Is Bibby Financial Services a bank?

No. Bibby Financial Services is an independent invoice finance and asset-based lending provider, part of the Bibby Line Group, rather than a high street bank. It specialises in funding linked to a business's invoices and assets.

What is the difference between factoring and invoice discounting?

Factoring is where the provider advances cash against your invoices and also runs credit control and collections, so customers know a funder is involved. Invoice discounting advances cash against invoices but leaves you in control of collections, usually confidentially. Factoring suits businesses wanting to outsource chasing; discounting suits those with their own finance function.

How much can I borrow with invoice finance?

The amount is driven by the value and quality of your sales ledger, typically an agreed percentage of your outstanding invoices. Facilities can range from a few thousand pounds to several million, growing automatically as your turnover and invoicing increase.

How quickly can I get funded?

Setting up a new facility usually takes from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on due diligence. Once the facility is live, funds against a new invoice are often available within 24 to 48 hours.

Can new or small businesses use Bibby?

Sometimes, yes. Because funding is tied to invoices rather than years of trading history, newer and smaller B2B businesses can qualify if they have creditworthy customers and a clean sales ledger. Eligibility depends on the quality of your invoices and customer base.

Will my customers know I am using invoice finance?

With factoring, customers usually know because the provider handles collections. With confidential invoice discounting, customers typically do not know a funder is involved, as you continue to chase payments in your own name.

How do I know if Bibby is the best option for me?

The most reliable way is to compare Bibby's terms against other invoice finance and working capital providers for your specific profile. A whole-of-market broker can benchmark advance rates, fees and structures side by side so you can see where each option stands.

Bibby Financial Services Review and Alternatives

Bibby Financial Services is a UK invoice finance and asset-based lending specialist that helps businesses release cash tied up in unpaid invoices and other assets. It tends to suit small and medium businesses that trade on credit terms, particularly in sectors like manufacturing, wholesale, recruitment, construction and haulage where cash can be locked in the sales ledger for 30 to 90 days.

This review explains how Bibby works, who it fits, how pricing is typically structured and how it compares to other lenders. Greenwood Capital is a whole-of-market broker, so the aim here is to give you a balanced, factual picture rather than a sales pitch. Figures change, so always confirm current terms directly with the provider.

Who is Bibby Financial Services and who does it suit?

Bibby Financial Services is one of the UK’s larger independent invoice finance providers, part of the wider Bibby Line Group, a family-owned business with a long trading history. It focuses on funding linked to a business’s assets, most commonly the unpaid invoices it issues to other businesses.

Bibby is best suited to established B2B businesses that invoice on credit terms and want a funding line that grows with turnover. It is less relevant to sole traders billing consumers, very early-stage startups with no sales ledger, or businesses that simply want a lump-sum term loan.

Bibby Financial Services at a glance

Feature	Detail
Funding range	Typically from around a few thousand pounds up to several million, scaling with your sales ledger and assets
Invoice finance advance	Up to 85% of invoice value, usually within 24 hours
Secured or unsecured	Secured, funding is advanced against invoices or other business assets
Main products	Invoice factoring, invoice discounting, asset-based lending, trade and export finance
Typical speed	Facility setup often within days to a couple of weeks; drawdowns against invoices usually within 24 to 48 hours once live
Best for	B2B SMEs with an established sales ledger needing working capital that flexes with turnover

How does Bibby Financial Services work?

Bibby’s core products let a business borrow against the value of invoices it has already issued, rather than waiting for customers to pay. When you raise an invoice, Bibby advances a large percentage of its value up front, then releases the balance (minus fees) once your customer settles.

Invoice factoring

Invoice factoring is a facility where Bibby advances cash against your invoices and also manages credit control and collections on your behalf. Your customers usually know a finance provider is involved because Bibby handles the chasing. This suits smaller businesses that want to outsource the admin of collecting payments.

Invoice discounting

Invoice discounting is a facility where you borrow against your invoices but keep control of your own credit control and customer relationships. It is typically confidential, so customers need not know a funder is involved. This suits larger or more established businesses with their own finance function.

Asset-based lending

Asset-based lending combines invoice finance with funding secured against other assets such as stock, plant, machinery or property. It is used to raise larger facilities, often around acquisitions, refinancing or growth, by leveraging the full asset base of a business.

Trade and export finance

Bibby also offers trade and export finance to help businesses pay overseas suppliers and manage international sales. These facilities support importers and exporters that need to fund the gap between paying for goods and getting paid by their own customers.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Bibby generally looks for a UK business that sells to other businesses on credit terms, with an identifiable and collectable sales ledger. The single most important factor is usually the quality of your invoices and the creditworthiness of the customers who owe you money.

In practice, providers assessing invoice finance tend to look at:

Whether you invoice other businesses (B2B) rather than consumers.
The spread and credit quality of your customer base, since concentration on one or two large debtors can raise risk.
Your payment terms and how promptly customers typically pay.
The absence of issues like invoices raised before work is complete, contra trading, or heavy retentions.
Your trading history, financial records and management accounts.

Newer businesses can sometimes qualify because the funding is tied to invoices rather than a long track record. Requirements vary by facility and profile, so confirm what applies to your situation directly with the provider or through a broker.

How much does Bibby cost?

Invoice finance pricing is usually built from two main charges rather than a single headline interest rate. Costs vary considerably by turnover, sector, facility type and risk, so treat the following as how pricing tends to be structured rather than a quote.

Service or admin fee: a percentage of turnover funded through the facility, covering the running of the facility and, for factoring, credit control.
Discount charge: effectively the interest on the cash you draw down, usually calculated against a base rate for the period the funds are outstanding.

There can be additional charges for things like same-day payments, credit protection (bad debt protection), or minimum fees where usage is low. Because these facilities are tailored, the true cost depends on how much you draw, how quickly customers pay and the exact terms agreed. Always ask for a full breakdown of every fee and any minimum term or notice period before committing, and compare the all-in cost, not just the advance rate.

What is the application process, step by step?

Setting up an invoice finance facility involves more assessment than a simple loan, because the provider is taking on your sales ledger as security. A typical route looks like this:

Enquiry and fact find: you share turnover, sector, average invoice values and payment terms so the provider can gauge suitability.
Indicative offer: you receive an outline of advance rate, fees and facility size, subject to due diligence.
Due diligence and survey: the provider reviews your ledger, accounts and processes, sometimes with an on-site or virtual survey to verify how you invoice and collect.
Agreement and onboarding: you sign the facility agreement, the security is put in place and your ledger is set up on the provider’s system.
Drawdown: once live, you submit invoices and receive the agreed advance, often within a day or two, with the balance released when customers pay.

How fast is it and what should you have ready?

Once a facility is live, funds against a new invoice are often available within 24 to 48 hours, but initial setup usually takes from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on due diligence and how quickly you provide information. Having your paperwork ready is the biggest lever on speed.

To move quickly, have the following to hand:

Recent full accounts and up-to-date management accounts.
An aged debtors and aged creditors report.
A sample of typical invoices and your standard terms of business.
Details of your main customers and any concentration.
Bank statements and information on any existing finance or charges.

A worked example

Consider a Manchester engineering firm with £2 million annual turnover that invoices manufacturers on 60-day terms. Cash is regularly tied up waiting for payment, which makes it hard to buy materials for the next job and pay staff on time.

With an invoice finance facility, the business submits a £50,000 invoice and receives, say, the bulk of its value within a day or two rather than waiting two months. When the customer pays, the remaining balance is released minus the service fee and discount charge. The result is smoother cash flow that scales up automatically as the firm wins more work, without renegotiating a fixed loan each time. Whether the cost is worthwhile depends on the fees agreed and how much faster the business can trade with the cash freed up.

Pros and cons of Bibby Financial Services

Pros

Funding scales with turnover, so the facility grows as you invoice more.
Releases cash tied up in unpaid invoices, improving working capital.
Range of products from factoring to asset-based and trade finance under one roof.
Long-established independent provider with sector experience across manufacturing, wholesale, recruitment and more.
Factoring can remove the burden of chasing payments.

Cons

Only relevant to B2B businesses that invoice on credit terms.
Pricing has several components, so the all-in cost can be harder to compare than a flat loan.
Facilities may carry minimum fees, minimum terms or notice periods.
Customer concentration or unusual invoicing can limit eligibility or advance rates.
With factoring, customers become aware a funder is involved.

How does Bibby compare to the wider market?

Bibby is a strong option for traditional invoice finance and asset-based lending, but it is not the only route. Here is how it sits against other named providers, and where each can be the better fit.

Bibby

Bibby is genuinely the better choice when you want a substantial, relationship-led invoice finance or asset-based lending facility, especially at higher turnovers or where stock and other assets need to be factored in. Its breadth across factoring, discounting and trade finance suits established B2B businesses that want one provider to grow with.

Kriya

Kriya (formerly MarketFinance) is a technology-led provider offering invoice finance alongside embedded B2B payments and business credit. It tends to appeal to businesses that want a fast, digital-first experience and selective invoice funding rather than a full ledger facility. For smaller or more digitally minded firms wanting to fund specific invoices quickly, Kriya can be a nimble alternative.

Close Brothers

Close Brothers is a long-established merchant banking group with dedicated invoice finance and asset finance divisions. It is well suited to businesses that value an established banking relationship and may also need asset finance for equipment or vehicles alongside their working capital line. Its scale and range make it a credible option for firms wanting a broad set of facilities from a single institution.

Whole-of-market brokers

Rather than a single lender, a whole-of-market broker like Greenwood Capital compares multiple providers against your specific ledger, sector and goals. This is often the better route when you are unsure which structure fits, when your profile is unusual, or when you simply want to benchmark Bibby’s terms against the market before committing.

Who is Bibby best for, and who should look elsewhere?

Bibby is best for established B2B businesses with a solid sales ledger that want working capital to flex with turnover, and for firms needing larger asset-based facilities that combine invoices with stock, equipment or property.

You should probably look elsewhere if you sell mainly to consumers, need a simple fixed-term loan, are pre-revenue, or want the cheapest possible short-term borrowing without a facility tied to your ledger. In those cases a term loan, merchant cash advance, asset finance or a different invoice finance provider may fit better, which is exactly the kind of comparison a broker can run for you.

Let Greenwood Capital compare the market for you

Choosing the right working capital facility depends on your sales ledger, sector, customers and goals, and the best fit is rarely obvious from headline rates alone. Greenwood Capital is a Manchester-based whole-of-market broker that compares Bibby against the wider lending market and matches options to your situation.

If you would like a clear, impartial comparison of invoice finance and other funding routes, get in touch and we will help you understand your choices. This is general information to support your decision, not financial advice, and you should confirm all current terms with any provider before proceeding.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bibby Financial Services a bank?
No. Bibby Financial Services is an independent invoice finance and asset-based lending provider, part of the Bibby Line Group, rather than a high street bank. It specialises in funding linked to a business's invoices and assets.
What is the difference between factoring and invoice discounting?
Factoring is where the provider advances cash against your invoices and also runs credit control and collections, so customers know a funder is involved. Invoice discounting advances cash against invoices but leaves you in control of collections, usually confidentially. Factoring suits businesses wanting to outsource chasing; discounting suits those with their own finance function.
How much can I borrow with invoice finance?
The amount is driven by the value and quality of your sales ledger, typically an agreed percentage of your outstanding invoices. Facilities can range from a few thousand pounds to several million, growing automatically as your turnover and invoicing increase.
How quickly can I get funded?
Setting up a new facility usually takes from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on due diligence. Once the facility is live, funds against a new invoice are often available within 24 to 48 hours.
How much does Bibby cost?
Invoice finance pricing is usually made up of a service fee (a percentage of funded turnover) and a discount charge (interest on the cash drawn). Costs vary by turnover, sector and risk, and there may be minimum or additional fees, so ask for a full breakdown and confirm current figures directly.
Can new or small businesses use Bibby?
Sometimes, yes. Because funding is tied to invoices rather than years of trading history, newer and smaller B2B businesses can qualify if they have creditworthy customers and a clean sales ledger. Eligibility depends on the quality of your invoices and customer base.
Will my customers know I am using invoice finance?
With factoring, customers usually know because the provider handles collections. With confidential invoice discounting, customers typically do not know a funder is involved, as you continue to chase payments in your own name.
How do I know if Bibby is the best option for me?
The most reliable way is to compare Bibby's terms against other invoice finance and working capital providers for your specific profile. A whole-of-market broker can benchmark advance rates, fees and structures side by side so you can see where each option stands.