“Fast” means different things to different lenders. Here is an honest, stage‑by‑stage look at how quickly commercial funding for a UK limited company or LLP actually moves — where the time really goes, and what you can do to compress it.
Speed to decision is the time from submitting an application to receiving a real answer — not a marketing headline, but a genuine yes, no, or a conditional offer with terms. It is worth separating three distinct clocks that lenders often blur together:
When a lender advertises “funding in 24 hours,” ask which of those three clocks they are quoting. The honest answer for most commercial facilities is that the decision is quick, and the time to funds depends largely on how ready your paperwork is.
Credicorp is an exempt business lender: we lend only to UK limited companies and LLPs, outside the FCA consumer‑credit regime, under the business‑purpose and large‑agreement exemptions in the FSMA (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (Articles 60B and 60L). That framework is a genuine reason commercial decisions can be quicker — not a shortcut around diligence.
Being exempt is a difference in framework, not a licence to be opaque. Because these are commercial contracts, consumer‑credit protections — the FCA cooling‑off period, the FCA consumer‑credit complaints route and consumer access to the Financial Ombudsman Service — do not apply. We offset that with plain, written terms and full pricing shown before you commit.
Here is how a typical facility for an established UK company moves through the process. Real timings vary with facility size, sector and how complete your submission is.
A concise online application plus Companies House data gives an early read on whether a facility is viable and roughly what scale is realistic.
You learn quickly whether it is worth proceeding — no long wait to find out you were never a fit.
We review your filed statutory accounts and current trading turnover, assess the company’s capacity to service the facility, and return an indicative rate and facility size.
This is the decision most people mean by “speed to decision.”
We digitally verify supporting documents and confirm the business‑purpose declaration. A clean, complete submission moves through this stage fastest.
This is the stage you have the most control over.
Once final terms are accepted and documentation is complete, funds are sent to your company bank account. Full timing depends on verification complexity.
Every fee and your final rate are in writing before you sign.
In practice, the underwriting rarely holds things up. Delays cluster around a handful of avoidable gaps:
The single biggest lever on speed to funds is preparation. Before you apply, have these ready:
With those in hand, an established company can realistically go from application to a decision inside a day or two, and to funds within the working week.
Speed and diligence are not opposites. We are quick because we are focused: we lend only to companies and LLPs, we assess the business rather than the individual, and we work from data we can verify at source. That focus removes friction that does not belong in commercial lending — it does not remove the underwriting. You still see your full terms, your rate and every fee before you commit.
For an established UK limited company or LLP with up‑to‑date filed accounts, an eligibility signal can come within minutes and a full underwriting decision typically within hours to two working days. Time to funds — usually three to five working days end‑to‑end — depends on how complete your documentation is.
No. We are fast because we are focused on the company, not because we skip diligence. We assess filed accounts, current trading and the company’s capacity to service the facility, and apply robust commercial lending standards throughout.
Not on standard facilities. We underwrite on your company’s financials and trading performance. Where a facility genuinely cannot be supported on that basis alone, we discuss it with you openly first — nothing is requested without your knowledge.
Have your latest filed accounts, recent business bank statements and Companies House details ready before you apply, and be clear on the amount and business purpose. Complete, verifiable submissions move through verification fastest.
Credicorp Limited (Company No. 16093826); ICO registration ZC157682. A related company of CM Beyer Limited; part of the Credicorp group. An exempt business lender under FSMA RAO 2001. This article is general information, not legal or financial advice, and timings are indicative rather than guaranteed.
