UK Invoice Finance Providers

Market Invoice lists 87 UK invoice finance and factoring providers in its directory, 81 of them currently active. They split into four broad groups: high street banks (HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest, Santander), challenger banks (Aldermore, Metro Bank), independent specialists (Close Brothers, Bibby, Ultimate Finance, Skipton, IGF), and fintechs (Sonovate, Triver, Hydr, Accelerated Payments).

Among the best-known UK invoice finance providers are Close Brothers, Bibby Financial Services, Aldermore, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance, and HSBC Invoice Finance. By advance rate, Ultimate Finance leads with up to 95% and setup within one week. By technology, Hydr and Sonovate lead the fintech segment.

Neither Skipton Business Finance nor Close Brothers publishes a rate: both price each facility individually. Actual cost depends on your turnover, debtor quality, and contract terms. Use our cost calculator at /calculator/ for an estimate, or compare 3 free quotes.

Invoice finance for limited companies is not a regulated activity in the UK because it falls outside FSMA business lending rules. Some providers also offer products to sole traders or partnerships that are FCA-regulated. Check the FCA Register for any specific provider's regulated permissions.

Five providers consistently underwrite sub-£500,000 turnover facilities in 2026. Ultimate Finance publishes no minimum turnover and sets up within one week. Bibby Financial Services publishes no minimum turnover and quotes 5-day setup. Time Finance underwrites similar bands.

Hydr offers selective invoice finance with no minimum turnover. Penny is fintech-led with a low minimum facility size. High street thresholds vary: Lloyds publishes £100,000 and NatWest £300,000, while HSBC requires £1m; Barclays and Santander publish no minimum.

Bank-owned providers (Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander Invoice Finance) sit inside high-street banking groups, cross-sell to existing banking customers, take 10 to 15 working days to set up, and publish varying minimums (Lloyds £100,000, NatWest £300,000, HSBC £1m; Barclays and Santander none). Independents (Bibby, Ultimate Finance) and specialist or challenger lenders (Close Brothers, Aldermore) often set up in 3 to 7 days, and most independents accept smaller SMEs than the banks (Aldermore is an exception, at a £750,000 minimum). Few providers in either group publish their service charge (Skipton, Aldermore and Close Brothers all quote per facility), so compare quotes; independents tend to win on speed and flexibility, while banks win on relationship banking depth.

The 27 providers we compare on full published terms each carry an overall rating out of 5, plus sub-ratings for transparency, setup speed and flexibility. The rest of the directory is listed with status and type, not rated. Close Brothers has the highest overall rating (4.5).

Bibby (4.4) leads on flexibility and sector breadth. Ultimate Finance (4.3) leads on advance rate (up to 95%). High street banks score lower (3.8 to 3.9) due to slow setup and limited SME appetite. Ratings are last reviewed by date in each provider profile and updated when material terms change.