Business Owners
Owner-managed companies funding growth, buying out a partner or refinancing on terms that fit how the business is run.
Growth & ownership
Direct lending · Secured & unsecured
Facilities written, and refinanced through our partners.
We are not only an intermediary. RFG takes the credit decision, writes the facility and runs the transaction through to drawdown.
We then refinance it through sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, insurers, international banks’ specialty finance desks, private equity, family offices and HNIs. Secured and unsecured.
- Direct lending
- Secured & unsecured
- Indicative view in days
- Confidential
RFG lends for bridge facilities, working capital and trade lines, asset-backed lending, capital expenditure, mezzanine, growth capital, special situations and co-lending alongside banks, funds and private investors.
Who we lend to
Business financing for companies with a plan to fund.
We lend to businesses with a specific purpose for the capital, secured and unsecured. These are the borrowers who most often start the conversation.
SMEs
Established small and mid-sized businesses whose requirement is larger or less standard than a typical bank product allows.
Beyond standard productsGrowing Companies
Businesses expanding into new sites, markets or product lines that need capital structured around the payback profile.
Expansion capitalEntrepreneurs
Founders with a trading track record who want funding without giving up equity, including technology, internet and e-commerce businesses.
Debt before dilutionCorporate Clients
Corporates financing acquisitions, capital expenditure or a recapitalisation, alongside or instead of existing bank lines.
Strategic transactionsStrategic Investors
Investors and family offices financing an acquisition or a portfolio company, with the facility structured before capital moves.
Acquisition financeHow RFG lends
What we lend for, and what it changes for you.
The same team that tests the business takes the credit view and writes the facility. It is then refinanced through twelve classes of capital partner.
What we lend for
- Bridge and short-tenor facilities against a defined exit
- Working capital and trade lines against contracts and receivables
- Asset-backed lending: plant, property, equipment, inventory
- Capital expenditure, plant and expansion funding
- Mezzanine and subordinated tranches behind existing senior debt
- Growth capital for technology, internet and e-commerce businesses
- Special-situations and time-critical funding
- Co-lending alongside banks, funds and private investors
What this changes for a borrower
- A credit view from the party that runs the transaction, not a broker’s opinion.
- Speed: an indicative position in days rather than committee cycles.
- Structures a template lender will not write, priced honestly.
- Confidentiality: the file is not circulated to reach a decision.
- One process through to drawdown, not a chain of introductions.
Larger requirements, RFG leads
Not every requirement suits a single lender. Where size, tenor, jurisdiction or concentration call for it, RFG takes the lead and brings in co-lenders or a syndicate on the same credit work, and every facility is refinanced through our capital partners as it seasons. The borrower gets one process, not two.
What we need to give you an answer
A description of the borrowing entity and its trading history, the amount required and what it is for, the drawdown profile, and financial statements or management accounts. Security or support if there is any, and it is no obstacle if there is none. That is enough for a first view. See also our funding arrangement and structured finance capabilities, or refinancing where the requirement is to replace existing debt.
RFG and a template lender at a glance
General characteristics only. Every facility is subject to due diligence, credit approval and documentation.
| Feature | Royal Financial Group | Template lender |
|---|---|---|
| Credit view | Taken by the team that runs the file | Read against a scorecard by a distant committee |
| Speed | An indicative position in days | Committee cycles, often weeks before a first view |
| Structures | Bridge, asset-backed, mezzanine, growth and bespoke structures | Mainly standard senior products |
| Security | Secured and unsecured; cash flow and contracts count | Hard collateral usually required |
| Confidentiality | The file stays inside the mandate | Varies by institution |
| Process | One counterparty through to drawdown | A new process for each lender approached |
Why borrowers come to RFG
Credit and capital shaped around the business.
The reasons borrowers come to us are practical: a real credit decision, speed, and a structure that fits the plan.
A direct credit decision
RFG takes the credit view and writes the facility itself, so the file is tested to the standard of the party that has to be repaid.
Speed
An indicative position in days rather than committee cycles, and a straight answer early, including when the answer is no.
Structures others will not write
Bridge, mezzanine, asset-backed and special-situations funding that a template lender will not write, priced honestly.
Secured and unsecured
Collateral helps but is not a precondition. Asset-light businesses are funded on cash flow, contracts and counterparty strength.
Capital behind the facility
Facilities refinanced through twelve classes of capital partner, with larger requirements co-lent or syndicated.
One counterparty
One point of contact, one version of the numbers and one timetable, whichever route the money takes.
How we lend
Four stages, until the money moves.
Every facility follows the same path, led throughout by one senior transaction lead. We stay engaged until the money moves. See our full process.
Stage 1 of 4
Diagnose
Establishing the truth of the business and the requirement: the numbers, the market, the operation, the amount needed and what it is for. A first view comes in days.
You receive: An indicative position and a named transaction lead
Stage 2 of 4
Structure
Designing the facility around cash flow, security, tenor and currency, so it is deliverable and serviceable, and sizing the debt to the downside case.
You receive: A proposed structure and term outline
Stage 3 of 4
Approach
RFG takes the credit decision and writes the facility. Where it is larger, the same credit work brings in co-lenders, and each facility is refinanced with the partners best suited to hold it.
You receive: A credit decision and term sheet
Stage 4 of 4
Close
Terms drafted to the transaction, conditions precedent satisfied and documentation coordinated with legal and tax advisers around one timetable, through to drawdown.
You receive: A documented facility and funds drawn
Why Royal Financial Group
One counterparty, whichever route the money takes.
The same team that tests the business writes the credit paper, runs the process through to drawdown, and lines up the refinancing behind it. Learn more about who we are and how we work.
One credit view
Taken by the team that runs the file, not passed to a distant committee.
One timetable
Four defined stages, with no chain of committees in between.
One set of documents
Terms drafted to the transaction, with pricing and fees stated plainly, in writing.
Confidential as standard
The transaction lead who scopes your facility runs it through to drawdown, and the file stays inside the mandate.
Long-term relationships
Refinancing, take-outs and new facilities as the business grows and its needs change.
Tailored facilities
The structure follows the business and its timeline, not a standard template.
Our role, stated plainly. We are not only an intermediary. RFG takes the credit decision, writes the facility and runs the transaction, and refinances it through our capital partners. Every facility is subject to satisfactory due diligence, credit approval and formal documentation. No outcome, rate or approval is promised in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Direct lending, answered.
Direct lending is a facility written by RFG itself. We take the credit decision, write the facility against the business, its cash flow and its security, and run the transaction through to drawdown. The facility is then refinanced through sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, insurers, international banks’ specialty finance desks, private equity, family offices and HNIs.
Business owners, SMEs, growing companies, entrepreneurs, corporates and investors with a specific purpose for the capital: growth, an acquisition, a refinancing, working capital or a time-critical requirement. Asset-light and technology businesses are funded on cash flow, contracts and counterparty strength.
A bank reads a file against a scorecard and offers its own template. RFG takes the credit view from the team that runs the transaction, gives an indicative position in days, and writes structures a template lender will not, priced honestly. Larger requirements are co-lent or syndicated, with RFG leading.
Yes. Facilities are written directly by RFG, then refinanced through our capital partners as they season. Larger requirements are co-lent or syndicated, with RFG taking or placing the lead.
No. Collateral helps, but it is not a precondition. We lend secured and unsecured. Where there is no hard security, the case is built on cash flow, contracts and counterparty strength.
A description of the borrowing entity and its trading history, the amount required and what it is for, the drawdown profile, and financial statements or management accounts. Security or support if there is any, and it is no obstacle if there is none. That is enough for a first view.
Four stages: diagnose, structure, approach and close. We establish the truth of the business and the requirement, design the facility, take the credit decision or take the case to the providers best suited to hold it, and manage documentation through to drawdown. We stay engaged until the money moves.
An indicative position in days rather than committee cycles. Once diligence is complete, a straightforward bridge or working-capital facility can close in weeks; larger, structured or syndicated facilities typically take longer.
