Business loans Derby: funds, figures and lenders for Derby firms
Business loans in Derby come from the same national lenders as anywhere in England, plus a regional fund and local support that only Derby firms can use. Here is what a Derby business should know before it applies, with every figure linked to where it comes from.
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- Enterprises (ONS 2026)
- 7,565
- Under 10 staff
- 87.0%
- Top sector: health and social care
- 17.4% of jobs
- Regional fund (BBB)
- MEIF II
On this page
- Derby's business base in numbers
- Small business loans in Derby: what the figures mean
- Unsecured business loans in Derby
- Government-backed funding for Derby firms
- Lenders on our panel that cover Derby
- Free business support in Derby
- Finance for Derby's main industries
- Commercial finance brokers in Derby
- Sources
- Common questions
Derby's business base in numbers
Derby had 7,565 enterprises in March 2026, according to ONS UK Business Counts (Nomis labour market profile: Derby). 6,580 of them (87.0%) employ fewer than ten people, 790 employ 10 to 49, 160 employ 50 to 249 and 40 employ 250 or more. That is 4.1% of the 183,715 enterprises in East Midlands. Counting branches, shops and depots separately, the area has 9,495 local business units.
Measured by employee jobs (2024), the largest parts of the Derby economy are health and social care (17.4%), manufacturing (15.9%), wholesale, retail and motor trades (12.3%) and administrative and support services (9.4%). In total the area has 138,000 employee jobs and 275,344 residents (2025).
Small business loans in Derby: what the figures mean
- With 87.0% of Derby enterprises employing fewer than ten people, a typical application is judged on two or three years of accounts, bank statements and the directors' credit files rather than a long trading record.
- Manufacturing: 15.9%, 2.2 times the Great Britain share of 7.3%. Manufacturing is a bigger employer here than across Great Britain, and equipment is usually cheaper to fund through asset finance than through a loan.
- Health and social care: 17.4% against 14.2% across Great Britain. Health and social care is a large employer; care providers and clinics have their own lender criteria, set out in care home finance.
Set beside nearby cities, Derby has 7,565 enterprises for 275,344 residents, or 27.5 per 1,000 (our calculation from the ONS figures). Nottingham has 9,940 enterprises, 30.5 per 1,000 residents, with 86.1% employing under ten; Uttoxeter has 4,890 enterprises, 37.2 per 1,000 residents, with 89.4% employing under ten. Professional, support, digital and finance jobs together are 21.9% of the Derby total, against 25.8% in Nottingham and 20.1% in Uttoxeter.
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Unsecured business loans in Derby
Derby businesses can choose from 42 unsecured lenders on our panel, out of 45 in all; BCRS Business Loans, FW Capital and Finance Yorkshire do not. Finance for Enterprise is a regional lender whose area includes Derby. Expect to be asked for a personal guarantee: 124 of the 131 products available at a DE postcode require one, according to our panel data.
| Lender | Amounts | Terms | Indicative rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance for Enterprise (local fund) | £25k to £250k | Up to 5 years | 12% to 14.35% a year |
| Nucleus Commercial Finance | £10k to £500k | Up to 5 years | 1.17% to 3.89% a month |
| County Finance Group | £10k to £150k | Up to 5 years | 16% to 20% a year |
| Rivers Leasing | £10k to £50k | Up to 5 years | 21% to 32.5% a year |
| Reparo Finance | £25k to £50k | Up to 1 year | 48% to 52% a year |
| Sigma Lending | £10k to £100k | Up to 1 year | 33% to 67% a year |
Government-backed funding for Derby firms
Derby businesses can apply to the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, a £400 million British Business Bank fund that is open for applications. It offers smaller loans of £25,000 to £100,000, debt finance of £100,000 to £2 million and equity of up to £5 million.
Lenders on our panel that cover Derby
Some lenders on our panel lend only in certain postcode areas. These ones include Derby's DE postcodes:
- Finance for Enterprise: GGS Loan
No business loan provider in our panel data (70 in all) excludes DE postcodes, so a Derby business is compared against all of them.
Free business support in Derby
D2N2 Growth Hub offers free support to Derby businesses: the single contact point for business support across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Use it for grants, training and local programmes; use a broker when you need the finance itself.
Finance for Derby's main industries
The industries that employ the most people in Derby, and those that are bigger here than nationally, each have a page explaining how lenders assess them: manufacturing finance, care home finance, retail business loans and recruitment finance.
Commercial finance brokers in Derby
A commercial finance broker does not lend. We take one set of figures from a Derby business and search the lenders on our panel that accept a DE postcode, across every type of business finance, from £10,000 to £20 million. Fees depend on the lender, with nothing to pay upfront.
| Type of finance | Products | Lenders | Amounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsecured business loans | 131 | 42 | £1k to £20m |
| Secured business loans | 57 | 23 | £10k to £10m |
| Revolving credit facilities | 13 | 11 | £2k to £20m |
| Asset finance | 114 | 40 | £1k to £20m |
| Invoice finance | 49 | 26 | £1k to £20m |
| Merchant cash advances | 8 | 7 | £5k to £750k |
| VAT and tax loans | 32 | 10 | £1k to £2m |
- Access to 300+ lendersWhole-of-market search across our lender panel.
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- Support from start to finishOur experts handle the process from start to finish.
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these, checked on 18 October 2026. Lender coverage is from the criteria held for each lender on our panel.
Where to go next
- Business loans: how it works
- Business loan calculator
- Commercial mortgages Derby
- Asset finance Derby
- Invoice finance Derby
- Acquisition finance Derby
- Working capital loans Derby
- Business loans Nottingham
- Business loans Uttoxeter
- Business loans Leicester
- Business loans Stafford
- Business loans Walsall
- Business loans Sheffield
- Business loans Midlands
- Instant Quotes: see which lenders fit your business
We are a credit broker, not a lender. Fees depend on the lender, and there is nothing to pay upfront. This page is general information, not financial advice. Lenders set their own criteria, rates and terms, and all finance is subject to status.
Common questions
Can I get an unsecured business loan in Derby?
Usually, if the business has been trading and can show it can repay: 42 lenders on our panel offer unsecured loans to Derby businesses, from £10k.
Which sectors are bigger in Derby than nationally?
Manufacturing (2.18 times the Great Britain share) and Health and social care (1.23 times the Great Britain share), on ONS employee jobs for Derby.
Do you have an office in Derby?
No. Smart Funding Solutions is based in Chester and works with Derby businesses by phone, video and email; lenders do not need you to be local to us.
What our clients say
“Simon was fast, kept us updated at all stages and was a real pleasure to work with on our asset finance. I highly recommend this company: excellent service all round.”
“Spoke with Simon, who managed to get me the loan I needed promptly. The whole process was very smooth and was completed within a few days.”
“Getting a business loan can feel like a bit of a minefield, but everything was broken down for me in great detail. Will use again in the future!”
“Simon was a pleasure to deal with and helped us find a business loan that matched our growth goals and future expansion plans.”
“I couldn’t source funding for my business, but the team got in touch within an hour and had it sorted within 24 hours. Fantastic service, and I would definitely use them again.”
Why businesses choose Smart Funding Solutions
- Access to 300+ lenders
- Personal broker support
- No obligation discussion
- Free to enquire
Our clients say
Trusted by UK businesses across every sector.
“Simon was fast, kept us updated at all stages and was a real pleasure to work with on our asset finance. I highly recommend this company: excellent service all round.”
“Spoke with Simon, who managed to get me the loan I needed promptly. The whole process was very smooth and was completed within a few days.”
“Getting a business loan can feel like a bit of a minefield, but everything was broken down for me in great detail. Will use again in the future!”
“Simon was a pleasure to deal with and helped us find a business loan that matched our growth goals and future expansion plans.”
“I couldn’t source funding for my business, but the team got in touch within an hour and had it sorted within 24 hours. Fantastic service, and I would definitely use them again.”
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