A secured business loan is backed by a specific asset the lender can claim if the loan is not repaid, most often commercial property, but sometimes equipment, stock or a debenture over the business. Because the lender's risk is reduced, secured loans are the cheapest form of business borrowing and allow the largest facilities and longest terms. The trade-off is time: a valuation and legal work are needed, so secured lending takes weeks rather than days.
Updated . Lendus is an introducer, not a lender.
The security is the whole point of the lower rate, but it means the lender's remedy for non-payment is not just chasing a debt, it is enforcing against the charged asset itself. On a defaulted secured loan a commercial property can ultimately be repossessed and sold, and a debenture lets the lender appoint an administrator over the whole company. Before charging an asset, weigh what happens if trading dips for a few months, not just the headline rate.
| Lender | Facility size | Published rate | Minimum trading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldermore Bank | £2k–£10m | 4.5%–20% | 12+ months for most products |
| Allica Bank | £25k–£15m | 9.90%–13.75% | 3+ years of filed accounts for unsecured business loans; 2+ years of financial accounts for commercial mortgages |
| Bibby Financial Services | £50k–£15m | 1%–3% | 6+ months preferred; startups with strong order books considered |
| Bizcap | £10k–£500k | 1.5%–5% | At least 4 months |
| Capify | £4k–£500k | 1.1–1.5 | 4+ months for merchant cash advance; 6+ months for business loan |
| Capital on Tap | £1k–£250k | 1.25%–3% | 12+ months |
| Close Brothers | £10k–£5m | 5%–18% | 24+ months |
| Cynergy Business Finance | £200k–£40m | Not published | Not publicly stated by Cynergy Business Finance. Eligibility appears to be assessed on the strength of the underlying receivables, stock, property or other assets on a per-business basis rather than against a published minimum years-trading threshold. |
| Fleximize | £5k–£500k | 0.9%–3.9% | 6+ months |
| Funding Circle | £10k–£500k | 6.9%–36% | 1+ year |
| Investec | £5k–£100m | Not published | Not publicly stated. Investec assesses each business individually rather than publishing a minimum trading history requirement. |
| iwoca | £1k–£500k | 2%–6% | 3+ months |
| Kriya | £50k–£1m | Not published | Minimum 12 months trading with at least one set of financial accounts filed for invoice finance and working capital loans. Kriya's PayLater product has a lower minimum of 3 months trading. |
| LendingCrowd | £25k–£500k | 6%–18% | 24+ months |
| Nucleus Commercial Finance | £3k–£2m | 1.5%–5% | 6+ months |
| OakNorth Bank | Not published | Not published | No fixed minimum published; trading history is one of several factors assessed case-by-case |
| Paragon Bank | £5k–£1m | Not published | Not publicly stated; assessed as part of underwriting. |
| Shawbrook Bank | £50k–£25m | 0.55%–1.25% | 12+ months preferred; none required for property-backed bridging |
| Start Up Loans | £1k–£25k | 7.5%–7.5% | For start-ups: no trading history required. For existing businesses: must have been trading less than 60 months |
| ThinCats | £1m–£30m | Not published | Not stated as a fixed minimum number of years; ThinCats lends to established mid-sized SMEs rather than start-ups or very early-stage businesses. |
| Tide | £1k–£500k | 7.9%–49.9% | 12+ months for credit products; account available from day one |
| White Oak UK | £5k–£500k | Not published | Not publicly stated; assessed as part of underwriting. |
As published by each lender and dated on its own page. Indicative, not offers.