Featured in This Is Money: Lending to Small Businesses Where Banks Can’t
What the coverage says about business loans in the UK
Juice has been featured in This Is Money, part of the Daily Mail Group, in an article examining why many UK small businesses struggle to access finance and how alternative lenders are filling the gap left by traditional banks.
The article focuses on the limitations of bank lending models and the growing role of data-driven lenders in providing business loans in the UK to viable SMEs that fall outside legacy criteria.
Why banks still say no to viable small businesses
The This Is Money article highlights a structural issue in UK SME lending. Many businesses are declined not because they are unprofitable, but because they do not meet rigid bank requirements.
These requirements often include:
- Fixed revenue patterns
- Long trading histories
- Conservative affordability models
- Limited recognition of ecommerce or digital-first business models
As a result, profitable SMEs can struggle to secure small business loans, even when their underlying trading performance is strong.
How alternative lenders assess risk differently
The article explains how lenders like Juice assess businesses using live trading data rather than static criteria.
This approach allows risk to be evaluated based on:
- Current revenue performance
- Cash flow trends
- Seasonality and trading cycles
- How capital is actually deployed within the business
This enables more accurate underwriting and supports lending decisions that reflect how modern SMEs operate.
“We can lend to small businesses where banks can’t, because we assess how businesses actually trade rather than relying on legacy benchmarks.”
This Is Money, July 2025
A revolving credit facility rather than a fixed loan
Juice provides funding through a revolving credit facility, not a traditional fixed-term loan.
Instead of receiving a lump sum upfront, businesses are approved for a credit limit and draw funds as required.
Key features:
- Credit limits up to £1m
- Standard 24-month facility term
- Transparent monthly pricing agreed upfront
- Flexible drawdowns for inventory, marketing or working capital
- Early repayments allowed
- Interest applies only to the amount drawn
This structure gives businesses greater control over cash flow and avoids carrying unnecessary debt.
Supporting working capital without undermining profitability
The goal of this approach is not to maximise borrowing, but to support sustainable growth.
By aligning funding with real trading activity, businesses can:
- Use capital when it is needed
- Repay as revenue is generated
- Maintain control over margins and cash flow
This makes the model particularly relevant for ecommerce financing, where revenue is often seasonal and inventory-led.
If you are looking for business funding that offers flexibility, transparency and supports long-term profitability, you can explore Juice here.