Sancus Finance, the wholly owned subsidiary of Sancus BMS Group, has announced that it has provided over £200m of funding to UK businesses.

The niche alternative finance provider’s achievement endorses figures* from the UK’s alternative finance market which showed growth of 43% year-on-year in 2016, from £3.2 billion to £4.6 billion.

The Company has implemented a programme of ongoing improvements based on feedback from their clients and funders, including a review of their offering to ensure that their portfolio of funding solutions meet the challenges and demands of SMEs today. Significant developments have also been made to the firm’s platform, which enables funders to identify and participate in suitable funding opportunities.

Sancus Finance specialise in the provision of working capital solutions, including Supply Chain Finance, which ensures faster payment to suppliers and Invoice Trading. The company also offers two specialist finance solutions – Education Finance, designed for Educational Institutions and a Vendor Partner Programme to help SMEs support the purchasing capability of their customers.

With the addition of FCA authorisedSancus Funding, the Group has also recently extended its offering to property finance for bridging and development projects.

Dan Walker, Managing Director says, “Sancus aims to increase the accessibility of innovative forms of finance to SMEs and entrepreneurs in a marketplace historically dominated by bank debt. The growth in the alternative finance market is also reflected in the upward trend in enquiries we have had from SMEs for alternative funding solutions”.

Recent figures suggest that 4 in 10 SMEs use external finance whilst 46% of SMEs consider themselves “permanent non-borrowers”, with no apparent current or future appetite for finance, 20% of the largest SMEs (50-249 employees) place themselves in this category.*

The Sancus BMS Group has provided more than £700m of funding to SMEs and entrepreneurs over the last four years. The business attributes this continued growth to delivering fast and flexible financing solutions combined with diligent risk management and a professional, transparent service to clients, funders and intermediaries.

Dan concludes, “We need to encourage SMEs to invest in their growth through the provision of fast, easy and transparent funding solutions which will increase their confidence in an increasingly uncertain economy. Sancus and its Funders are committed to supporting these businesses by injecting funds into the real economy.”

*Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance