Funding Options

What Funding Options does

Funding Options is a UK-based online marketplace and commercial finance broker that connects small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a panel of 80+ (cited as 120+ on the lender partner page) lenders across business loans, invoice finance, asset finance, property finance, commercial mortgages, working capital, business credit cards, merchant cash advance and revolving credit facilities. The platform operates a self-serve flow in which applicants complete a single online form, receive a soft eligibility check (no impact on credit score), and are matched to ranked quotes across the lender panel, with supplementary human support from funding specialists and three self-service calculators (business loan, invoice finance, asset finance). Founded in 2011, headquartered in London, and operating with 51–100 employees, the company has facilitated more than £1.6 billion in cumulative funding to over 43,000 UK businesses and reaches borrowers through three formal channels: a direct-to-SME digital funnel, a panel of 1,800+ accountancy and advisory partner firms, and a separate Acquisition Partner programme.

Funding Options generates revenue primarily as an introducer, earning broker/introducer commissions from lenders on each funded loan, with the borrower-facing service priced at zero to maximise funnel volume. A secondary revenue layer comes from affiliate and lead referrals to adjacent SME products, most prominently Tide (its parent company since 2025, marketed as "Funding Options by Tide") for business current accounts, savings and credit-score tools, and Capital on Tap for business credit cards, with UTM-tracked campaigns and promo codes (e.g., TRYTIDE for a £100 cash reward). The business is FCA-authorised and regulated, designated by the British Business Bank as a recommended platform under the UK government's Bank Referral Scheme, and is integrated into the government's Growth Guarantee Scheme for SME lending — combinations that act as regulatory and demand-routing assets.

Strategically, the company is in a consolidation phase following its 2025 acquisition by Tide, with no new external funding rounds since 2019 (£6.3M Capability and Innovation Fund) and a total disclosed funding base of approximately £17.8M across 2012–2019 rounds. Its competitive position rests on a two-sided distribution network (broad lender panel plus a large advisor referral channel), regulatory credentials, and content-led SEO around commercial-intent finance queries, rather than on proprietary AI or unique underwriting IP, making it a distribution-led asset whose standalone growth is now coupled to Tide's broader SME banking strategy.

Name

Funding Options

Legal name

Funding Options Ltd.

Website

https://fundingoptions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Funding Options is a UK online marketplace that connects small and medium-sized enterprises with 80+ lenders across business loans, invoice finance, asset finance, property finance and credit cards, earning introducer commissions per funded loan. It is FCA-authorised, British Business Bank-recommended, and operates as "Funding Options by Tide" following Tide's 2025 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Finance Marketplace / Commercial Finance Broker

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231), Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (52229)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant Cash Advance & Revenue-Based Financing Enablement (FSAGALAH)

Keywords

• Business finance marketplace
• Commercial lending broker
• SME loan comparison
• Invoice finance platform
• Asset finance broker

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broker/introducer commission from lenders: As a commercial finance broker connecting SMEs with 80+ lenders, Funding Options earns referral or commission fees from lenders for funded introductions. The service is free for SMEs ("Apply for free, with no impact on your credit score").
2. Affiliate referral revenue: Promotes Tide Business Current Account with a £100 cash reward promo code "TRYTIDE" and Capital on Tap business credit card with affiliate tracking parameters (utm_source=click, utm_medium=affiliate), indicating affiliate referral income.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Funding Options operates the UK's leading online marketplace for business finance, connecting UK small and medium-sized enterprises with a panel of 80+ lenders across business loans, invoice finance, asset finance, property finance, commercial mortgages, working capital, business credit cards, merchant cash advance, and revolving credit facilities. The service is free for SMEs, who can check eligibility online via a soft credit search (no impact on credit score) and borrow up to £20m, while Funding Options earns commission from the lenders on funded introductions.

Product overview

Funding Options (branded "Funding Options by Tide") is the UK's leading online marketplace for business finance, operating as a single unified platform that connects UK SMEs with 80+ lenders across multiple product categories. The core platform — accessed via a quote-comparison flow at /get-started/ — powers a portfolio of finance products including Business Loans (with sub-types such as unsecured, secured, short-term, working-capital, growth-guarantee-scheme, and loans for bad credit, women, sole traders and limited companies), Invoice Finance (invoice discounting, invoice factoring), Asset Finance (finance leasing), Property Finance, Commercial Mortgages, Working Capital, and Business Credit Cards / Merchant Cash Advance / Revolving Credit Facilities. Around this core marketplace, Funding Options layers three partner channels — Funding Options: Advisors (1.8k+ accountancy & advisory partners), Acquisition Partners, and Lender Partners (120+ lenders) — plus self-service financial calculators (Business Loan Calculator, Invoice Finance Calculator, Asset Finance Calculator) and a content/education hub (blog, how-to guides, knowledge pages, customer stories). The site also cross-promotes related Tide business services (Tide Business Current Account, Tide Instant Saver, Tide Credit Score Insights) for users brought in via the marketplace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Loans Flagship product of the Funding Options marketplace. Lets UK business owners check eligibility online (soft credit check, no impact on credit score), compare quotes from 80+ lenders, and borrow up to £20m for purposes including working capital, vehicle/machinery purchase, property, purchasing a business, short-term cash flow, paying bills/tax in instalments, invoice finance, MBI/MBO, and loan refinancing.
• Invoice Finance Cash-flow solutions for businesses that issue invoices, including invoice discounting and invoice factoring, accessed through the marketplace and supported by a dedicated Invoice Finance Calculator.
• Asset Finance Funding against business assets, including finance leasing, to help businesses acquire equipment, vehicles and machinery without large upfront capital outlay, supported by a dedicated Asset Finance Calculator.
• Property Finance Property-backed finance for commercial property and property development, surfaced via the marketplace and the dedicated Property Finance / Commercial Mortgages knowledge pages.
• Commercial Mortgages Mortgage products for commercial property purchases, listed as a distinct finance type within the Funding Options marketplace alongside Property Finance.
• Working Capital Finance Short-term funding solutions to manage day-to-day cash flow, surfaced as a selectable "Reason" within the core Business Loans quote flow.
• Business Credit Cards Business credit-card products from the Funding Options lender panel, including a featured Capital on Tap business credit card promoted on the homepage.
• Merchant Cash Advance Cash advance tied to card takings, listed under the Alternative Finance / Cash flow solutions category.
• Revolving Credit Facilities Flexible revolving credit lines for ongoing working-capital needs, listed under Alternative Finance.
• Growth Guarantee Scheme Access point for the UK government's Growth Guarantee Scheme loans distributed through Funding Options's lender panel.
• Business Loan Calculator Interactive self-service calculator that estimates monthly repayments and total repayable amounts based on borrowing amount, term and interest rate (representative example: £50,000 over 24 months at 10% APR = £2,307.25/month, £55,373.91 total). Soft check only.
• Invoice Finance Calculator Dedicated self-service calculator for Invoice Finance products on the marketplace.
• Asset Finance Calculator Dedicated self-service calculator for Asset Finance products on the marketplace.
• Funding Options: Advisors (Advisory Partner Program) B2B channel for accountancy and advisory firms (1.8k+ advisors) to connect their clients to Funding Options's lender panel, ensuring clients can access business finance.
• Acquisition Partners programme B2B acquisition partner programme for organisations that want to expand their service offering and ensure their customers can access fast, easy and reliable business finance.
• Lender Partners panel The panel of 80+ (and stated elsewhere as 120+) leading UK lenders that supply product quotes to the Funding Options marketplace. Funders include YouLend, Lending Crowd, NatWest, Capital on Tap, Funding Circle, Iwoca, Liberis, Simplification, Fleximize, MaxCap, Allica Bank, HayDock, Bibbyline Group, Bizcap, Shawbrook Bank, MT Finance, and Together.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by over 43,000 UK businesses
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• TideflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding Options is branded "Funding Options by Tide" and is tightly integrated with Tide's business banking products. The site features Tide Business Current Account, Tide Instant Saver, and Tide Credit Score Insights, with cross-promotion including a £100 cash reward via the "TRYTIDE" promo code. All links carry FO→Tide UTM tracking parameters (utm_source=FO, utm_medium=navigation / homepage).
• British Business BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerThe UK government's development bank publicly recommends Funding Options as a designated finance platform under its Bank Referral scheme, which helps SMEs get finance. Logo and recommendation are prominently displayed on the homepage.
• Accountancy & Advisory Partners (panel of 1,800+ firms)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA panel of 1,800+ accountancy and advisory firms that refer their SME clients to Funding Options to access the right funding. Partners are recruited through the /partners/advisor/ program.
• Acquisition PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartners that expand their service offering by sourcing fast, easy and reliable business finance for their own customers via Funding Options. Recruited through /partners/acquisition/.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Liberis: Liberis is a UK-headquartered embedded finance platform offering revenue-based financing to SMEs. It appears on the Funding Options lender panel and competes for the same end SME borrower with similar working capital products.
• Funding Circle: Funding Circle is a UK-listed (LON: FCH) SME lending marketplace operating both direct lending and a broker-style aggregation model. It directly competes with Funding Options for UK SME borrowers and is itself one of the lenders on the Funding Options panel, making it both competitor and partner.
• Iwoca: Iwoca is a major UK alternative lender providing working capital and small business loans to SMEs. It operates as both a direct lender to SMEs and as a panel lender on Funding Options, creating head-to-head competition for the same end borrower.
• Tide Platform: Tide is the parent company of Funding Options since 2025 and is itself a UK digital business banking platform serving 1.5M+ SMEs. Tide offers integrated lending, current accounts, and savings; the Funding Options marketplace extends Tide's lending distribution capability.
• MarketFinance: MarketFinance (now known as Marketlend) is a UK invoice finance and business lending platform serving SMEs. It directly competes with the invoice finance and working capital product categories on Funding Options' marketplace.
• Capify: Capify is a UK-based alternative business finance provider offering working capital and small business loans. It competes head-to-head with Funding Options in the UK SME short-term lending space and also operates as an introducer of other products.
• YouLend: YouLend is a UK-based fintech providing revenue-based finance and small business loans to SMEs. It is listed as one of the 80+ lenders on Funding Options' panel and directly competes for the same UK SME customer with similar product types.
• Funding Xchange: Funding Xchange is a UK-based business finance marketplace and technology provider that powers lending comparison for SMEs, banks, and accountancy firms. It is a direct competitor to Funding Options in the UK business finance aggregator category and also provides back-end lending infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Allica Bank: Allica Bank is a UK challenger bank focused on SME lending, current accounts, and asset finance. It appears on the Funding Options lender panel and represents an emerging direct competitor in UK SME banking and lending.

Broad incumbents

• NatWest: NatWest is one of the UK's largest incumbent banks serving SMEs with a full suite of business banking and lending products. It appears as a panel lender on Funding Options and is also a Bank Referral Scheme partner that funnels declined applicants to designated platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FundingOptions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/funding-options

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Funding Options