What successful funding partnerships look like in 2025

UK Finance members provide critical financial support to British businesses.

According to the UK Invoice Finance Summit report by BCR Publishing (2025, February 6), invoice finance providers advance over £20 billion to approximately 35,000 UK businesses at any given time, contributing to a total of £120 billion in annual funding. In 2023, they supported businesses that generated a combined turnover exceeding £316 billion in the UK economy, creating an interconnected ecosystem that drives economic growth. Success in this sector depends on strong partnerships between brokers, lenders, financial advisers, and businesses.

Breaking up with traditional banking

Many businesses are rethinking their reliance on traditional banking relationships and seeking more responsive financial partners. Here’s what two executives had to say about their experiences:

• Robyn Webster, Director of Finance, RS Automotive Core: “We tried working with a high-street bank but faced major issues. It dragged on for months. Investec got started with us within just three weeks, and they clearly want to grow with us.”
• Jason Reardon, Founder, Black Swan Resourcing: “While I don’t need constant hand-holding, our previous finance provider’s distant approach and slow response times weren’t working for us.”

The 7 Ps of partnership

What makes these new financial partnerships succeed? Investec’s clients point to seven key principles that define modern funding relationships:

1. People: The future of business isn’t B2B or B2C; it’s P2P (person to person). “If you go with a high-street bank, their account managers are dealing with hundreds of clients, but with Investec, that ratio is significantly limited. That makes for a first-class experience.” - Carl Moore, Managing Partner, 7FC LLP.
2. Purpose: In this age of mass distraction, shared vision and values are the foundation of partnerships. “With Investec, you get the feeling that they want to know what you are all about, your vision and values, and where you are heading as a business to understand how they can provide the most appropriate working capital solution.” - Aidan Dodgson, Co-Founder & Managing Director, PACE People Ltd.
3. Personal: “From our very first meeting, we could sense that Investec was aligned with our values and with what we’re looking to achieve in making a positive difference in people’s lives. The onboarding process was great. Investec’s team visited us at our offices, and we really appreciated that they were keen to understand our business and see the bigger picture beyond the bottom line.” - Ed Robbins, Managing Director, Fresh Start in Education.
4. Professional: Finance expertise combined with an entrepreneurial mindset results in a deeper business understanding. “With Investec, you feel like you’re speaking with fellow business people rather than a bank. They took the time to understand the business and applied real flexibility and creativity to the deal.” - Mark Keegan, CFO, IPE Ventures.
5. Pragmatic: Complex business needs demand clarity of solutions. “Working with Investec was seamless. Their team managed our expectations, under-promised, and over-delivered. Their understanding of how the business works was impressive, and they were able to take a flexible and pragmatic approach to the nuances of our maintenance contracts.” - Jon Todd, Group CFO, Fleet-Serv.
6. Priority: Responsiveness can make or break opportunities in fast-moving markets. “We tried working with a high-street bank but faced major issues. It dragged on for months. Investec got started with us within just three weeks, and they clearly want to grow with us.” - Robyn Webster, Director of Finance, RS Automotive Core.
7. Performance: True partnerships are about mutual growth and lasting success. “In the eight years since I joined the business, I have seen it grow by 450%, a reflection of the team’s hard work and dedication. This simply would not have been possible without Investec’s proactive working capital support.” - Ann Kahrman, Director and Accounts Manager, Sime Catering Equipment Ltd.

Building partnerships with purpose

In her latest book, Partnering: The New Face of Leadership, Jean Oelwang, the founding president and CEO of Virgin’s Unite foundation, said, “You might have heard the proverb, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.’ But what has become clear to me is that the only way we can go both fast and far is together.”

Simon Sinek, the author of Start with Why and The Infinite Game, added:

“A ‘partnership’ is a noun, a thing. For a partnership to reap the true benefits of the dynamic, it must be active. It must be a verb. A daily practice. To advance something greater than ourselves, we must learn to partner.”

The future of financial partnerships

“Successful financial partnerships transcend transactions—they’re about creating value through meaningful connections,” says Simon Carter, Co-Head of Investec Working Capital Solutions. “As businesses seek credible alternatives to clearing banks, they’re discovering partners who recognise that funding relationships, like all strong collaborations, are built on trust, deep understanding, and genuine human engagement.”