and benefits of Trade Finance Global’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 90% of your invoice value
- Release funds quickly
- Independent broker
- Support to find the right solution for you
- Confidential service available
- Ability to selectively choose invoices
- Retain management of your credit control
- Flexible service
- High customer rating
Trade Global Finance is a global and independent finance provider who is a broker that helps businesses find the right finance solutions from a range of lenders. They offer a wide variety of services which include trade finance, finance products and business funding. Their services are flexible and supported by experienced staff.
Trade Global Finance offers both invoice factoring and invoice discounting as part of their invoice finance services. Their invoice discounting solutions are provided by a range of lenders who can offer slightly different products and they can help you find the best solution amongst them. Invoice discounting is a confidential service that allows you to manage your own credit control. You can also selectively choose invoices to release funds from.
25. Satago
Some of the features and benefits of Satago’s invoice discounting.
- Access up to 85% of your invoice value
- Release cash typically the same day
- Can integrate their systems with your accounting software
- Able to load invoices when required
- Online account where you can see fees before selecting them for finance
- No hidden costs
- Transparent costs that can be viewed on the online calculator
- Low entry level at minimum £500
- Receive up-to-date customer credit reports
Satago is a financial services business that provides a range of products and services to small to medium-sized businesses. These products and services include invoice finance, credit control, risk analysis, cash flow management and accountancy software.
Satago’s invoice finance solution is an invoice discounting service that offers cash advances from invoices with a minimum value of £500 for at least 10 days. You can release up to 85% of your invoice value from UK based customer accounts. They offer a solution that allows you to integrate your accountancy software with their systems, or if you don’t have the software you can load invoices manually.
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