E-commerce businesses often buy stock before it sells; finance options include import finance for overseas stock, merchant cash advances repaid from card takings, revolving credit for seasonal working capital, and short-term loans for a defined purpose. This page explains how each route works for a business.
Stock is bought before it generates sales. A business may need to prepare for a peak trading period, while an overseas supplier may want payment upfront. Cash committed to a purchase cannot be used elsewhere while the goods are waiting to sell.
The finance requirement depends on where that gap occurs. Import finance addresses an overseas stock purchase. Merchant cash advance relates to card takings. Revolving credit provides flexible access to capital, while a short-term loan is a fixed facility for a defined purpose.
We start with how your business trades and what you want to achieve, rather than assuming every online business needs the same product. All finance is subject to status and provider terms. There is no promised decision or funding date.
Import finance funds the purchase of overseas goods before they arrive. The lender pays your supplier directly on your behalf or reimburses you for the payment. Once your customer settles, the proceeds repay the lender plus fees.
Import finance can be arranged as a revolving facility or on a per-shipment basis. It addresses the overseas purchase, rather than borrowing against an outstanding customer invoice.
Explore import financeA merchant cash advance is a lump sum repaid as a fixed percentage of card receipts. The provider deducts the agreed share of card transactions automatically. Busier periods repay faster and quieter periods slower, so repayments flex with card revenue.
There is no fixed repayment date. The total cost is expressed as a factor rate, not an interest rate. Repayments are based on card takings, rather than total business revenue.
Explore merchant cash advanceA revolving credit facility is a committed, flexible line you can draw, repay and redraw as needs evolve, without fixed drawdown schedules. It may suit seasonal or cyclical working capital requirements.
The facility is structured before lenders are approached, including size, tenor, security and covenants. It is different from a fixed loan for a single defined purpose.
Explore revolving credit facilitiesA short-term business loan is a fixed facility for a defined purpose, such as CAPEX, working capital or a specific opportunity, repaid over an agreed term. We match the requirement to the right lender without unnecessary structure or cost.
Explore short-term business loansAsset finance spreads the cost of vehicles, machinery, technology or equipment without tying up working capital. It can also release cash from assets already owned. Structures include hire purchase, finance lease, operating lease and refinance.
The asset and structure are considered together. With hire purchase you typically own the asset after the final payment; leases usually do not transfer ownership.
Explore asset financeThese qualitative circumstances are starting points for a discussion, not promises of eligibility. All finance is subject to status and provider criteria.
We have no balance sheet to protect and no product to push. We work independently, matching the requirement to the right lender rather than starting with a product to sell. The conversation starts with what your business needs, not with an existing lending product.
We take your opportunity to the right lenders simultaneously, creating genuine competition and compressing timelines. This describes how we approach the market, not a promise about an approval or drawdown date. The facility is structured before the opportunity is put to the right lenders.
We design the deal before we approach a lender: size, tenor, security and covenants. The structure comes first, so the opportunity we take to market reflects what your business needs. We then match the requirement to the right lender without unnecessary structure or cost.
Tell us about your business and what you are looking to achieve. The starting point is the requirement rather than a finance product. We take the time to understand your business properly and tell you which funding discipline fits before approaching a lender.
We identify the right structure and prepare your opportunity before approaching lenders. The deal is designed first: size, tenor, security and covenants. We match the requirement to the right lender without unnecessary structure or cost, keeping the business need at the centre of the process.
We bring back competitive options from lenders, presented clearly and without bias. You choose. The offers are reviewed against the requirement and the structure of the facility, rather than treating every offer as the same product. We tell you which fits before approaching a lender.
We manage the process through to drawdown, coordinating lenders, lawyers and paperwork. This is the final step in the same process that began with understanding the business need. Our role continues through the placement of the facility, rather than ending when offers are presented.
Depending on how the business trades, Oku Financial can arrange import finance for stock bought from overseas suppliers, merchant cash advance repaid from card receipts, revolving credit facilities for seasonal working capital, short-term business loans for a defined purpose, and asset finance for equipment.
A fixed percentage of your card receipts is deducted automatically, so repayments flex with revenue: busier periods repay faster and quieter periods slower. There is no fixed repayment date.
Seasonal importers may stock up ahead of a peak trading period, while revolving credit facilities may suit businesses with seasonal or cyclical working capital requirements.
Invoice finance works against invoices to business customers. If you sell mainly to consumers, other routes such as merchant cash advance or a revolving credit facility may fit better. We'll look at how you trade before approaching lenders.
Oku Financial works with business customers only.
No. Oku Financial is a commercial finance broker. We work with a panel of lenders to find funding for UK businesses.
Talk to us about your stock and working capital
We typically receive a commission from the finance provider (either a fixed fee or a fixed percentage of the amount you receive) upon successful placement. Different providers pay different rates.