Trade Finance Companies in the UK: 190 Active Firms (2026)
Trade finance companies provide lending, guarantees and payment services that support importers, exporters and supply chains across the UK.
Buying centres tend to sit in treasury, procurement, finance operations and export sales rather than IT, because the product is bought against a live transaction or supplier relationship. Customers are mostly B2B operators: importers, exporters, wholesalers, manufacturers and distributors, often in the SME and mid-market bracket. Engagements are usually facility-led, covering receivables lines, purchase-order-backed funding, guarantees or payment-support arrangements. Specialist lenders and non-bank platforms need underwriting, collections and compliance capability close to the sales motion, since each facility depends on invoice quality, buyer risk and the enforceability of the underlying trade flow.
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Across the UK, 190 actively trading trade finance companies sit in scope, leaving a compact cohort that still covers lenders, finance brokers and platform-led providers. Reported employment totals 786 people, so the visible headcount base is modest relative to adjacent lending categories. Only 9 firms have turnover above £5M, while 34 were incorporated since 2022. That mix points to a market with a small upper tier, a long tail of lean operators and a recent-entry group testing narrower propositions around receivables, supplier payment support and transaction-linked credit.
Market structure is shaped less by one product label than by the activities behind each facility: credit intermediation, payment handling, guarantees, foreign-trade documentation and financial-crime screening. Non-bank providers can look operationally similar to lenders while relying on contractual receivables purchase, brokered facilities or platform payment flows. Due diligence tends to centre on borrower affordability, invoice authenticity, debtor concentration, sanctions exposure and the legal enforceability of assignments or guarantees. Cross-border work adds currency, jurisdiction and documentary risk, so compliance and operations sit close to the commercial proposition.
Demand appears tied to working-capital pressure in goods-heavy businesses rather than consumer credit cycles. The cohort tends to split between relationship-led specialists and platform-mediated providers, with many firms still lean and few operating at the larger-turnover end. Underwriting quality, access to wholesale funding and evidence of repeatable origination are likely to separate durable lenders from brokers with thinner economics. Consolidation looks plausible where smaller specialists need funding partners, compliance capacity or sector distribution, although trade finance often remains relationship-bound and slower to standardise than cleaner payment-processing models.
What’s in the file
One row per company, 50+ columns — everything below plus each company’s verified directors, from Companies House filings.
Company data
Verified directors — included
Active director count is the full Companies House board, so it can be higher than the number of names listed — we leave out nominee and formation-agent directors, who aren’t worth contacting. It’s blank for the small number of companies whose officers we haven’t fetched yet.
You’re charged per business, not per row. Where a business trades through several registered companies you get every one, and the Group Primary column marks one row per business — filter to those and the count matches your invoice. Rows sharing a website are not automatically one business: franchises and multi-site operators each count separately, and where names don’t prove a relationship we count them apart rather than guess.
190
Active firms
2026
9
Above £5M
Reported revenue
34
Recent incorporations
Since 2022
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Key facts
About 4% of the trading cohort reports turnover above £5M (9 of 190 firms) — the rest sits below that revenue band.
17% of the cohort was incorporated since 2022 (34 firms), so a sizeable share is in its first few filing cycles.
Trade finance demand tends to sit around shipment, delivery and settlement timing, where payment delays create working-capital gaps for importers and exporters.
The segment spans specialist finance providers, guarantee-led businesses and payment-service operators serving trade-facing companies.
Credit assessment tends to focus on payment timing, counterparty risk and whether an order is financeable.
Top UK Trade Finance companies
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides trade finance, selective invoice finance, e‑commerce finance and asset finance to small and medium‑sized businesses. Also offers credit management, credit insurance, foreign exchange and…
Serves B2B small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, independent traders and larger firms involved in manufacturing, exporting, importing, wholesaling, retail and distribution, including…
Financial Health
StableStable · 0% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides trade finance services including purchase order financing, receivables financing and letter of credit discounting. Purchases bills of exchange, promissory notes and deferred payment letters…
Serves importers, exporters, exporters’ banks and other businesses involved in international trade seeking short-term transactional finance, including firms using letters of credit, receivables,…
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · 0% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides trade finance and supply chain finance facilities to businesses, including revolving credit lines that fund purchases of goods and services from suppliers. Offers a platform enabling…
Serves UK small and growing businesses, including buyers and sellers with domestic or cross-border supply chains that need working capital facilities for supplier payments and cash flow.
Financial Health
WeakWeak · -68% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides supply chain finance to UK and international businesses, purchasing or financing trade receivables and invoices to provide working capital to suppliers and support buyer payment term…
Serves UK and overseas businesses, including corporates and trading companies that use receivables, supplier-payment arrangements, or other working-capital finance linked to commercial contracts.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -87% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Provides invoice finance services that advance cash against outstanding business invoices. Offers selective invoice financing and export finance, allowing companies to receive early payment on…
Serves B2B companies trading domestically or internationally that need working capital tied up in invoices, plus referral partners such as brokers, accountants, financial consultants, advisors and…
Location
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- Bibby Financial Services04105467
- Bibby Financial Services03530463
- Bibby Financial Services14546321
- Bibby Financial Services00588708
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 2 filingsProvides business finance services including invoice finance, asset finance, foreign exchange, and bad debt protection. Enables companies to release cash tied up in invoices, fund equipment…
Serves SMEs and mid-market businesses needing working capital across 300 industries, including manufacturing, construction, retail, building materials, welfare hire, marine and firms trading…
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -23% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Develops an AI-based financing platform that integrates with financial automation systems to provide invoice financing and working capital to mid‑market businesses. Uses real-time financial data and…
Serves B2B middle-market enterprises, particularly CFOs and finance teams seeking working-capital finance integrated into financial workflows, and partners with process automation platforms used by…
Financial Health
N/AN/A
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 2 filingsProvides private credit and trade finance solutions including supplier financing, receivables finance and post‑shipment funding, offering short‑term working capital and liquidity facilities to…
Serves B2B companies needing short-term liquidity and working-capital support, including exporters and firms using receivables or post-shipment trade finance alongside bank funding.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · 0% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 4 filingsProvides treasury and liquidity services for businesses, including trade finance, cross‑border payment processing, multi‑currency virtual accounts, and foreign exchange risk management. Offers a…
Serves B2B customers, particularly African and emerging-market businesses trading internationally, including corporates needing cross-border payments, trade finance, multi-currency accounts, and FX…
Financial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 19% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides short‑term business finance including selective and single invoice finance, revolving credit facilities, trade and stock finance, asset finance, and secured or unsecured loans, helping…
Serves UK small and medium-sized businesses, especially owners needing short-term working capital for cashflow gaps, unpaid invoices, trade orders, stock or assets.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · 0% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides receivables finance and asset-based lending to businesses, including invoice factoring, accounts receivable financing, inventory and acquisition financing, payroll funding, and supply chain…
Serves SMEs and high-growth businesses, especially in healthcare, staffing, consumer goods and transportation/trucking, plus companies facing seasonal, turnaround, acquisition or cash-flow pressures.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Profitable, Growing, Hiring · 12% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 4 filingsProvides trade finance services including standby letters of credit, bank guarantees, letters of credit, and trade bonds. Structures financial guarantees and invoice financing to help exporters,…
Serves SMEs, exporters and trading companies involved in cross-border trade, including firms seeking trade finance support across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Growing · 0% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides trade finance and supply chain finance solutions for businesses and financial institutions, including receivables finance, payables finance and structured trade lending. Also offers digital…
Serves SMEs, corporates and financial institutions engaged in global trade, supply-chain transactions and trade finance, with emphasis on businesses in the UK, Europe, Africa and other international…
Financial Health
StrongStrong
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides stock funding and trade finance facilities to small and medium-sized businesses, including inventory funding lines and revolving loans. Enables companies to purchase stock and manage cash…
Serves UK SMEs and trading businesses that buy, import, manufacture or hold stock, especially firms seeking £25k-£300k stock finance or revolving loans for supplier purchases and cash flow.
Financial Health
StableStable · -68% CAGR over 4y
Location
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- Ultimate Finance04325262
- Ultimate Finance08486872
Provides asset‑based lending and business finance, including invoice finance, asset finance, bridging loans, trade finance, and sector‑specific funding for construction and recruitment. Offers…
Serves business owners and finance introducers, especially SMEs needing working capital or asset-backed lending, with sector focus on construction firms, recruitment agencies, trading businesses and…
Location
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Provides invoice finance and working capital facilities to businesses, including invoice factoring, invoice discounting and sales‑ledger funding. Services may include credit control, bad debt…
Serves UK SMEs and larger B2B companies seeking working-capital funding, especially firms with sales ledgers and unpaid invoices across sectors such as manufacturing, recruitment and hire services.
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides selective invoice finance services, purchasing individual business invoices and advancing funds before customer payment. Offers spot invoice factoring and confidential invoice discounting,…
Serves UK businesses that issue invoices to customers and need short-term cash flow support, including firms seeking one-off or occasional invoice funding without committing to full-ledger finance.
Financial Health
StableStable
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides structured asset-based lending and working capital finance to businesses. Offers funding secured against assets such as receivables, inventory, plant and property, including invoice finance,…
Serves established SME and mid-corporate businesses in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Great Britain, especially growth-focused companies in transition, restructuring or acquisition cycles.
Financial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 5% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides trade finance services including letters of credit, bank guarantees, and import/export funding. Advises UK businesses on international trade transactions, arranges supplier payments,…
Serves UK businesses trading internationally, especially importers and exporters without dedicated in-house trade staff, including established companies and start-ups needing support with supplier…
Financial Health
WeakWeak · -68% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides debt funding for global trade, working with financial institutions, businesses and government bodies to finance supply chains. Focuses on trade finance opportunities where liquidity needs…
Serves financial institutions, businesses and government bodies involved in global trade and supply chains, particularly organisations with liquidity or trade-finance needs not met by traditional…
Financial Health
StableStable
Location
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- Silverburn Finance09900333
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 2 filingsProvides invoice factoring services for businesses, advancing up to around 98% of invoice value. Purchases approved invoices and pays clients quickly while managing credit control and collecting…
Serves UK SMEs seeking invoice factoring, especially haulage, manufacturing, recruitment, wholesaling, plant hire and engineering businesses with turnover above £50k and invoices of at least £500.
Financial Health
WeakWeak
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides invoice finance services that advance cash against unpaid invoices. Offers factoring, confidential factoring, and outsourced credit control to help businesses manage receivables and improve…
Serves UK businesses of all sizes, including facilities management firms, manufacturers, temporary recruitment agencies, hauliers, couriers, commercial printers, contractors, startups and other B2B…
Financial Health
StableStable
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides invoice finance services for businesses, including invoice factoring, invoice discounting and trade finance. Advances funds against outstanding invoices, offers credit control and…
Serves UK businesses with borrowing requirements up to £1m, particularly SMEs needing working capital against invoices, trade orders or debtor risk, plus introducers serving such firms.
Financial Health
StableStable · -65% CAGR over 4y
Location
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- 4syte ABL11403246
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides business finance services including invoice finance, asset‑based lending, trade finance and secured loans. Offers funding facilities to SMEs, particularly in construction and contractual…
Serves SMEs needing business finance, including construction and other contractual businesses, trading companies, asset-rich firms, and businesses seeking secured loans against residential or…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 26% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides trade finance and payables finance services, offering capital platforms that fund or manage supplier payments and working capital for businesses engaged in trade transactions. Facilitates…
Serves businesses seeking trade finance and payables finance support, including companies managing supplier payments, working capital and trading relationships.
Financial Health
StableStable · 0% CAGR over 4y
Location
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- Redd Factors11529254
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 4 filingsProvides invoice factoring and cash flow finance to small and medium-sized businesses. Advances a percentage of issued invoices and manages sales ledger and credit control, collecting payments from…
Serves small and medium-sized UK businesses that invoice customers for delivered goods or services, particularly organisations seeking support with cash flow and sales ledger management.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · 0% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Provides asset-based lending and private credit facilities to SMEs and mid‑market companies, offering funding secured against receivables, inventory, plant and machinery, and property, as well as…
Serves UK SMEs and mid-market corporates with £2m-£25m funding needs, including asset-rich businesses, companies with seasonal stock requirements, and private equity-backed or M&A-related borrowers.
Location
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- Ebury07086058
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides international payment and foreign exchange services for businesses through an online platform. Offers multi‑currency business accounts, cross‑border payments and collections, FX hedging…
Serves growing businesses, enterprises and financial institutions with international operations, including charities and NGOs, sports organisations, e-commerce, maritime, travel and funds sectors,…
Financial Health
WeakWeak
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 2 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 2 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed
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Computed from 2 filingsFinancial Health
HealthyHealthy · 0% CAGR over 1y
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Financial Health
N/AN/A
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 4 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed · -68% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 3 filingsFinancial Health
StrongStrong · 0% CAGR over 1y
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 4 filingsProvides trade finance and export support services, assessing buyer credit risk and advancing payments to exporters selling on credit. Also sources suppliers for industrial buyers and finances…
Serves B2B producers, exporters and large industrial buyers in the food and paper industries, especially firms trading internationally that need buyer credit terms, supply sourcing or…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · -21% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides commercial finance to small and medium-sized businesses, specialising in invoice finance products including invoice factoring, invoice discounting and confidential invoice finance, enabling…
Serves UK SMEs and entrepreneurs seeking working-capital finance, especially businesses in transport, distribution, wholesale, recruitment, services, manufacturing, and oil and gas.
Financial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 29% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed · 0% CAGR over 1y
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsProvides direct lending and supply chain finance solutions, offering funding at different stages of the supply chain to support working capital and liquidity needs for businesses and trade…
Serves B2B clients with capital requirements across supply chains, including companies seeking direct lending or supply chain finance solutions.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -48% CAGR over 4y
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N/AN/A
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 4 filingsProvides trade finance and related banking services supporting cross‑border trade with Bangladesh. Offers structured financing, letters of credit, and financial solutions for banks and businesses…
Serves banks, financial institutions and corporates involved in Bangladesh-related international trade, especially international banking and trade teams managing cross-border transactions.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 19% CAGR over 3y
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides business finance to small and medium-sized enterprises, including invoice finance, working capital loans, VAT and tax loans, asset finance, asset‑based lending, and commercial or development…
Sells to SMEs seeking business finance, including firms needing working capital, invoice finance, VAT or tax loans, asset finance and commercial lending. Targets business owners and decision-makers…
Financial Health
WeakWeak · 0% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 3 filingsProvides financial services including arranging bank instruments such as bank guarantees (BG), standby letters of credit (SBLC) and documentary letters of credit (DLC). Also offers paymaster and…
Serves businesses, investors, commodity traders and dealmakers seeking banking, trade finance, investment, due diligence, paymaster and escrow support.
Financial Health
StableStable · 0% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed
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Computed from 3 filingsFinancial Health
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Computed from 2 filingsFinancial Health
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
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How UK Trade Finance companies work and how to sell to them
What they do
Trade finance providers earn income from interest, discount fees, arrangement fees, monitoring fees and, for brokers, commission from placed facilities. The service is usually a financing or payment-support workflow rather than pure software: origination, document review, credit assessment, funding, repayment and collections all sit together. Pricing tends to attach to a facility or funded invoice, with margin shaped by borrower quality, debtor risk, trade documentation and funding cost. Platform-led firms may add usage fees or subscription elements, but the economic centre remains transaction-linked credit.
Who they sell to
Most trade finance sellers work through direct origination, introducer networks and accountancy or advisory referrals, rather than pure self-serve channels. Buyers are typically finance directors, treasury managers, owner-managers, procurement leads and export sales teams in goods-moving businesses. Contract value is usually expressed as a credit limit or receivables line, so commercial discussion starts with cash conversion, debtor concentration and supplier terms rather than licence seats. Sales cycles can be short when a shipment or overdue buyer payment is urgent, but larger facilities tend to involve credit committee review, legal documentation and beneficiary checks.
What they buy
Most trade finance firms tend to spend on systems that reduce manual review and protect funding lines: CRM, broker pipeline management, credit decisioning, document capture, invoice verification, receivables monitoring, collections, loan servicing and covenant reporting. Compliance spend often covers know-your-business checks, sanctions screening, anti-money-laundering processes, audit trails and complaint handling. They also buy accounting support, legal drafting for assignments and guarantees, cyber security, cloud hosting, data storage, outsourced operations and specialist recruitment for underwriters, relationship managers and credit controllers. Vendors that understand both lending and trade documentation usually have an easier first conversation.
Why and how to sell to them
Trade finance buyers tend to evaluate new suppliers when origination volumes outgrow spreadsheet control, when new wholesale funding brings reporting conditions, or when cross-border activity exposes weak sanctions and document controls. Other triggers include a new finance or risk leader, a shift from brokered placements to balance-sheet lending, rising arrears, audit findings or hiring across credit and operations. Outbound messages work better when they connect to a specific friction point: faster credit packs, fewer disputed invoices, cleaner investor reporting, lower manual rekeying or better visibility of facility exposure by borrower, debtor and sector.
How this list is built
Data sources
This list is built from UK Companies House filings, XBRL accounts data, and semantic analysis of each company's public website. Revenue and headcount figures come from the most recent filed accounts; where the company has not filed, values are estimated using a model trained on filed history and peer benchmarks and are labelled as estimates.
Classification
Rather than relying solely on SIC codes, Firmbase classifies each company semantically: the company's website is crawled, an AI model reads what the company actually sells, and the company is placed into the relevant industry and subsectors. SIC codes are used as one signal but not the only one. This means a company that registered under a generic SIC code but pivoted into (for example) fintech is correctly identified as fintech, not as its original SIC category.
Freshness
The underlying company data is refreshed from Companies House continuously; filings appear in the list within days of submission. The curated list ordering is regenerated when the underlying data moves meaningfully (company count changes by more than 5%, a new company enters the top-ranked segment, or the filed-revenue numbers for the top firms change). You can see the last-updated timestamp near the top of the page.
Sources
- UK Trade Finance Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Instrument, Service Provider, Trade, Enterprise Size, Industry, and Segment Forecasts, 2025-2033
- The UK trade finance market size was estimated at USD 3.00 billion in 2024.
- The UK trade finance market is projected to reach USD 4.25 billion by 2033.
- The UK trade finance market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.0% from 2025 to 2033.
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Frequently asked questions
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