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Liberis adds £70m funding and venture debt to grow embedded business finance platform and help SMEs weather the COVID storm

Press release 22 December 2020

  • London-based embedded finance provider aligns with SVB and previous funders, including British Business Investments and Paragon Bank to drive further expansion and SME business support
  • API-powered tech platform seamlessly integrates into partner ecosystems to provide revenue-based funding solutions for SMEs
  • Since COVID-19, Liberis launched new CBILS loan product in May
  • In the past two years, Liberis has increased its funding for SMEs by 40%, launched in five new countries and added several new partners

Liberis, a leading global embedded business finance platform, has secured £70m in financing from long-term partners British Business Investments, Paragon Bank, BCI Europe, as well as financing and venture debt from new partner Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). This brings Liberis’ total funds raised to £200m total, including over £50m in equity funding. The new funds will be used to fuel company growth, launch new products and markets, and provide additional customer financing solutions.

Liberis has provided over half a billion pounds (£500m) in financing to 16,000 SMEs across Europe, USA and UK, including £250m in the past two years alone. Founded in 2007, Liberis provides partners with financing solutions for their small business customers.

Our significant growth in the past two years has highlighted the need in the market for SME support, especially during uncertain times. As an SME ourselves, we understand the plight and have survived an economic downturn. With uncertainty in the market, funding can be hard to access from more risk averse institutions. We are thrilled to have extra resources to help our partners support SMEs’ survival through COVID and beyond.

- Rob Straathof CEO of Liberis

Liberis’ global partner network consists of marketplaces, software providers and acquirers, such as Worldpay from FIS and Global Payments. These partners integrate with Liberis to offer up to 1m SMEs personalised pre-approved revenue-based financing for up to £300,000. Payments are linked to a company’s transactions, enabling them to pay for the funds more comfortably, in line with income.

In a recent survey of 200 Liberis customers, half were forced to shut down and 37 percent were most concerned with the loss of revenue and customers, with their biggest challenge being cash flow. Thirty-six percent said it was harder to get approved for funding from traditional lenders such as banks. In May, Liberis launched a new CBILS loan product, providing financial support to SMEs across the UK that are losing revenue and seeing their cashflow disrupted as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

We are pleased to become a new funding partner to Liberis and have been impressed with their ability to embed financing solutions across technology platforms, payments providers and more. At SVB, supporting innovation is in our DNA and we are delighted to provide this global growth opportunity to Liberis through our Warehouse and Venture Debt products.

- Folake Shasanya Head of EMEA Warehouse Financing, SVB

At British Business Investments, our mission is to increase the overall supply and diversity of finance for smaller businesses across the UK. By supporting innovative lenders such as Liberis, we can continue to help smaller businesses access the finance they need to achieve their growth ambitions.

- Judith Hartley CEO, British Business Investments

We are proud to support and partner with Liberis to support its technology and financing solutions that present real-world value for SMEs and marketplaces. The ability to rapidly access funds is key for SME survival in uncertain times and effective delivery of embedded finance is a much-needed piece of the puzzle.

- Jamie Pickering Director, Structured Lending, Paragon Bank

Notes to editors

About Liberis

Liberis builds flexible finance solutions that empower businesses and provide positive impact. Founded in 2007, Liberis is the only global embedded finance platform. Liberis provides partners with the technology platform and financial solutions to empower hyper-personalised, fair funding for their small business customers, reaching 1m SMEs. Headquartered in the UK, Liberis is supported by British Business Investments, Paragon and SVB, Liberis has provided more than 16,000 SMEs worldwide with more than £500m in funding. Learn more:  liberis.com.

About British Business Investments

British Business Investments is the trading name of British Business Investments Ltd, a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of British Business Bank plc, the UK government’s economic development bank. It forms part of the British Business Bank’s commercial arm.

British Business Investments aims to earn a commercial return by investing – through finance providers – in smaller businesses and small mid-caps, pursuing investments on a fully commercial basis without receiving any economic advantage from the government. Find out more at bbinv.co.uk.

British Business Bank plc and its subsidiary entities are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. Neither British Business Bank nor its principal operating subsidiaries are authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). A complete legal structure chart for British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries can be found on the British Business Bank plc website.

The funding from British Business Investments to Liberis does not amount to any endorsement or warranty from British Business Investments, the British Business Bank plc, or the government of the UK.

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