• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday June 18 2025

Another record year for SWIG Finance as impact report published

Business lender SWIG Finance has reported another year of record lending figures, with £14.8 million delivered to smaller businesses across the South and West Country.

As a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI), SWIG Finance supports those businesses that are viable but unable to get funding from traditional lenders.

The firm’s Impact Report for 2024/25 says £7.6 million was lent to over 80 SMEs for a diverse range of requirements, with 28 per cent of the funding being invested into increasing productivity.

The company also continued to experience high volumes of Start Up Loans applications resulting in over 480 loans worth £7.2 million.

This record lending generated £75.7 million in Social Impact Value, underlining SWIG’s mission to fuel regional growth through inclusive finance.

Managing director John Peters credited the success to the organisation’s team, partners, and funders, stating that SWIG Finance’s lending drives “ambition, resilience, and regional growth.”

Beyond the headline figures, SWIG Finance’s lending had a meaningful socio-economic impact.

For example, £3.4 million of its lending supported businesses in economically deprived areas – a key catalyst for improving social mobility and levelling up the playing field for local communities, and demonstrating, said the company, how access to finance can be a game-changer.

SWIG Finance’s funding solutions are designed to support businesses at every stage of their lifecycle, and each applicant provided with personal support and guidance.

It is a non-profit distributing organisation with profits reinvested to support more customers each year.

By taking a relationship-based approach, lending decisions are based on potential, not collateral, which opens a vital lifeline for the small businesses in local communities.

In 2024/25 SWIG Finance joined a powerful national coalition of socially-driven CDFIs through the Community Investment Enterprise Fund, backed by Better Society Capital and Triodos Bank.

This milestone unlocked an extra £10 million in lending capital for businesses in 2025/26.

The company has also formed an exciting local Community Finance Partnership with Lendology CIC and Great Western Credit Union. This collaboration is about creating a support system to help individuals and businesses better access the finance they need.