Business loans Leicester: funds, figures and lenders for Leicester firms
Business loans in Leicester come from the same national lenders as anywhere in England, plus a regional fund and local support that only Leicester firms can use. This page sets out what is specific to Leicester: the local business figures, the public funding open to you and which lenders on our panel cover your postcode.
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- Enterprises (ONS 2026)
- 13,905
- Under 10 staff
- 88.8%
- Top sector: health and social care
- 22.0% of jobs
- Regional fund (BBB)
- MEIF II
On this page
- Leicester's business base in numbers
- Small business loans in Leicester: what the figures mean
- Unsecured business loans in Leicester
- Government-backed funding for Leicester firms
- Lenders on our panel that cover Leicester
- Free business support in Leicester
- Finance for Leicester's main industries
- Sources
- Common questions
Leicester's business base in numbers
There were 13,905 enterprises registered in Leicester in 2026, on ONS UK Business Counts figures (Nomis labour market profile: Leicester). 12,345 of them (88.8%) employ fewer than ten people, 1,305 employ 10 to 49, 205 employ 50 to 249 and 50 employ 250 or more. That is 7.6% of the 183,715 enterprises in East Midlands. Counting branches, shops and depots separately, the area has 15,765 local business units.
Measured by employee jobs (2024), the largest parts of the Leicester economy are health and social care (22.0%), wholesale, retail and motor trades (12.7%), education (12.1%) and manufacturing (11.0%). Against Great Britain as a whole, it stands out for manufacturing (11.0%, 1.5 times the Great Britain share of 7.3%) and education (12.1% against 8.6% across Great Britain). In total the area has 173,000 employee jobs and 383,116 residents (2025).
Small business loans in Leicester: what the figures mean
- Micro businesses make up 88.8% of the 13,905 enterprises, so for most Leicester owners the deciding factors are recent accounts, six months of bank statements and the directors' credit history.
- Health and social care: 22.0%, 1.5 times the Great Britain share of 14.2%. Care providers face specialist lender criteria; see care home finance.
- Manufacturing: 11.0%, 1.5 times the Great Britain share of 7.3%. Factories usually fund machinery through asset finance and keep loans for everything else.
For context, Leicester has 13,905 enterprises for 383,116 residents, or 36.3 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; Coventry has 10,110 enterprises, 27.7 per 1,000 residents, with 89.1% employing under ten. Professional, support, digital and finance jobs together are 19.9% of the Leicester total, against 25.8% in Nottingham and 20.4% in Coventry.
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Unsecured business loans in Leicester
No security over property is needed for an unsecured loan, which is why most small business loans in Leicester take this form. 42 of the 45 unsecured lenders on our panel accept an LE postcode; BCRS Business Loans, FW Capital and Finance Yorkshire do not. Finance for Enterprise is a regional lender whose area includes Leicester. The trade-off is the personal guarantee: our panel data shows one on 124 of the 131 products open here.
| Lender | Amounts | Terms | Indicative rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance for Enterprise (local fund) | £25k to £250k | Up to 5 years | 12% to 14.35% a year |
| NatWest | £25k to £50k | Up to 7 years | 8.2% to 9.5% a year |
| Swishfund | £10k to £100k | Up to 17 months | 1.1% to 3% a month |
| Qardus | £50k to £500k | Up to 3 years | 15% to 24% a year |
| Kingsway Finance | £25k to £250k | Up to 5 years | 14% to 36.5% a year |
| Allica Bank | £25k to £150k | Up to 5 years | 9.9% to 13.75% a year |
Government-backed funding for Leicester firms
For the Midlands, the British Business Bank runs the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, a £400 million fund open to Leicester firms. 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 Leicester
Some lenders on our panel lend only in certain postcode areas. These ones include Leicester's LE postcodes:
- Finance for Enterprise: GGS Loan
No business loan provider in our panel data (70 in all) excludes LE postcodes, so a Leicester business is compared against all of them.
Free business support in Leicester
For free advice before you borrow, Business Gateway Growth Hub is the place to start: a one-stop shop for business support in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland that points firms to funding information. It cannot lend to you, but it can point you to grants and local programmes that sit alongside finance.
Finance for Leicester's main industries
The industries that employ the most people in Leicester, and those that are bigger here than nationally, each have a page explaining how lenders assess them: care home finance, manufacturing finance, nursery business finance and retail business loans.
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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 Leicester
- Business loans Nottingham
- Business loans Coventry
- Business loans Derby
- Business loans Northampton
- Business loans Solihull
- Business loans Birmingham
- 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 Leicester?
Usually, if the business has been trading and can show it can repay: 42 lenders on our panel offer unsecured loans to Leicester businesses, from £10k.
Which sectors are bigger in Leicester than nationally?
Health and social care (1.55 times the Great Britain share), Manufacturing (1.51 times the Great Britain share) and Education (1.41 times the Great Britain share), on ONS employee jobs for Leicester.
Do you have an office in Leicester?
No. Smart Funding Solutions is based in Chester and works with Leicester 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
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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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