UKEF Working Capital Support

UK Export Finance provides a range of working capital support products for exporters, each operating as a guarantee to a lender rather than a direct loan. The Export Development Guarantee supports working capital needs over £25 million, helping businesses access loan facilities usable for staffing costs, research and development, or bidding for higher-value contracts, and can be used by companies not yet exporting but intending to start. The Export Working Capital Scheme provides a guarantee linked to specific export contracts, increasing a bank's willingness to lend, and can extend to UK companies supplying goods or services within the UK as part of an export-related supply contract, provided the supply is directly to the final exporter. The Bond Support Scheme guarantees a bank to reduce the cash deposit required to secure a contract bond or guarantee. The Supply Chain Discount Guarantee helps businesses pay suppliers faster by guaranteeing a bank-provided supply chain facility that suppliers can draw against for approved invoices, with the business repaying the bank at the end of an agreed credit period. UKEF also states that a new joint finance scheme with the British Business Bank, aimed at addressing a gap in finance for smaller business exporters, particularly lower-value working capital loans, is planned for 2027.

No formal eligibility criteria are stated collectively on this overview page; individual products (Export Development Guarantee, Export Working Capital Scheme, Bond Support Scheme, Supply Chain Discount Guarantee) each have their own conditions relating to export activity, contract linkage or facility size described on their respective pages, and applicants must be assessed by a participating lender.