Aldermore Invoice Finance Review

Market Invoice is an independent UK invoice finance comparison site that ranks Aldermore against 89 UK invoice finance providers.

Aldermore offers invoice factoring and confidential discounting from 0.7% service charge with advance rates up to 90%, for UK businesses with annual turnover from £750,000 (per Aldermore's published criteria, checked July 2026). As a challenger bank now owned by FirstRand (South Africa's largest financial services group, acquired 2018), Aldermore combines competitive mid-market pricing with the security of strong banking backing and dual FCA/PRA regulation. Confidential invoice discounting is the standard product. Setup is typically 7 working days.

Last updated: 5 May 2026.

Aldermore offers both full-service invoice factoring (disclosed, with credit control) and confidential invoice discounting for UK businesses from £750,000 turnover, at 0.7% starting service charge with advance rates up to 90%. It is a UK challenger bank owned by South African financial group FirstRand. More detail + scope

Summary

Aldermore offers invoice factoring and confidential discounting from 0.7% service charge for UK businesses from £750,000 turnover (published criteria, July 2026). Owned by FirstRand (South Africa's largest financial group). Reading-headquartered, FCA + PRA regulated. Alternatives: Close Brothers (0.5% from £50k), Skipton (0.5% from £100k), Bibby (0.75% from £50k).

This page covers

Aldermore Invoice Finance products, rates, eligibility, parent group structure, FCA status, and how Aldermore compares to alternatives like Close Brothers, Skipton and Bibby

Not covered here

General invoice finance education (see /guides/), individual sector pages (see /industries/), full provider directory (see /providers/)

Key Facts

Service charge from0.7%
Advance rateUp to 90%
Setup speed7 days
Min turnover£750,000
TypeChallenger bank
UK entityAldermore Bank plc
ParentFirstRand Ltd (South Africa)
HQReading, UK

Does Aldermore Offer Factoring?

Yes. Aldermore offers full-service invoice factoring as well as confidential invoice discounting, both for UK businesses with annual turnover from £750,000. With factoring, Aldermore runs your credit control and collects payment from customers directly, so it is a disclosed facility, and advances up to 90% of invoice value. With confidential discounting you keep your own collections and customers are never notified. Both are whole-turnover facilities funding your full sales ledger, rather than selective or single-invoice factoring. For lower-cost factoring below or around that threshold, compare Close Brothers.

Aldermore vs Alternatives

ProviderFee fromMin turnoverConfidential IDType
Aldermore0.7%£750kStandard from £750kChallenger bank
Close Brothers0.5%£50kFrom £500kFTSE 250 bank
Skipton0.5%£100kFrom £500kBuilding society
Bibby0.75%£50kFrom £500kIndependent
HSBCNegotiated£500kStandard from £500kClearing bank

Pros and Cons

Strengths

  • Growth Guarantee Scheme accredited lender (British Business Bank, August 2025)
  • Confidential discounting as standard product
  • Strong banking backing (FirstRand group, £40bn+ assets)
  • Modern online portal and reporting
  • Cross-sell with asset finance and commercial mortgages
  • Dual FCA + PRA regulated

Limitations

  • High minimum turnover (£750k) excludes smaller SMEs entirely
  • No selective or spot factoring option (whole-turnover only)
  • Less flexible on contract terms than independents
  • No specialist construction or recruitment team
  • More expensive than Close Brothers or Skipton (0.7% vs 0.5%)

Who Is Aldermore Best For?

Aldermore is best for established UK mid-market businesses with annual turnover above £750,000 who want confidential invoice discounting from a well-capitalised challenger bank. They are particularly strong if you also need asset finance, commercial property lending, or savings products, as they can offer combined facilities through a single relationship.

If your turnover is below £750,000, look at Skipton Business Finance (from £100k), Bibby Financial Services (from £100k), or Ultimate Finance. If you want lower-cost vanilla factoring (not confidential), Close Brothers and Skipton are cheaper at 0.5%. If you need selective or spot factoring rather than whole-turnover, look at Hydr or Triver.

Our Verdict

Aldermore is a solid choice for UK mid-market businesses wanting the reassurance of a bank-backed facility with confidential discounting as the default product. The main limitation is the £750,000 minimum turnover (per Aldermore's published criteria, checked July 2026), which rules out smaller businesses, and the absence of selective or sector-specialist options. For established businesses above that threshold wanting confidential discounting from a challenger bank with cross-sell to asset finance and commercial mortgages, Aldermore competes effectively with Close Brothers and Skipton.

AP

Adam Parker

Founder & Managing Director, Muswell Rose, founder and PSC of Best Business Loans Ltd

Adam is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and a founder of Best Business Loans Ltd, the company behind Market Invoice. He spent over three years as managing director of Penny, a UK invoice finance business, and his career runs through insurance, mortgages, commercial finance and fintech lending. He writes the Market Invoice library.

Last reviewed: 30 July 2026

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Aldermore Invoice Finance FAQ

What is the minimum turnover for Aldermore invoice finance?

Aldermore's published minimum annual turnover for invoice finance is £750,000 (per aldermore.co.uk, checked July 2026), covering both invoice factoring and confidential invoice discounting. They focus on established mid-market SMEs rather than startups, micro-businesses, or businesses with limited trading history. The threshold is higher than bank-owned competitor HSBC's £500k, so Aldermore sits firmly in the mid-market rather than the small-SME bracket.

Does Aldermore offer selective invoice finance?

No. Aldermore focuses on whole-turnover invoice finance facilities (where the entire sales ledger is funded) rather than selective or spot factoring (where individual invoices are financed on demand). If you need to finance specific invoices selectively, consider <a href="/providers/sonovate/">Sonovate</a> (recruitment-only spot factoring), <a href="/providers/triver/">Triver</a>, <a href="/providers/funding-circle/">Funding Circle</a>, or <a href="/providers/hydr/">Hydr</a> which all support per-invoice funding.

Is Aldermore invoice finance confidential?

Yes. Aldermore offers confidential invoice discounting as standard for businesses meeting their £750,000 turnover criteria, advance rates up to 90%, and starting service charges from 0.4% for confidential. Your customers will not be notified, payments are collected into a trust account in your company name, and no Aldermore branding appears on customer correspondence.

Who owns Aldermore?

Aldermore Bank plc is a UK-licensed bank wholly-owned by FirstRand Limited, South Africa's largest financial services group by market capitalisation. FirstRand acquired Aldermore in 2018 for £1.1 billion. Aldermore retains its UK headquarters in Reading, UK leadership team, and FCA + PRA dual regulation as a UK bank. Other FirstRand UK assets include MotoNovo Finance (motor finance) and FirstRand Bank London Branch.

How does Aldermore compare to Close Brothers?

Close Brothers and Aldermore are both well-capitalised bank-owned invoice finance providers but target slightly different segments. Close Brothers is cheaper (0.5% vs 0.7% starting service charge), accepts smaller businesses (£50k vs Aldermore's £750k), is FTSE 250 listed (PLC vs FirstRand subsidiary), and runs specialist construction and recruitment teams.

Aldermore offers cross-sell with asset finance and commercial mortgages, and has a more modern online portal. For most SMEs, Close Brothers is cheaper; for established mid-market businesses also wanting asset finance under one roof, Aldermore is a strong fit.

What is Aldermore's contract length?

Aldermore invoice finance contracts are typically 12 months on factoring and discounting facilities, with a 90-day notice period to terminate at end of term. Some larger facilities run on 24-month terms with discounted service charges. Early termination fees apply, typically 2-3 months of forecast service charge. Aldermore is less flexible on contract terms than smaller independents but in line with most UK challenger and clearing banks.

Does Aldermore require a personal guarantee?

Personal guarantees from directors are usual on Aldermore facilities under £500,000, particularly where the business has limited trading history or weaker debtor concentration. For larger established businesses with audited accounts and strong debtor spread, the guarantee may be reduced or replaced with a debenture over company assets. Aldermore's risk appetite is moderately conservative, well-capitalised but more flexible than HSBC or Lloyds for businesses just over its £750k threshold.

What are the alternatives to Aldermore Invoice Finance?

The closest alternatives are <a href="/providers/close-brothers/">Close Brothers</a> (0.5% from £50k, FTSE 250 merchant bank), <a href="/providers/skipton/">Skipton Business Finance</a> (0.5% from £100k, building society backed), and <a href="/providers/bibby/">Bibby Financial Services</a> (0.75% from £100k, largest UK independent). For turnover below Aldermore's £750k threshold, look at <a href="/providers/skipton/">Skipton Business Finance</a> (from £100k), <a href="/providers/bibby/">Bibby Financial Services</a> (from £100k), or <a href="/providers/hydr/">Hydr</a> (selective, no minimum). For asset finance bundled with invoice finance, Aldermore competes with <a href="/providers/time-finance/">Time Finance</a> and <a href="/providers/funding-circle/">Funding Circle</a>.