UK Invoice Finance Providers

There are approximately 85 active invoice finance and factoring providers operating in the UK in 2026. They split into four broad groups: high street banks (HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest, Santander), challenger banks (Aldermore, Metro Bank, Allica), independent specialists (Close Brothers, Bibby, Ultimate Finance, Skipton, IGF), and fintechs (Kriya, Sonovate, Triver, Hydr, Accelerated Payments).

By client volume, the largest UK invoice finance providers are Close Brothers, Bibby Financial Services, Aldermore, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance, and HSBC Invoice Finance. By advance speed, Ultimate Finance leads with 3-day setup and up to 95% advance. By technology, Kriya and Sonovate lead the fintech segment.

Close Brothers and Skipton Business Finance both offer service charges from 0.5% for low-risk clients. 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.

Around 85 providers actively write UK invoice finance business in 2026, split across four clusters. High street banks (Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander) account for the largest book by value but only target £500,000-plus turnover. Independents (Bibby, Close Brothers, Ultimate Finance, Aldermore, IGF, Skipton) handle the bulk of SME volume. Sector specialists (Sonovate for recruitment, Kriya for fintech-led selective) write niche flows. Smaller independents (Redd Factors, Panel Financial, Regency, Spot Funding) handle local relationship deals. Market Invoice tracks 85 providers across the directory.

Six providers consistently underwrite sub-£500,000 turnover facilities in 2026. Ultimate Finance accepts from £100,000 turnover with 3-day setup. Bibby Financial Services accepts from £100,000 with 5-day setup. IGF and Time Finance underwrite similar bands. Kriya offers selective invoice finance with no minimum turnover. Penny is fintech-led with a low minimum facility size. High street banks (Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander) all require £500,000-plus turnover and 12 months trading, so they are not realistic options below that threshold.

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 target £500,000-plus turnover. Independents (Bibby, Close Brothers, Ultimate Finance, Aldermore) are standalone or asset-finance-owned, set up in 3 to 7 days, and accept smaller SMEs. Pricing is broadly similar at the headline (0.5% to 1.5% service charge) but independents tend to win on speed and flexibility, while banks win on relationship banking depth.

Each of the 85 tracked providers carries an overall rating out of 5, plus sub-ratings for transparency, setup speed and flexibility. Close Brothers leads on overall rating (4.5) thanks to 0.5% headline service charge and published criteria. Bibby (4.4) leads on flexibility and sector breadth. Ultimate Finance (4.3) leads on speed (3-day setup). 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.