Praetura’s asset finance division lent more than £60 million to UK SMEs in Q3 2025, its strongest ever quarter since launching in 2013.
The division which comprises Praetura Asset Finance and Kingsway Finance, provides adaptable asset finance and loan funding options to help business growing across the UK.
In Q3 2025, combined funding levels increase 61 per cent year-on-year, provided across 540 facilities, and spanning a broad range of industries including construction, manufacturing, transportation, entertainment, healthcare, retail and hospitality.
Both companies are now on course to exceed annual funding level records for the fifth consecutive year, with Praetura’s asset finance loan book now in excess of £340 million.
This has been achieved as UK-wide deal volumes have risen, with more SMEs looking to alternative lenders to help fund their growth ambitions.
The asset finance division of Praetura offers a broad product range of hard and soft asset funding and commercial and professional term loans, ranging from £10,000 to £5 million, to small and medium-sized businesses across the whole of the UK.
Ric Simmons, managing director of Praetura’s asset finance division, said: “These fantastic growth figures are testament to the fact that SMEs need flexibility and adaptability when it comes to finding funding for their business. When Praetura Asset Finance was founded back in 2013, our premise was to put the needs of the SMEs first, and this is still very much the case.
“The talented team of experts we have working across the division has played an enormous part in this success. Working with a growing network of brokers and advisors, our team consistently provides ‘funding with understanding’. We are led by the relationships we build, not whether computers or algorithms say yes or no, and our funding can be adapted to suit the needs and nuances of each individual business.”
Peadar O’Reilly, CEO of Praetura, said: “The growing prominence of Praetura as a funding partner for UK SMEs is proof that relationship-led funding is both necessary and needed. Businesses throughout the country are facing a number of macro challenges, and they need funding that can align not just with their immediate needs but help their plans for the future be achievable too.
The sector that we’re part of is termed ‘alternative’, but it’s increasingly playing an integral role in supporting SMEs in a wide range of sectors. The growth of our asset finance division and Praetura as a whole, as bigger institutions continue to limit their provisions and accessibility, shows that the scales are tipping and it is funding provided by ‘alternative lenders’ that should be considered the norm.”
Alongside the asset finance division, Praetura also includes the sales finance division companies of Praetura Commercial Finance, Praetura Invoice Finance and Zodeq, offering invoice finance and asset-based lending.
Funding provided by Praetura can range from a £10,000 asset purchase to a £35 million ABL package to enable a MBO or MBI. An increasing number of deals written by Praetura include collaborative funding facilities provided by a combination of Praetura companies. The combined loan book of Praetura is currently over £569 million.
