ICAS ICAS logo

Quicklinks

  1. About Us

    Find out about who we are and what we do here at ICAS.

  2. Find a CA

    Search our directory of individual CAs and Member organisations by name, location and professional criteria.

  3. CA Magazine

    View the latest issues of the dedicated magazine for ICAS Chartered Accountants.

  4. Contact Us

    Get in touch with ICAS by phone, email or post, with dedicated contacts for Members, Students and firms.

Login
  • Annual renewal
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Find a CA
  1. About us
    1. Governance
  2. Members
    1. Become a member
    2. Newly qualified
    3. Manage my membership
    4. Benefits of membership
    5. Careers support
    6. Mentoring
    7. CA Wellbeing
    8. More for Members
    9. Area networks
    10. International communities
    11. Get involved
    12. Top Young CAs
    13. Career breaks
    14. ICAS podcast
    15. Newly admitted members 2022
    16. Newly admitted members 2023
  3. CA Students
    1. Student information
    2. Student resources
    3. Learning requirements
    4. Learning updates
    5. Learning blog
    6. Totum Pro | Student discount card
    7. CA Student wellbeing
  4. Become a CA
    1. How to become a CA
    2. Routes to becoming a CA
    3. CA Stories
    4. Find a training agreement
    5. Why become a CA
    6. Qualification information
    7. University exemptions
  5. Employers
    1. Become an Authorised Training Office
    2. Resources for Authorised Training Offices
    3. Professional entry
    4. Apprenticeships
  6. Find a CA
  7. ICAS events
    1. CA Summit
  8. CA magazine
  9. Insight
    1. Finance + Trust
    2. Finance + Technology
    3. Finance + EDI
    4. Finance + Mental Fitness
    5. Finance + Leadership
    6. Finance + Sustainability
  10. Professional resources
    1. Anti-money laundering
    2. Audit and assurance
    3. Brexit
    4. Charities
    5. Coronavirus
    6. Corporate and financial reporting
    7. Business and governance
    8. Ethics
    9. Insolvency
    10. ICAS Research
    11. Pensions
    12. Practice
    13. Public sector
    14. Sustainability
    15. Tax
  11. CPD - professional development
    1. CPD courses and qualifications
    2. CPD news and updates
    3. CPD support and advice
  12. Regulation
    1. Complaints and sanctions
    2. Regulatory authorisations
    3. Guidance and help sheets
    4. Regulatory monitoring
  13. CA jobs
    1. CA jobs partner: Rutherford Cross
    2. Resources for your job search
    3. Advertise with CA jobs
    4. Hays | A Trusted ICAS CA Jobs Partner
    5. Azets | What's your ambition?
  14. Work at ICAS
    1. Business centres
    2. Meet our team
    3. Benefits
    4. Vacancies
    5. Imagine your career at ICAS
  15. Contact us
    1. Technical and regulation queries
    2. ICAS logo request

Navigating the funding landscape – a free guide for ICAS Members

  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)

28 May 2021

  • LendingCrowd has produced a free guide to the wide range of funding routes that are available to   SMEs.
  • From debt and equity investment to public   sector support and grant funding, your clients have access to a wide range of options.
  • Webinar: ICAS and LendingCrowd are delivering an Ask ICAS webinar on funding business   recovery and expansion.

As we look ahead to anticipated economic growth in 2021, Chris Mitchell of LendingCrowd explains how clients can navigate the funding landscape as they seek essential finance to rebuild and grow.

Further guidance, useful links and information on the funding landscape are set out in LendingCrowd’s new resource guide:

Download the guide

Whether it’s planning a new venture or growing, diversifying or restructuring an existing enterprise, funding will be required to complete these projects before the rewards are seen. As your clients define strategies, project costs and anticipated outcomes, it is important to understand what funding is required to help achieve success.

Coronavirus financial support is changing, and more traditional funding models will re-emerge as we move to recovery and growth, leaving many in uncharted territory as they attempt to demystify and navigate the vast landscape of business finance. So, how will businesses find their routes to essential finance?

In the early periods, it is often personal cash or resources from family and friends that help a new business get started. If more capital is required, borrowing from established lenders might not be possible before a track record of profitability is demonstrated; therefore equity finance may be the only funding option to fund a business through its early stages.

Once businesses are more established with revenue and profitability, the option of debt finance becomes more accessible and there are many different types available to suit specific requirements.

Grant funding may also be available and is offered through numerous agencies, with availability often dependent on where a business operates and the nature of its activities.

The likelihood is that, even in the early years of the business lifespan, there will be a blend of funding introduced to advance the business through various stages. Therefore, it is important to understand the funding landscape and where different routes will take your clients on their journey.

Seek out public sector support


Particularly in the early stages of the business funding journey, it is prudent to investigate what public sector support is available. Public sector agencies are very proactive in this area and offer a magnitude of practical support for businesses to help them identify and source the most suitable funding and prepare viable applications. Agencies include Business Gateway for new and small ventures, Scottish Enterprise for emerging companies and the recently launched Scottish National Investment Bank for more established enterprises.

Understand different funding models


Equity finance
Usually involving a cash purchase of shares in a business, this cash investment is available for business use, while new shareholders stand to benefit from future success through dividends from profits and an increased share value. Investors may also have a say in how the business is managed as a whole, or within certain functions. This provides the opportunity to add expertise and experience to the management team, creating additional growth potential. Therefore, it is important that investors are chosen carefully. It’s not just about the money ¬– business fit and compatibility are key areas of focus.

Debt finance
When a business is more established with identifiable revenue or profitability, the option of debt finance becomes more available to fund a multitude of activities. Debt finance involves borrowing an amount over a specified term, usually with a structured repayment schedule.

The market for debt finance is extremely vast and varied. For decades, a handful of large banks have dominated the market for business lending and many businesses still think of their main bank as their first and only option for finance. However, research has shown that half of SMEs that have their loan application declined by their bank choose to look no further, believing there are no other options available. Therefore, it is important to focus on the growing non-bank lender market.

The funding landscape is evolving rapidly, and businesses now have access to a wide range of finance providers, including challenger banks and non-bank lenders such as LendingCrowd, which offer flexible finance solutions to businesses.

Grant funding
Aside from Coronavirus business support, grant funding typically involves a sum being provided to a business to part or wholly fund certain projects. Availability usually depends on the business size, location and sector, combined with the activities for which funding is sought.

Tailored funding packages
With such a wide variety of finance available to suit different opportunities, it is quite common for many types to feature at once, complementing each other to create a tailored funding package to suit the individual requirements of each business.

During these challenging times, your clients will need help to navigate the financial landscape. LendingCrowd has produced a free guide to the wide range of funding routes that are available to SMEs.


Watch the Ask ICAS Webinar


As your clients plan ahead and consider their forthcoming funding needs, or are curious about how to raise additional funding, it is important to review all the options. Sourcing the most suitable finance for your client’s specific needs should help their business succeed while avoiding unnecessary complications further down the line.

Watch our webinar from 8 April, where the funding landscape is brought to life by special panel members in the Ask ICAS series. We’ll help you identify the most appropriate route to help your clients finance their ambitions.

Watch on demand

About LendingCrowd


LendingCrowd, the trading name of Edinburgh Alternative Finance Limited, was founded to help SMEs thrive by giving them access to non-bank lending. To find out more about LendingCrowd, call 0345 564 1600.


LendingCrowd | Business Finance for British SMEs

Business finance for British SMEs.

2022-01-xero 2022-01-xero
ICAS logo

Footer links

  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • CA magazine

Connect with ICAS

  • Facebook (opens new window) Facebook Icon
  • Twitter (opens new window) Twitter Icon
  • LinkedIn (opens new window) LinkedIn Icon
  • Instagram (opens new window) Instagram Icon

ICAS is a member of the following bodies

  • Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (opens new window) Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies logo
  • Chartered Accountants Worldwide (opens new window) Chartered Accountants Worldwide logo
  • Global Accounting Alliance (opens new window) Global Accounting Alliance
  • International Federation of Accountants (opens new window) IFAC
  • Access Accountancy (opens new window) Access Acountancy

Charities

  • ICAS Foundation (opens new window) ICAS Foundation
  • SCABA (opens new window) scaba

Accreditations

  • ISO 9001 - RGB (opens new window)
© ICAS 2022

The mark and designation “CA” is a registered trade mark of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), and is available for use in the UK and EU only to members of ICAS. If you are not a member of ICAS, you should not use the “CA” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to accountancy, tax or insolvency services. The mark and designation “Chartered Accountant” is a registered trade mark of ICAS, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Ireland. If you are not a member of one of these organisations, you should not use the “Chartered Accountant” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to these services. Further restrictions on the use of these marks also apply where you are a member.

ICAS logo

Our cookie policy

ICAS.com uses cookies which are essential for our website to work. We would also like to use analytical cookies to help us improve our website and your user experience. Any data collected is anonymised. Please have a look at the further information in our cookie policy and confirm if you are happy for us to use analytical cookies: