Merchant Cash Advance in London
CoreFi arranges merchant cash advances, funding advanced against future card takings and repaid as a fixed share of each transaction, for London businesses, principally limited companies. We match your case to funders whose criteria fit. Advance sizes, factor rates and split percentages are indicative and depend on your card turnover and the funder's assessment.
A merchant cash advance turns tomorrow's card takings into working capital today: a funder advances a lump sum against your card turnover, and repayment is taken automatically as an agreed percentage of every card transaction until a fixed total is repaid. There are no fixed monthly instalments; you repay faster in strong weeks and slower in quiet ones. That shape fits London's card-heavy trades: restaurants and bars from Soho to Shoreditch, cafes and quick-service food, salons, independent retail, and the service businesses that live on footfall. London trading has its own rhythm, weekday lunches in the City, weekends in the West End, seasonal tourism, and a repayment that flexes with takings absorbs those swings in a way a fixed loan payment does not.
CoreFi is a commercial finance broker, not a lender. We work with businesses, principally limited companies, to understand the trading pattern and match the case to funders whose criteria fit. We do not lend and we do not decide the outcome. Whether an advance is offered, and on what terms, depends on your card turnover, trading history and the funder's assessment. Any figure on this page is indicative and for illustration only.
- 1
Share your card turnover
Tell us about the business, the funding need and the timescale, and share recent merchant statements showing your monthly card takings.
- 2
We match you to funders
CoreFi identifies funders on our panel whose criteria fit your turnover, sector and trading pattern, and we help you compare the terms that come back on total cost, not just headline size.
- 3
Review terms and draw down
If an offer works, the funder completes checks and the advance is paid, with repayments taken automatically as the agreed share of card takings. Timescales are the funder's, though this product is typically one of the faster ones.
How a merchant cash advance actually works
Three numbers define the product. The advance: typically up to around one month's card turnover, sometimes more for established businesses. The factor rate: the multiplier that sets the fixed total you repay, so an advance of £30,000 at a factor of 1.25 means £37,500 repaid in total, regardless of how long it takes. The split: the percentage of each card transaction, commonly somewhere between 5 and 20 per cent, deducted automatically at the point of settlement until the total is cleared. There is no interest rate ticking over time, which makes the cost transparent but also means repaying quickly does not usually reduce it. Comparing the factor rate against what a term loan would cost for the same cash is exactly the comparison worth making, and we will make it with you.
Who uses it in London, and for what
The typical London MCA case is a hospitality or retail business with strong, consistent card takings and a short-term funding need that will not wait for a bank process: a refit between leases, stock for a peak season, a second site's deposit and fit-out gap, equipment replacement mid-service, or smoothing the VAT quarter. Card-heavy is the operative filter; a business taking most of its revenue by invoice is usually better served by invoice finance, and a business with thin card volume will not raise a useful advance. London's density of card-first trading, from Borough Market food businesses to Islington salons, is why funders are comfortable here, and rent levels are why speed often matters more than headline cost.
How CoreFi works and what we are
CoreFi is a trading name of JG Core Ltd. We are a commercial finance broker, not a lender. Broking unregulated commercial finance to limited companies does not require FCA authorisation, and we do not hold ourselves out as FCA authorised or regulated. Our role is to understand your trading, package the case clearly and introduce it to funders on our panel whose criteria fit, then help you compare what comes back, factor rate, split and total cost, against the alternatives. You deal directly with the funder on the advance itself. We cannot promise an approval or specific terms. What we can do is stop you taking an expensive advance where a cheaper product fits, and find the right funder where the MCA genuinely is the fit.
What funders look at
Card turnover first: most funders want several months of consistent card takings, usually evidenced by merchant statements, and they size the advance from the monthly average. Then stability: trading history at the site, seasonality they can read, and whether the takings trend is up or down. Then the basics: the company's standing, the directors, and any existing advances, stacking a second advance on top of a first is possible with some funders but multiplies cost quickly and needs honest arithmetic. London specifics: multi-site operators can often raise against combined turnover, and a strong site in an expensive postcode reads better than the same takings with cheaper rent behind them. All terms are the funder's decision on the specific case.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a London business raise with a merchant cash advance?
Typically up to around one month's card turnover, sometimes more for established multi-site businesses. A restaurant taking £60,000 a month on cards might raise an advance in that region. The funder sizes it from your evidenced average takings, and every figure is indicative until they assess the case.
What does a merchant cash advance cost?
Cost is set by the factor rate: a 1.2 to 1.4 multiplier on the advance is the broad market shape, so £30,000 advanced might mean £36,000 to £42,000 repaid in total. That is usually more expensive than a term loan for the same cash, which is why we compare the two with you before you commit.
What happens in a quiet month?
Repayments fall with takings, because they are a fixed percentage of each card transaction rather than a fixed instalment. That is the product's main advantage for seasonal and footfall-driven London trades. The flip side is that a strong month repays faster without usually reducing the fixed total cost.
Do I need to change my card machine or provider?
Usually not: most funders take repayment through your existing acquirer or by a fixed daily split arrangement. Some advances are tied to specific card providers, and where that matters we flag it before you apply rather than after.
Is a merchant cash advance right for my business?
It fits card-heavy businesses with a short-term need and strong takings. If your revenue is invoiced, invoice finance is usually cheaper; if the need is longer-term, a business loan usually costs less in total. We will tell you straight which product fits before matching you to funders.
Is CoreFi FCA authorised?
CoreFi arranges commercial finance for businesses, principally limited companies. Broking unregulated commercial finance to limited companies does not require FCA authorisation, and we do not hold ourselves out as FCA authorised or regulated.
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