LendingCrowd: products, terms and eligibility

LendingCrowd is a UK provider of unsecured business loans. The legal entity named on its site is Edinburgh Alternative Finance Limited, company number SC468392. It is based in Edinburgh. It gives its founding year as 2014.

LendingCrowd says it launched on 1 October 2014 and began as a peer-to-peer lending platform. It states it received full FCA authorisation for P2P lending in November 2016 and moved from P2P to institutional funding in 2020. It trades as Edinburgh Alternative Finance Limited, a Scotland-registered company, with its registered office at 50 Lothian Road, Festival Square, Edinburgh. It says it is authorised and regulated by the FCA (firm reference 670991).

In its own words on scale:

• Says it has issued 1,626 loans with an average loan size of £118,429 (figures on its site in October 2026).

Everything on this page comes from what LendingCrowd publishes itself. We show the date we last checked it, and we do not rate or rank lenders.

LendingCrowd publishes 2 products for UK businesses. The table above gives the amounts and terms as it states them.

• Business loan: Fixed monthly repayment of capital and interest; fixed rate for the term; overpayments and early repayment without fees.

Business loan

Loans of £75,000 to £500,000 for 6 months to 5 years with fixed monthly repayments and advance notice of repayment dates. Loans up to £350,000 can be unsecured with a personal guarantee; above that an asset charge is required as well. The credit team assesses each case and allocates a risk band. LendingCrowd says there are no early repayment fees.

Shorter-term loan

LendingCrowd lists 12 to 24 month terms within its £75,000 to £500,000 range. The pages read do not describe a separate product structure.

LendingCrowd says its finance is used for:

• Stock purchases
• Cashflow management
• Premises fit-out or refurbishment
• Management buyouts and acquisitions
• Debt refinancing
• Business expansion

What it says it does not fund:

• Businesses outside England, Scotland and Wales
• Sole traders and partnerships (loans are for limited companies and LLPs)

LendingCrowd publishes these criteria. Meeting them does not mean an application will be accepted: every lender makes its own decision.

• Limited company or LLP.
• Based in England, Scotland or Wales.
• Two years' trading history.
• Turnover of at least £100,000.
• Needs at least two years' accounts, the last three months' business bank statements and the Companies House number to apply.

LendingCrowd describes its process like this:

1. Check eligibility.
2. Sign up and complete the application on the online portal with supporting documents.
3. The credit team assesses the case and allocates a risk band.
4. Complete paperwork and agree the repayment schedule.
5. Track progress through to drawdown.

Information it says it asks for:

• Business information and sector details
• Two years of filed accounts, the latest within 15 months
• Three months of recent bank statements
• Details of current borrowing
• Description of the purpose of funds

Every application is subject to status and the lender’s own criteria at the time.

An unsecured business loan is a fixed sum repaid in instalments over an agreed term, without a charge over a specific asset. Most lenders still ask the directors for a personal guarantee, which makes them personally liable if the company cannot repay.

Lenders price each loan on the business’s trading history, turnover and credit profile, so the offer you receive can differ from the published range. Compare the total cost in pounds and the repayment pattern, not only the headline rate: our guide on how to compare business loan lenders shows how.

Points LendingCrowd publishes that are worth knowing:

• Subject to credit assessment, unsecured loans (including fees) of up to £350,000 are supported by a personal guarantee.
• For loans above £350,000, a charge or asset security may be required in addition to a personal guarantee.
• Says there are no early repayment fees.
• Applications are assessed case by case with an affordability focus.

Security and guarantees

Up to £350,000 can be unsecured with a personal guarantee. Above £350,000 an asset charge is required alongside a personal guarantee. LendingCrowd says there are no early repayment penalties and overpayments (minimum £5,000) are accepted.

LendingCrowd’s site states: “LendingCrowd is the trading name of Edinburgh Alternative Finance Limited, a company registered in Scotland. Company Number SC468392. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm reference number 670991). The company’s registered office is 50 Lothian Road, Festival Square, Edinburgh, EH3 9WJ.”

Protections differ by borrower type and loan size. Most lending to limited companies is not regulated consumer credit, so read the agreement and ask the lender what applies to you.

Other providers of unsecured business loans with profiles here include Lenkie, Little Business Loans and Mercia Business Loans. Each profile uses that lender’s own published terms.

The full list, grouped by product type, is in our directory of UK business lenders.

Capzy is a credit broker, not a lender, and gets paid by the lender. One application lets your business compare options across lenders, so you can weigh this kind of facility against the alternatives. You can check your funding options with a soft search that does not affect your credit score. A full application to a lender may involve a hard search, and any offer is subject to status and lender criteria.