Adelpha Capital review: short-term unsecured loans for small businesses

Adelpha Capital is a London-based provider of short-term unsecured business loans for small limited companies in England and Wales. It is known for quick, human-reviewed decisions on modest sums, typically for stock, cash flow and equipment. Smart Funding Solutions is an independent broker and is not part of Adelpha Capital, so we can compare its offer with other unsecured lenders before you choose. You can read more on Adelpha Capital's own website.

01About Adelpha Capital

Adelpha Capital says it was founded in 2016 as a specialist provider for small businesses across England and Wales. Its registered address is in City Road, London. The company describes its team as having a background in banking and finance, and says it works closely with businesses, introducers and professional advisers.

Adelpha positions itself as an alternative to the high street banks. Rather than relying only on an automated score, it says decisions are made by people looking at how the business actually performs. That approach can help a small company with a short track record or a recent blip that a bank's system would decline.

Adelpha Capital is one of the lenders on our panel for unsecured business loans.

02What Adelpha Capital funds

Adelpha's main product is an unsecured loan for working capital. Its website describes several versions of the same core idea, aimed at different needs:

Product	What it is for	Typical size	Typical term
Short-term business loan	Bridging a gap in cash flow, a seasonal dip or an unexpected bill	From around £5,000	A few months
Small business loan	Stock, marketing, equipment or day-to-day running costs	Around £5,000 to £100,000	Up to 36 months
Business growth loan	Taking on a contract, opening a site or hiring	Up to around £100,000	Agreed case by case

Adelpha's site quotes borrowing from £5,000 to £100,000 with repayment terms of up to 36 months. Shorter terms are more common for smaller advances. It also offers a product it presents as an alternative to a merchant cash advance, which may suit a business that wants a defined loan rather than a share of card takings.

03Who Adelpha Capital suits (and who it may not)

Based on its published criteria, Adelpha is aimed at:

• Limited companies incorporated in England or Wales.
• Businesses that have been trading for at least six months.
• Owners who need a relatively small sum quickly and can repay over months rather than years.
• Companies whose accounts do not tell the full story, where recent bank statements show healthy trading.

It is unlikely to fit if you trade as a sole trader or partnership, if your company is registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland, if you need more than £100,000, or if you want a long repayment term to keep monthly costs low. Property businesses may also find it a poor fit. For those cases, our page on limited company business loans and the wider market are a better starting point.

04What Adelpha Capital looks at

Adelpha lists a short set of documents on its site:

• Business bank statements covering roughly the past year.
• Recent financial accounts.
• Details of the company and its directors.

As with most unsecured lenders, it is typical for directors to be asked for a personal guarantee, and for both business and personal credit files to be checked. Underwriters will look closely at the bank statements: regular income, how the account is managed, any returned payments and what other finance is already being repaid. Our guide on documents needed for a business loan covers how to prepare.

05Pros and cons

Pros

• Decisions made by people, with the lender quoting decisions within 24 hours.
• No property security needed for an unsecured loan.
• Accepts companies with as little as six months of trading.
• Simple document list based on bank statements and accounts.

Cons

• Only for limited companies incorporated in England or Wales.
• Loan sizes top out at around £100,000.
• Short terms mean higher monthly repayments than a longer loan.
• Short-term unsecured lending usually costs more than bank finance, so compare the total repayable.

06Applying through a broker vs going direct

You can apply to Adelpha yourself. Going through a broker means you can see how its offer compares with other unsecured lenders, some of which offer longer terms or larger amounts. Each application can leave a mark on your credit file, so a single, well-prepared submission to the right lenders is better than several separate attempts.

We search the market, present your case clearly and handle the application for you. It is free to enquire; any broker fee is disclosed separately before you proceed. Use Instant Quotes to compare lenders in minutes.

07Alternatives to Adelpha Capital

• iwoca: a flexible credit facility, useful if you want to draw funds as needed.
• Fleximize: often worth comparing where you want a longer term to keep repayments lower.
• Capify: offers both loans and card-linked funding, so it can suit businesses with strong card takings.

If you need money within days rather than weeks, read our guide to short-term business loans for how the options compare.