Regulatory Information

Last updated: [PLACEHOLDER: date of last review]. This page sets out the information we are required or choose to disclose about who we are and the basis on which this website operates. It is written in plain English; if anything is unclear, please ask us.

1. Trading entity and company details

"Debt Factoring" is the trading name of:

• Legal name: [PLACEHOLDER: full legal name of the entity, e.g. "Example Limited"]
• Legal form: [PLACEHOLDER: private limited company / limited liability partnership / sole trader / partnership]
• Company registration number: [PLACEHOLDER: Companies House number, registered in England and Wales / Scotland / Northern Ireland]
• Registered office: [PLACEHOLDER: registered office address]
• Trading address (if different): [PLACEHOLDER: trading address, or "as above"]
• VAT registration number: [PLACEHOLDER: VAT number, or "not VAT registered"]
• ICO registration number: [PLACEHOLDER: data protection registration reference]
• Email: [PLACEHOLDER: contact email address]
• Telephone: [PLACEHOLDER: telephone number, if published]

The Companies Act 2006 and the Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015 require a company's registered name, number, place of registration and registered office to be shown on its website. The details above satisfy that requirement once completed.

2. What Debt Factoring is, and is not

Debt Factoring is an independent information and enquiry service. The website explains how debt factoring, invoice factoring, invoice discounting and related products work in the UK, what they typically cost, who they tend to suit and what to watch out for. It also lets you submit an enquiry so that a finance provider or intermediary can discuss your requirements with you.

To be clear about what that means:

• We are not a lender. We do not provide invoice finance, factoring, loans or any other form of credit, and we do not take any credit risk.
• We do not give advice. Nothing on the website is a personal recommendation. Information is general and you should take professional advice before entering into a facility.
• We do not make offers. Any quotation, terms or facility comes from a provider under its own agreement, subject to its own assessment and status checks.
• We are not a comparison site with a lender panel. We do not claim to compare the whole market and we do not rank providers. [PLACEHOLDER: amend if the commercial model changes]

What we do is explain, and then, with your agreement, pass your enquiry to [PLACEHOLDER: name of the finance provider or FCA-authorised commercial finance intermediary that receives enquiries, with its company number and, if applicable, FCA reference number]. That organisation is responsible for any discussion of your needs, any assessment of suitability and any facility offered. Our privacy policy explains what data is passed and why.

3. How invoice finance is regulated in the UK

Invoice finance sits outside most of the statutory conduct regime that applies to consumer and small-business lending. The position is worth understanding before you deal with any provider or introducer, including us.

3.1 Limited companies and LLPs

Invoice finance and factoring provided to limited companies and limited liability partnerships are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Buying or lending against a company's receivables is not a "regulated activity" under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and a limited company is not an "individual" for the purposes of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. A provider does not need FCA authorisation to offer such a facility, and an introducer does not need authorisation to introduce a limited company to a provider. UK Finance states this expressly in its Invoice Finance and Asset Based Lending Standards Framework (January 2025).

Some providers are nonetheless FCA-authorised for other activities, for example because they also lend to consumers or offer regulated products. That authorisation does not extend to their invoice finance facilities for companies.

3.2 Sole traders and small partnerships

Sole traders and partnerships of two or three partners are treated as "individuals" under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Where a facility to such a business is structured as credit of £25,000 or less, and is not otherwise exempt, it can be a regulated credit agreement. The provider would then need FCA authorisation for consumer credit lending, and anyone who introduces that borrower to the provider by way of business may be carrying on credit broking, which is itself a regulated activity requiring authorisation or an exemption.

For this reason many invoice finance providers fund limited companies and LLPs only, or structure facilities for unincorporated businesses so that they fall outside the regulated regime. Our quote request form asks for your business type so that enquiries from sole traders and small partnerships can be handled correctly. [PLACEHOLDER: state how such enquiries are handled: declined, referred to an authorised firm, or accepted under the firm's own permissions, consistent with section 4]

Our guide on whether invoice finance is regulated explains this in more detail.

3.3 Financial promotions and advertising

Whatever its regulatory status, information about finance must be clear, fair and not misleading. We follow that standard across the website: figures are described as typical or illustrative, examples carry a note that they are not an offer, and we do not promise approval, funding speed or specific advance rates. Advertising is also subject to the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct Marketing (CAP Code) and the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.

4. Our regulatory status

Option A: not FCA-authorised; limited companies and LLPs only

[PLACEHOLDER: "Debt Factoring is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We do not carry on any regulated activity. We provide information about, and introduce enquiries relating to, invoice finance and factoring for limited companies and limited liability partnerships only, which are not regulated by the FCA. We do not accept enquiries from sole traders or partnerships of fewer than four partners, and any such enquiry received will not be passed on."]

Use this option only if the quote form and enquiry handling genuinely exclude sole traders and small partnerships. If any such enquiry could be passed to a lender, take advice on whether credit broking is being carried on.

Option B: appointed representative of an FCA-authorised firm

[PLACEHOLDER: "[Legal entity name], trading as Debt Factoring, is an appointed representative of [Principal firm name], which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number [FRN]. [Principal firm name]'s permissions include credit broking. You can check this on the Financial Services Register. Our appointed representative reference number is [AR FRN]. We act as a credit broker, not a lender, and we introduce enquiries to [Principal firm name / named providers]."]

Use this option only once the appointed representative agreement is in force and the AR appears on the Register under the principal. The principal will usually need to approve the website content as a financial promotion.

Option C: directly FCA-authorised for credit broking

[PLACEHOLDER: "[Legal entity name], trading as Debt Factoring, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number [FRN] for credit broking. You can check this on the Financial Services Register. We are a credit broker, not a lender. We introduce enquiries to [named provider(s) or 'a panel of providers'] and we [do / do not] receive commission from them, as explained in section 5."]

Use this option only if the entity itself holds the relevant permission. FCA rules on consumer credit (CONC), including the requirement to disclose commission arrangements and the firm's status, will apply to regulated introductions.

5. How we are paid

Transparency about remuneration helps you judge whether the information on this website is independent. Our position is:

[PLACEHOLDER: choose and complete one of the following, then delete the rest. (a) "We do not receive any payment, commission or other benefit from any finance provider or intermediary in connection with enquiries submitted through this website. The website is funded by [describe, e.g. the owner]." (b) "If you submit an enquiry and go on to take a facility with the provider we introduce you to, we may receive a commission or introduction fee from that provider. The fee is [a fixed amount of £___ / a percentage of ___ / variable, typically between ___ and ___]. It is paid by the provider and does not change the price you pay. You can ask us at any time for the amount, or the basis on which it is calculated, before proceeding." (c) "We receive a fixed fee per enquiry from [intermediary name], regardless of whether a facility is taken. The fee is £___."]

We do not charge visitors to use the website, the calculator or the enquiry forms. Nothing on the website is paid for or sponsored by a provider. [PLACEHOLDER: confirm]

6. The UK Finance Standards Framework

Because statutory regulation does not cover invoice finance to companies, the industry regulates itself through the UK Finance Invoice Finance and Asset Based Lending Standards Framework. Most UK providers are members and have committed to it. The framework has three elements:

1. The Code

   A set of standards that members must follow in dealing with clients, covering clear information before a facility starts, fair treatment during it, transparent charges and proper handling of termination and complaints.

2. Independent complaints process

   Where a client has exhausted a member's own complaints procedure, the complaint can be referred to an independent process adjudicated by CEDR, with awards of up to £50,000. Our complaints information page explains how it works.

3. Professional Standards Council

   An independent body that oversees the framework, monitors compliance with the Code and can require members to take corrective action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service does not normally consider invoice finance complaints, so membership of the framework is worth checking when you choose a provider. UK Finance reports that at the end of 2024 its invoice finance and asset-based lending members supported around 34,000 businesses with over £21bn advanced at any one time.

The framework is published at UK Finance: Invoice Finance and Asset Based Lending Standards Framework. Debt Factoring is not itself a member of UK Finance; the framework applies to the provider you deal with. [PLACEHOLDER: confirm non-membership, or amend]

7. How to check what we have told you

• Company details can be checked free of charge on the Companies House register using the company number above.
• FCA authorisation, appointed representative status and permissions can be checked on the Financial Services Register at fca.org.uk. If a firm claims to be authorised but does not appear on the Register, do not deal with it.
• UK Finance membership can be checked on the UK Finance website.
• Our data protection registration can be checked on the Information Commissioner's Office register.

8. Related policies

• Complaints information: how to complain about us, a provider or an intermediary.
• Privacy policy: what personal data we collect and who receives it.
• Cookie policy: which cookies, if any, the website sets.
• Terms and conditions: the terms on which you may use the website.
• Is invoice finance regulated?: a plain-English guide to the rules.