As the South West’s Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI), SWIG Finance uses it’s lending as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth.
Because CDFIs are impact-led, non-profit organisations, we reinvest our profits in support of our collective mission to generate positive impacts for people in the regions we serve.
This business model enables us to help businesses, families and communities to be more resilient.
Typically, we generate impact through creation of new businesses and growth of established businesses, and the resulting new employment opportunities.
Being a responsible lender, we are passionate about sustainable finance. We access our own capital for on-lending from ethical sources and lend within an ethical framework.
CDFIs don’t compete with the banks, but rather help to increase the overall share of SMEs accessing finance. To achieve this, we focus our efforts on segments which fall outside of the scope of mainstream lenders.
Moreover, CDFIs work closely with their customers. By providing support throughout the application process and for the duration on the loan, we help give their business the best chance for success.
Our hands-on approach, knowledge and expertise helps businesses avoid challenging issues before they happen. It could also help to accelerate growth.
At SWIG, our core value is helping underserved businesses realise their full potential.
Perhaps the biggest differentiator for CDFIs is our ability to lend by looking at the bigger picture.
Consequently, we don’t use automated credit-scoring methods to assess our applications. As advocates for the customer in the approval process, all of our lending decisions are made by people, not computers.
About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is a non-profit company that supports viable South West businesses that can’t secure sufficient funding from their bank. By empowering underserved SMEs to overcome their financial barriers, we are working to create a more balanced financial ecosystem.
We’re growing every year. In 2021/22, we lent £10.8m to 502 businesses, helping to create and secure over 1,000 jobs and generate £32.3m. For more information visit https://www.swigfinance.co.uk/social-impact-report-2022/
If you’d like an informal chat about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to see how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 930.