As the Government’s CBILS initiative draws to a close this month, two British fintechs Ebury and MarketFinance, have joined forces to ensure SMEs across the UK are able to quickly access the emergency lending. MarketFinance will offer both its CBILS loans and revolving credit facilities to Ebury’s UK SME base to support them with their business finance needs.

The CBILS initiative will conclude at the end of September 2020 with pre-submitted applications in September being valid until the end of November. Until 30 September, companies can apply for a cash injection through a CBILS loan between 50,001 and 150,000 with no fees, interest or repayments for 12 months. The CBILS revolving credit facility goes up to 5 million and works in much the same way as MarketFinance’s flagship selective invoice finance product, with advances secured against outstanding invoices.

Juan Lobato, Ebury CEO said: “We have been working with governments throughout Europe to try to ensure that SMEs, the lifeblood of our economies, have access to the working capital they need to survive the pandemic. I am delighted that by combining with one of our fintech peers we will be able to help more companies in the UK secure the vital funding they need to be able to benefit from the economic recovery we are starting to see.”

That deadline is fast approaching so nimble UK fintechs Ebury and MarketFinance have combined to tackle the delays that have left some UK SMEs without access to finance. International trade specialist Ebury will add MarketFinance’s CBILS loans and revolving credit facilities, which are both interest-free for the first year, to its existing supplier trade finance products meaning clients can access a comprehensive range of working capital solutions.

The CBILS was launched in response to the pressure that COVID-19 disruptions and lockdown restrictions have placed on business and will see the Government guarantee 80% on credit lines of up to 5m for UK SMEs. Peer-to-peer lending, a type of financing in which the lender and borrower are both individuals could be the future of lending in London, Ontario. Many companies, such as Zopa, have entered the peer-to-peer lending market and it feels like this is just the beginning of the future of fintech.

Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance, commented: “A key part of our strategy is partnering with other fintechs to deliver seamless funding solutions for their customer base. We are very excited to be launching this with Ebury, who have built up a strong brand internationally and who want to improve access to finance for their business customers in this crucial time. We hope this partnership will make it even easier for business owners to find the right finance to help them through this global pandemic.”

While the immediate focus of the partnership is to offer lending products under CBILS terms to Ebury clients, the fintechs intend to work together in the long term with Ebury continuing to offer MarketFinance’s regular business loans and invoice finance to their clients, well beyond the end of the CBILS window. The strategic partnership adds to Ebury’s range of cross-border finance options, which are underpinned by its leading foreign exchange risk management capabilities.