Specialist and alternative finance

Finance structures built for particular situations, industries or cashflow needs.

25 terms in this topic

Alternative finance

Alternative finance is any business finance sourced outside traditional bank lending, such as marketplace lenders, crowdfunding platforms, invoice financiers and other specialist non-bank lenders.

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Asset-based finance (ABF)

Asset-based finance (ABF) is business finance secured on a company's assets, with the facility size set by the value of the receivables, inventory, equipment or property pledged.

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Block discounting

Block discounting is receivables finance where a lender finances a whole portfolio, or block, of hire-purchase or instalment contracts in one facility rather than individual invoices.

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Bridging loan

A bridging loan is short-term finance secured by a mortgage over property, covering the gap when you buy a new property before the sale of your existing one settles.

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Buy now, pay later (BNPL)

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) is regulated consumer credit where a provider pays the merchant up front and you repay in set instalments, usually interest-free if paid on time.

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Cashflow loan

A cashflow loan is short-term business finance assessed on your recent trading cashflow and receivables rather than pledged assets, covering payroll, supplier bills or stock before customer payments arrive.

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Construction loan

A construction loan is a loan that pays for building work in stages, releasing funds as a new home, rebuild, extension or commercial development reaches each milestone.

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Dual financing

Dual financing is a lending structure where two separate lenders finance the same borrower or project, typically a senior first-ranking facility alongside a subordinated or mezzanine loan.

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Factoring

Factoring is a finance arrangement where a business sells or assigns its unpaid invoices to a specialist lender, the factor, for an immediate cash advance and outsourced collections.

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Franchise finance

Franchise finance is business lending for buying, starting, growing or refinancing a franchise, covering buy-in fees, fit-out, equipment, stock and working capital while allowing for royalties and franchisor fees.

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Green loan

A green loan is a purpose-specific loan for energy-efficiency or renewable energy upgrades, such as solar, batteries or heat pumps, with permitted uses the lender verifies.

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Indigenous business finance

Indigenous business finance is the range of loans, grants and investment options built for Indigenous, First Nations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses.

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Interest-free

Interest-free means a purchase plan or loan that charges no interest, either throughout or for a promotional period, after which any balance owing attracts the standard rate.

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Invoice discounting

Invoice discounting is a working capital facility where a lender advances most of an unpaid invoice's value and holds a reserve until your customer pays.

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Mezzanine finance

Mezzanine finance is a hybrid layer of capital that sits between senior debt and equity, ranking behind the senior lender and often carrying equity-style upside for the financier.

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Multi-financing

Multi-financing is the use of two or more finance facilities or lenders to fund business assets, matching each part of a purchase to a suitable finance option.

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Not-for-profit finance

Not-for-profit finance is the set of practices, policies and controls a charity or community organisation uses to raise and manage money, reinvesting any surplus in its mission.

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Sale and leaseback

A sale and leaseback is a finance transaction where a business sells an asset to a lessor and immediately leases it back, releasing cash without losing use of it.

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Securitisation

Securitisation is the process of pooling loans, leases or receivables into a separate vehicle that issues securities to investors, so the originator raises funding and transfers risk.

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Shariah finance

Shariah finance is a system of finance based on Islamic law that prohibits interest and requires asset-backed transactions, so returns come from trade, leasing or profit-sharing.

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Soft loan

A soft loan is a loan on better terms than the market offers, such as a below-market interest rate, a longer term or a repayment grace period.

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Stocking finance

Stocking finance is a short-term facility that funds a dealer's inventory unit by unit: the lender pays the supplier and the dealer repays each advance when that unit sells.

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Vendor finance

Vendor finance is credit extended by the seller of a business or asset to the buyer, covering part or all of the purchase price and repaid in instalments.

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Working capital loan

A working capital loan is short-term business finance that funds day-to-day operations, such as payroll, stock and supplier bills, rather than long-term capital purchases.

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Zero percent finance

Zero percent finance is a promotional payment plan that spreads the cost of a purchase with no interest charged during a set promotional period.

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