The popularity of fintech lenders has been growing exponentially since they hit the Australian finance scene in 2013. They grew from lending $10 million in the first year to $389 million in 2017, a 79% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Why has there been such amazing growth? It has been due to the ability of fintechs to serve the financial needs of SMEs that have been underserved by banks for a long time. Here we’ll provide an overview of fintech (financial technology) lenders and explore why they have become so popular with small to medium enterprises in Australia.

Have an innovative business that you believe has long-term growth potential? Are you willing to give up some control of your venture in exchange for investment in your business? If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, venture capital could be the ideal finance option for your business.

Running a restaurant or café business requires getting all the ingredients right. These include quality food, friendly staff, exceptional customer service and a good location. Behind the scenes, cafés and restaurants need finance to get established and continue operating successfully. Here we’ll examine some of the reasons cafés and restaurants get business loans and consider some of the finance options available.

Merchant cash advances are an alternative form of business finance that’s popular with small businesses that need funds but don’t have assets to provide as security. With a merchant cash advance, the lending is secured with future sales made through your card payment terminal. Repayments are automatically made, with a fixed percentage of your sales made through the card terminal. The repayment portion never enters the bank account of the borrowing business but goes directly to repay the lender. Since future payments act as security, there is no collateral required. This makes it a simple form of small business financing for companies that mainly get paid through credit cards, debit cards or EFTPOS.

A business line of credit is one of the many options available when seeking a small business loan. Here we’ll explain how a business line of credit works, what’s required to get one, and some of the pros and cons connected with this type of loan.

Business loans for marketing can be the key to boosting a company’s sales and profits. Many businesses, however, don’t know where to turn when seeking a marketing loan. A lack of funds for marketing holds many small businesses back and prevents them from reaching their full potential.

Typically, a commercial loan is a large, long term-term loan that can be used for a number of purposes, including buying equipment, hiring staff or purchasing commercial property. Here, we cover commercial loans in more detail.

A cash flow loan is a fast business loan used to meet short-term cash flow needs. A lack of cash flow is a serious problem that many small businesses face. Research has shown that only around 50% of small businesses have positive cash flow and cash flow issues are the biggest cause of small business failure.

If you have researched the business finance options available, you have probably come across the term ‘factor rate’. A factor rate is a common way for pricing certain types of business finance, including short-term business loans and merchant cash advances. If you are considering a loan that is quoted using a factor rate, it’s essential that you know what it is and what you are really paying.

Invoice finance – also called invoice factoring, invoice discounting, debtor finance and accounts receivable finance – is a way for companies with unpaid invoices to receive their cash faster. Companies that offer payment terms can have a lot of money ‘locked up’ in their invoices while waiting for payment. For a large business, this could amount to millions of dollars outstanding.

Getting business loans in Australia can be challenging, especially for small to medium enterprises that haven’t been in business for a long time. The problem of business loans in Australia affects the ability of businesses to grow and increase employment. Here we’ll examine the causes of lack of business loans for SMEs in Australian and ways to overcome the challenge.