First Business Finance

What First Business Finance does

First Business Finance (UK) Ltd is a Chatham, Kent-based commercial finance brokerage founded in 2008 by David Jordan and operating under FCA regulation (FRN: 685879). The company introduces UK SMEs to asset finance, business loans, asset refinance, invoice financing, and commercial foreign exchange (via a partnership with AFEX), working with a panel of over 50 UK lenders to match borrowers across diverse credit profiles. Its core products include Business Asset Loans (£1,000–£500,000), Government Growth Scheme Loans (£25,000–£1 million, 48-hour funding), Government Backed Loans, and a Revolving Loan Facility, alongside sector specialisations in plant & construction, manufacturing, IT equipment, commercial vehicles, garage equipment, printing, catering, private vehicles, and health & beauty. The brokerage also offers free online soft-asset and hard-asset calculators and a downloadable SME Growth Strategies Checklist (downloaded nearly 20,000 times) as lead-generation tools.

The business is fundamentally a relationship-led, human-adviser brokerage with no proprietary software platform, API, or AI/ML capabilities; technology is limited to digital calculators and a content-driven website. Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis through commissions paid by lenders on successfully introduced deals, with no direct client fee for broking services. Distribution combines direct advisory sales, supplier/vendor referrals (described as central to the model), and cross-referrals from sister company Readhunt (corporate insurance broker) under the SRT & Partners holding group, into which First Business Finance was consolidated in late 2025.

Since its founding, the company has arranged approximately £500 million of assets under finance over 25 years and now operates from offices in Chatham (HQ), London (Lloyd's of London), and Rotherham, serving SMEs across the UK. A March 2026 relocation to larger Chatham offices, active sales hiring, and the addition of new government-backed and revolving credit products indicate a scaling phase.

Name

First Business Finance

Legal name

First Business Finance (UK) Ltd

Website

https://firstbusinessgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Business Finance is a UK FCA-regulated commercial finance brokerage that introduces SMEs to asset finance, business loans, invoice financing, and FX via a panel of 50+ lenders, serving sectors including construction, manufacturing, IT, vehicles, and health & beauty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Finance Brokerage

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Equipment & Asset Finance (SME) (FSAKAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB), SME Trade Finance & Working Capital (LCs, Guarantees, Receivables) (FSABABAF)

Keywords

• Commercial finance brokerage
• Asset finance solutions
• SME business loans
• Invoice financing
• Equipment leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sittingbourne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broker Commission: First Business Finance acts as a credit broker and not a lender. It introduces clients to lenders from its panel and earns commission from those lenders. Commission rates vary across lenders. No fee is charged directly to the client for broking services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

First Business Finance is a UK commercial finance brokerage that introduces SME clients to a panel of over 50 lenders and arranges asset finance, business loans, asset refinance, invoice financing, and commercial foreign exchange on their behalf. The firm earns commission from lenders rather than charging clients a direct fee, and pairs this brokerage service with sector-specialised teams for plant & construction, manufacturing, IT equipment, commercial vehicles, garage equipment, and health & beauty.

Product overview

First Business Finance is a UK-based commercial finance brokerage offering a portfolio of finance solutions centered around asset finance, business loans, and related funding products. The core offerings include Asset Finance, Business Loans, Asset Refinance, Invoice Financing, and Commercial Foreign Exchange (via AFEX partnership). Additional products include Government Growth Scheme Loans, Government Backed Loans, and Revolving Loan Facilities. The company serves multiple industry sectors including plant & construction, manufacturing, IT equipment, commercial vehicles, and health & beauty, with specialized calculators for hard assets and soft assets. Since December 2025, the company operates as part of SRT & Partners and also provides access to commercial insurance through sister company Readhunt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asset Finance Flexible short and long-term asset finance for equipment, vehicles, and business growth with fixed, predictable repayments; targeted at UK SMEs acquiring or refinancing productive assets.
• Business Loans Tailored loan facilities to support business growth, manage cash flow, and fund essential assets; arranged through the broker's 50+ lender panel for UK SMEs.
• Asset Refinance Finance facilities designed to release equity from existing assets and manage cash flow for SMEs and startups facing changing needs.
• Invoice Financing Invoice finance arrangements that improve cash flow and reduce overheads, sourced from trusted, competitive funding partners within the lender panel.
• Commercial Foreign Exchange Discounted global FX trading, competitive rates, risk management, and 24/7 online access for commercial foreign exchange needs, delivered through the AFEX partnership.
• Business Asset Loans Flexible business loans designed to help businesses acquire equipment and resources needed for growth, with loan amounts from £1,000 to £500,000 and terms from 3 months to 6 years; many products carry no early-settlement penalties.
• Revolving Loan Facility Fast, flexible revolving credit facility with instant decision and no paperwork, structured to match cash-flow cycles with flexible repayment terms of 1, 3, 6, 9, or 12 instalments and a transparent flat fee per transaction.
• Government Growth Scheme Loans Government-backed loans supporting business growth, expansion, refurbishment, and asset purchases; loan amounts from £25,000 to £1 million, terms from 12 months to 6 years, no early repayment fees, and funds into account within 48 hours of acceptance.
• Government Backed Loans Government-backed short- and long-term loan product for business expansion, refurbishment, cash flow improvement, and asset acquisition; loan amounts £5,000 to £1 million, terms 3 months to 6 years, no early repayment fees, no credit-score impact, and funds available within 48 hours.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% approval rate for asset finance when applications are structured correctly, compared to 44% for standard bank loans
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SRT & PartnerscoreOthers · 1 December 2025First Business Finance is a subsidiary of SRT & Partners, a holding company owning industry-leading commercial insurance and finance businesses. The rebrand in late 2025 brought First Business Finance under the SRT & Partners group, enabling expanded capabilities, broader finance products, and access to group expertise including commercial and specialist insurance through Readhunt.
• ReadhuntcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerReadhunt is an independent corporate insurance broker and sister company under SRT & Partners. It shares the same values of personal service, transparency, and long-term partnership. Readhunt and First Business Finance provide joined-up business support combining finance and insurance solutions for UK businesses. Readhunt has a London Market division providing access to specialist insurance markets.
• AFEX (Associated Foreign Exchange)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnering with AFEX, First Business Finance offers discounted global FX trading, competitive rates, risk management, and 24/7 online access for commercial foreign exchange needs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Capitalise: UK commercial finance broker connecting SMEs to a wide lender panel for business loans, asset finance and invoice finance. Directly comparable in product mix, customer segment (UK SMEs) and broker model.
• LDNfinance: London-based commercial finance brokerage arranging business loans, asset finance and property finance for UK SMEs. Closely comparable in target customer, lender-panel approach and relationship-led delivery.
• Asset Advantage: UK asset finance broker specialising in equipment, vehicle and technology finance for businesses. Highly comparable given First Business Finance's deep focus on asset finance and vertical-sector specialisation.
• Broadbench: UK commercial finance broker arranging asset finance, business loans and invoice finance via a lender panel. Comparable in business model, SME customer base and panel-based origination.
• 1st Commercial Credit: UK commercial finance broker providing asset finance, business loans and invoice discounting to SMEs. Directly comparable in product range, target customer profile and intermediary model.
• Nucleus Commercial Finance: UK-based commercial finance broker arranging asset finance, invoice finance and loans for SMEs across multiple sectors. Comparable in target segment, panel structure and sector-specialised go-to-market.
• Henry Howard Finance: UK asset finance broker with strong sector specialisation in printing, manufacturing and engineering equipment. Highly comparable vertical-expertise positioning and broker-channel delivery to UK SMEs.
• Calverton Finance: UK commercial finance broker offering business loans, asset finance and invoice finance to SMEs. Comparable as a relationship-led, panel-based broker operating in the same UK SME segment.

Broad incumbents

• Allica Bank: UK challenger bank focused on SME lending, asset finance and commercial banking products. Comparable target customer (established UK SMEs) but operates as a principal lender with a deposit base rather than as a broker.
• Funding Circle: UK-listed SME lending platform offering business loans and asset finance directly to small businesses. Overlaps in target segment and product set but bypasses the broker intermediary layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-business-finance

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 First Business Finance