British Business Bank

The British Business Bank is a government-owned business development bank dedicated to making finance markets work better for smaller businesses.

Whether you’re looking for finance to start a business, grow to the next level, or stay ahead of the competition, the British Business Bank is delivering greater volume and choice of finance.

The British Business Bank aims is to make finance markets work better for small businesses in the UK at all stages of their development: starting up, scaling up and staying ahead.

BBB OBJECTIVES

  • Increase the supply of finance available to smaller businesses where markets don’t work well.
  • Help to create a more diverse finance market for smaller businesses, with a greater choice of options and providers.
  • Identify and help to reduce imbalances in access to finance for smaller businesses across the UK.
  • Encourage and enable SMEs to seek the finance best suited to their needs.
  • Be the centre of expertise on smaller business finance in the UK, providing advice and support to Government.
  • Achieve our other objectives whilst managing taxpayer resources efficiently within a robust risk management framework.

The British Business Bank is 100% Government owned, but independently managed. It brings expertise and Government money to the smaller business finance markets. They don’t lend or invest directly. Instead, they work with over 130 partners such as banks, leasing companies, venture capital funds and web-based platforms.

Businesses apply for finance through the British Business Bank's partners who can lend and invest more, especially to younger and faster-growing companies.

The British Business Bank's programmes are designed to bring benefits to smaller businesses that are start-ups, high growth, or simply viable but underfunded.