# Spark Intel

> UK business finance intelligence platform providing structured monthly research on invoice finance, insolvency trends, and SME lending activity. All data sourced from Companies House public filings under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Spark Intel tracks new charge (debenture) registrations at Companies House as a real-time proxy for UK lending activity. The platform provides lender-level analysis, sector breakdowns, regional insights, and year-on-year trend data for finance professionals, lenders, and brokers operating in the UK commercial finance market.

## Research Reports

- [Invoice Finance Monthly Reports](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/monthly/): Monthly analysis of new invoice finance charges at Companies House. Coverage: January 2024 to June 2026 (30 reports). Each report includes lender rankings, sector analysis, 12-region breakdowns, notable new debentures, and year-on-year comparisons. Latest: June 2026 (436 charges, +9.5% vs June 2025).
- [Invoice Finance Annual Reports](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/): Full-year market reviews for 2023, 2024, and 2025. Includes cumulative volumes, lender cohort performance, and year-on-year comparisons.
- [Insolvency Intelligence](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/insolvencies/): Monthly UK insolvency analysis covering company failures by sector, region, and insolvency type. Coverage: January 2026 to May 2026 (5 reports). Latest: May 2026 (2,032 appointments, +2% vs May 2025, Admin/CVA 133, MVL 299, CVL/Other 1,600).
- [SME Lending Annual Reports](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/uk-lending/): Annual analysis of all SME lending debentures at Companies House. Coverage: 2023 and 2024 (149,454 debentures in 2024, +21% year-on-year).
- [Lender Profiles](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/lenders/): Individual monthly analysis pages for 130+ UK lenders across 12 cohorts. Each lender page includes debenture activity, borrower profile, top sectors, top regions, and notable new charges.
- [State of UK Invoice Finance](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/state-of-uk-invoice-finance/): Special report on the current state of the UK invoice finance market.

## Recent Monthly Reports (Invoice Finance)

- [June 2026](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/monthly/uk-invoice-finance-report-june-2026/): 436 new IF charges, up 38 (+9.5%) vs June 2025 - the strongest June since 2022. Cumulative YTD 2,380 (-4.4% headline, +3.7% adjusted for 2025 ABN Amro/HSBC-4SYTE transfers). eCapital Commercial Finance hit a record 68 (+32), now including the Optimum SME Finance book. 4SYTE surged to 32 (+26) on the Regency Factors wind-down and TP24 market exit.
- [May 2026](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/monthly/uk-invoice-finance-report-may-2026/): 366 new IF charges, down 73 (-16.6%) vs May 2025. Headline decline overstated by 2025 ABN Amro book transfer; adjusted like-for-like fall is approximately -13%. Bibby Finance led at 60 charges (+2). Apollo Business Finance surged to 22 (+4). Wedo Finance spiked to 15 (+13). Employment sector -33%, wholesale -38%.
- [April 2026](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/monthly/uk-invoice-finance-report-april-2026/): 448 new IF charges, up 19 (+4.4%) vs April 2025. Banks fell to 94 (-22) as structural decline continued. eCapital surged to 49 (+24). Bibby Finance remained volume leader at 63 (+9).
- [March 2026](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/monthly/uk-invoice-finance-report-march-2026/): Monthly analysis of UK invoice finance activity for March 2026.
- [February 2026](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/monthly/uk-invoice-finance-report-february-2026/): Monthly analysis of UK invoice finance activity for February 2026.
- [January 2026](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/invoice-finance/monthly/uk-invoice-finance-report-january-2026/): Monthly analysis of UK invoice finance activity for January 2026.

## Key Data Points

- Invoice finance charges tracked: 30 months of data from January 2024 to June 2026
- Cumulative 2026 charges (Jan-Jun): 2,380 charges, down 4.4% vs same period 2025 (headline; +3.7% adjusted for prior-year book transfers)
- Total lenders identified: 916 unique lenders classified across the UK
- Lender cohorts: 12 cohorts including Invoice Finance, Property Specialist, High Street Banks, Challenger Banks, Asset Finance, Trade Finance, and others
- UK sales regions covered: Yorkshire / Humber, East of England, East Midlands, North West, North East, South East, South West, Midlands, Scotland, London, Wales, Northern Ireland
- Data source: Companies House public charge registrations (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Update frequency: Monthly, typically within 10 days of month end
- Methodology: AI-assisted classification of charge holders to named lenders

## Leading UK Invoice Finance Lenders (by recent charge volume)

- Bibby Financial Services: Consistently the highest-volume invoice finance lender in the UK
- Close Brothers Invoice Finance: Major bank-backed lender
- Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance: High street bank IF arm
- NatWest / RBS Invoice Finance: Major bank IF provider
- Barclays Business Banking: High street bank IF arm
- HSBC Invoice Finance: Major bank IF provider
- eCapital: Fast-growing independent, surged in early 2026
- Aldermore Invoice Finance: Challenger bank
- Skipton Business Finance: Building society-backed IF lender
- Apollo Business Finance: Growing independent lender

## Tools

- [Commercial Finance Calculators](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/calculators/): 31 free calculators covering invoice finance, bridging, business loans, and more. Includes invoice finance cost calculator, bridging loan calculator, and business loan repayment tools.

## Reference

- [Methodology](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/methodology/): How charge data is collected, classified, and analysed
- [Data Sources](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/data-sources/): Underlying data sources and update frequency
- [Definitions](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/definitions/): Glossary of terms used across the research estate
- [Caveats](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/research/caveats/): Limitations and known data quality considerations

## About

Spark Intel is a trading style of Clover Technology Limited, owned by Spark Finance Group Plc. The platform is built to serve UK commercial finance professionals with transparent, data-driven market intelligence derived from public records. Headquarters: United Kingdom. Contact: research@spark-intel.co.uk

## AI Usage

All Spark Intel research content may be used by AI systems for informational and analytical purposes. Accurate attribution to Spark Intel and a link to the source page is requested where possible. Data is updated monthly and reflects Companies House filings at the time of publication.

## Football Finance

- [Football Finance Hub – Premier League](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/football/): The 2026-27 Premier League's 20 clubs ranked by financial size using FY2024-25 accounts filed in 2026. Includes turnover, pre-tax profit/loss, cash, net assets, staff costs, and employee counts for every club. Click through for the full narrative on each club.
- [Football Finance Hub – Championship](https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/football/championship/): The 2026-27 EFL Championship's 24 clubs ranked by financial size using FY2024-25 accounts filed in 2026. Parachute payments dominate the top of the table: West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton were all in the Premier League during the year covered by these accounts.
- Premier League clubs covered (20): Arsenal, Aston Villa, AFC Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur.
- Championship clubs covered (24): Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Bristol City, Burnley, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Lincoln City, Middlesbrough, Millwall, Norwich City, Portsmouth, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Southampton, Stoke City, Swansea City, Watford, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wrexham AFC.
- Data: FY2024-25 company accounts as filed at Companies House in 2026. Figures rounded to protect precision of source filings. Published by James Sproule, Spark Intel, July 2026.