Business Loans in Belfast
CoreFi arranges business loans for Belfast SMEs, typically limited companies raising unsecured or secured funding for working capital, growth, expansion or cash flow. We match your case to lenders who fund Northern Ireland. Loan amounts, rates and terms are indicative and depend on your trading, your security and lender appetite.
A business loan is a lump sum a company borrows and repays over an agreed term, used for the things that keep a business moving and growing: working capital, hiring, a new site or fit-out, stock, or smoothing seasonal cash flow. It comes in two broad forms. An unsecured loan is not tied to a specific asset and is underwritten mainly on your trading and cash flow. A secured loan is backed by an asset such as property, which can support a larger amount or a longer term. Both are widely used across Belfast's SME base, from the technology, fintech and cyber firms in and around the Titanic Quarter, to the engineering and manufacturing subcontractors on the Harbour Estate and around Mallusk, to the professional services, hospitality, retail and creative businesses across the city.
CoreFi is a commercial finance broker that arranges business loans for SMEs across Belfast and the wider Northern Ireland market, principally limited companies. We do not lend ourselves and we do not set the rate. We understand what the money is for, package the case properly, and approach the lenders whose criteria and appetite fit. Any loan amounts, rates or timelines mentioned on this page are indicative and illustrative only; what you are offered depends on your business and on individual lender appetite.
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Tell us what the money is for
Share what the business does, roughly how much you need, what it is for, and whether you can offer security. A quick outline and recent figures are enough to start, and it costs nothing.
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We match you to business lenders
We identify lenders on our panel whose appetite fits your size, sector, whether the loan is unsecured or secured, and Northern Ireland, and package the case so it is presented properly the first time.
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Review terms and proceed
Interested lenders come back with indicative amounts, rates and terms. Any figure is illustrative until formally offered. You decide, and we help move the loan through to drawdown.
Unsecured and secured business loans
The two forms suit different needs. An unsecured business loan is not tied to a particular asset; the lender underwrites it on the strength of your trading, your cash flow and your track record, and because there is no specific security it tends to be quicker to arrange but smaller and shorter than a secured facility. It suits a Belfast SME that needs working capital, wants to fund a marketing push or a new hire, or is smoothing a seasonal dip. A secured loan is backed by an asset, usually property, which gives the lender recourse and can support a larger sum or a longer term; it suits a bigger investment such as an acquisition, a major expansion or consolidating other borrowing. Both are repaid over an agreed term in regular instalments. Amounts, rates and terms vary widely by lender and by the strength of the business, so we avoid quoting fixed figures up front.
The Belfast SME base and what it borrows for
Belfast's SME economy is broad, and the reasons businesses borrow reflect it. The technology, fintech and cyber security firms clustered around Catalyst and the Titanic Quarter often need working capital to scale ahead of contract revenue, hiring and building before the invoices land. The aerospace, precision engineering and advanced manufacturing subcontractors across the Harbour Estate, Newtownabbey and Mallusk are frequently asset-rich but capital-hungry, borrowing to fund orders, materials and expansion. Professional, legal and financial services firms around Bedford Street and the city centre borrow to grow headcount or fit out new offices. Hospitality and retail across the Cathedral Quarter, the Lisburn Road and the arterial routes borrow for fit-out, stock and seasonal cash flow, and the creative and post-production firms tied to the Harbour and Titanic Studios borrow against project pipelines. Each of those tells a different credit story, and knowing the sector helps us present the case in the terms a lender expects.
What lenders look at, and why bring it to CoreFi
On a business loan, lenders underwrite the business and the purpose. They look at your trading history and profitability, the strength and predictability of your cash flow, how affordable the repayments are, any security on offer for a secured facility, and what the money is for. A profitable, established Belfast firm with steady revenue is a different proposition from an early-stage venture with lumpy income, and lenders price and structure accordingly. Directors' backing, such as a personal guarantee, is common on unsecured lending to smaller companies. Belfast adds a regional dimension, because not every business lender is equally active in Northern Ireland, and there are also region-specific support schemes and funders worth knowing about. The market is broad, spanning high-street banks, challenger banks and specialist and alternative lenders, each with its own appetite by size, sector and risk. We hold that detail across our whole-of-market panel, focus your case on the lenders most likely to say yes at a sensible cost, and package it so it is assessed properly the first time. We cannot promise an amount, a rate or an approval, because those sit with the lender, but we can save you the legwork and improve how your case is presented.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an unsecured and a secured business loan?
An unsecured loan is not tied to a specific asset and is underwritten mainly on your trading and cash flow; it is usually quicker but smaller and shorter. A secured loan is backed by an asset such as property and can support a larger sum or longer term. We help you weigh which fits your situation.
What can a Belfast SME use a business loan for?
Working capital, hiring, a new site or fit-out, stock, an acquisition, or smoothing seasonal cash flow, among other business purposes. The lender confirms what it will fund. We help present the purpose in the way lenders expect to see it.
Will I need a personal guarantee?
On unsecured lending to smaller limited companies, directors' backing such as a personal guarantee is common, though it varies by lender and by the strength of the business. We are straight with you about what a given lender is likely to ask for before you commit.
Does being in Northern Ireland affect who will lend?
It can, because not every business lender is equally active in Northern Ireland, and there are also region-specific funders and support schemes worth knowing about. Part of our job is to focus your case on funders who genuinely support the region. The lender still confirms its own appetite.
Do you lend the money yourselves?
No. We are a commercial finance broker, not a lender. We package and place the case, but whether it is funded, and at what amount, rate and term, is entirely the lender's decision and depends on your business.
Get matched with lenders for your Belfast business
Tell us what your business needs and we will match you with lenders whose criteria fit. No obligation, no cost to start the conversation, and a straight answer about what is realistic for your situation.
Get matched with lenders