UK Business Finance Monitor
Which UK sectors and towns borrow most on security
In 2025, Real estate registered more new secured charges than any other sector, with 130,013 filings across 68,783 companies. By location, companies registered at addresses in LONDON took out the most, at 44,754. Both are counted from charges registered at Companies House, so they measure completed borrowing rather than appetite or intention.
Leading sector
Real estate
130,013 new charges in 2025
Leading town
LONDON
44,754 new charges
Year
2025
latest settled year
Sectors over time, and year by year
Showing every year as a stacked trend. Select one or more years to compare them side by side.
| Sector | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate | 20,510 | 28,707 | 38,444 | 46,856 | 56,651 | 50,117 | 80,280 | 95,964 | 81,410 | 101,633 | 130,013 |
| Construction of buildings | 7,243 | 7,869 | 8,521 | 9,632 | 10,379 | 8,707 | 10,718 | 10,495 | 9,928 | 11,611 | 12,629 |
| Financial services | 3,323 | 3,862 | 4,866 | 6,142 | 6,861 | 6,143 | 8,490 | 8,640 | 9,339 | 11,543 | 13,960 |
| Business support services | 2,949 | 3,234 | 3,749 | 3,580 | 3,610 | 3,239 | 3,561 | 3,333 | 3,380 | 3,930 | 4,176 |
| SIC No | 18,764 | 1,821 | 1,760 | 1,845 | 2,086 | 1,685 | 1,953 | 2,191 | 1,940 | 2,013 | 2,137 |
| Retail | 2,766 | 2,641 | 2,755 | 2,907 | 3,221 | 2,735 | 2,901 | 3,081 | 3,698 | 3,863 | 4,560 |
| Wholesale | 2,456 | 2,218 | 2,394 | 2,682 | 2,691 | 2,525 | 2,437 | 2,473 | 2,586 | 3,136 | 3,118 |
| Head offices and management consultancy | 2,160 | 2,148 | 2,398 | 2,319 | 2,455 | 2,316 | 2,574 | 2,409 | 2,418 | 2,885 | 3,032 |
Sectors ranked, 2025
| Sector | New charges | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate | 130,013 | 68,783 |
| Financial services | 13,960 | 8,174 |
| Construction of buildings | 12,629 | 6,844 |
| Retail | 4,560 | 3,072 |
| Business support services | 4,176 | 2,611 |
| Wholesale | 3,118 | 2,184 |
| Head offices and management consultancy | 3,032 | 2,104 |
| Hotels and accommodation | 2,897 | 1,749 |
| Specialised construction | 2,827 | 2,069 |
| Health | 2,781 | 1,801 |
| Food and beverage service | 2,534 | 1,901 |
| Residential care | 2,236 | 1,470 |
Sector comes from the company's own SIC code, which is self-declared at Companies House and is not always kept current. It is a reliable guide at this scale and a weak one for any individual company.
Towns by new secured charges, 2025
| Town | New charges | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| LONDON | 44,754 | 24,723 |
| MANCHESTER | 6,310 | 3,130 |
| BIRMINGHAM | 3,815 | 2,234 |
| GLASGOW | 3,791 | 1,705 |
| LEEDS | 3,096 | 1,653 |
| NOTTINGHAM | 2,444 | 1,366 |
| BRISTOL | 2,438 | 1,472 |
| LIVERPOOL | 2,265 | 1,280 |
| EDINBURGH | 2,024 | 940 |
| LEICESTER | 2,005 | 1,174 |
| CARDIFF | 1,617 | 941 |
| DERBY | 1,489 | 865 |
| HARROW | 1,466 | 858 |
| SHEFFIELD | 1,466 | 894 |
| COVENTRY | 1,318 | 833 |
Location is the registered office, which is not necessarily where a company trades. London is over-represented for that reason: a great many companies register at an accountant's or agent's address there while operating elsewhere. Read this as where companies are registered, not where the money was spent.
Source: charges registered at Companies House, compiled by CoreFi. Figures count charge filings, not amounts lent, because a charge document rarely states a reliable sum. Updated monthly.
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