Business loans Nottingham: funds, figures and lenders for Nottingham firms
Business loans in Nottingham come from the same national lenders as anywhere in England, plus a regional fund and local support that only Nottingham firms can use. Below are the Nottingham figures, funds and lender rules that shape a search, each linked to its source.
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- Enterprises (ONS 2026)
- 9,940
- Under 10 staff
- 86.1%
- Top sector: health and social care
- 18.8% of jobs
- Regional fund (BBB)
- MEIF II
On this page
- Nottingham's business base in numbers
- Small business loans in Nottingham: what the figures mean
- Unsecured business loans in Nottingham
- Government-backed funding for Nottingham firms
- Lenders on our panel that cover Nottingham
- Free business support in Nottingham
- Finance for Nottingham's main industries
- Commercial finance brokers in Nottingham
- Sources
- Common questions
Nottingham's business base in numbers
Nottingham had 9,940 enterprises in March 2026, according to ONS UK Business Counts (Nomis labour market profile: Nottingham). 8,560 of them (86.1%) employ fewer than ten people, 1,060 employ 10 to 49, 235 employ 50 to 249 and 85 employ 250 or more. That is 5.4% of the 183,715 enterprises in East Midlands. Counting branches, shops and depots separately, the area has 12,375 local business units.
Measured by employee jobs (2024), the largest parts of the Nottingham economy are health and social care (18.8%), wholesale, retail and motor trades (13.1%), education (10.8%) and professional, scientific and technical services (10.3%). Compared with Great Britain, the city has more than its share of public administration (7.0% against 4.9% across Great Britain) and education (10.8% against 8.6% across Great Britain). In total the area has 213,000 employee jobs and 325,765 residents (2025).
Small business loans in Nottingham: what the figures mean
- Because 86.1% of enterprises here are micro businesses, many Nottingham applications rest on the directors as much as the company: lenders read the personal credit files and usually ask for a personal guarantee.
- Public administration: 7.0% against 4.9% across Great Britain. Suppliers to councils and public bodies commonly wait 30 days or more to be paid, which puts working capital first.
- Health and social care: 18.8% against 14.2% across Great Britain. Care providers face specialist lender criteria; see care home finance.
Set beside nearby cities, Nottingham has 9,940 enterprises for 325,765 residents, or 30.5 per 1,000 (our calculation from the ONS figures). Sheffield has 17,310 enterprises, 29.9 per 1,000 residents, with 87.2% employing under ten; Birmingham has 38,605 enterprises, 32.8 per 1,000 residents, with 89.0% employing under ten. Professional, support, digital and finance jobs together are 25.8% of the Nottingham total, against 22.1% in Sheffield and 27.7% in Birmingham.
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Unsecured business loans in Nottingham
Of the 45 lenders on our panel with an unsecured business loan, 42 lend to an NG postcode; BCRS Business Loans, FW Capital and Finance Yorkshire do not. Finance for Enterprise lends only in certain areas that include Nottingham. Unsecured means no charge over property, but 124 of the 131 products open to Nottingham require a personal guarantee in 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 |
| Iwoca | £10k to £1m | Up to 5 years | 1.5% to 5.7% a month |
| Swishfund | £10k to £100k | Up to 17 months | 1.1% to 3% a month |
| Funding Circle | £10k to £750k | Up to 6 years | 6.9% to 25% a year |
| LendingCrowd | £75k to £500k | Up to 5 years | 8.9% to 21% a year |
| NatWest | £25k to £50k | Up to 7 years | 8.2% to 9.5% a year |
| Allica Bank | £25k to £150k | Up to 5 years | 9.9% to 13.75% a year |
Government-backed funding for Nottingham firms
Nottingham 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 Nottingham
Some lenders on our panel lend only in certain postcode areas. These ones include Nottingham's NG postcodes:
- Finance for Enterprise: GGS Loan
No business loan provider in our panel data (70 in all) excludes NG postcodes, so a Nottingham business is compared against all of them.
Free business support in Nottingham
D2N2 Growth Hub offers free support to Nottingham businesses: a single contact point for businesses in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Use it for grants, training and local programmes; use a broker when you need the finance itself.
Finance for Nottingham's main industries
The industries that employ the most people in Nottingham, and those that are bigger here than nationally, each have a page explaining how lenders assess them: care home finance, nursery business finance, IT company finance, business services finance and retail business loans.
Commercial finance brokers in Nottingham
Working with a broker means one conversation instead of several. We match a Nottingham business against the 118 lenders on our panel that accept NG postcodes, for £10,000 to £20 million, and only approach the ones whose criteria fit. Nothing is paid upfront; fees depend on the lender.
In our panel data, 144 unsecured loans and revolving facilities, 57 property-secured loans and 166 asset finance products are open to Nottingham firms, with 32 short-term VAT and tax loans alongside.
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- Independent brokerSmart Funding Solutions is an independent broker, not a lender.
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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 Nottingham
- Invoice finance Nottingham
- Asset finance Nottingham
- Acquisition finance Nottingham
- Working capital loans Nottingham
- Business loans Sheffield
- Business loans Birmingham
- Business loans Manchester
- Business loans Leeds
- Business loans Chester
- Business loans Liverpool
- Business loans Derby
- Business loans Leicester
- 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 Nottingham?
Usually, if the business has been trading and can show it can repay: 42 lenders on our panel offer unsecured loans to Nottingham businesses, from £10k.
Which sectors are bigger in Nottingham than nationally?
Public administration (1.43 times the Great Britain share), Health and social care (1.32 times the Great Britain share) and Education (1.26 times the Great Britain share), on ONS employee jobs for Nottingham.
Do you have an office in Nottingham?
No. Smart Funding Solutions is based in Chester and works with Nottingham 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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