Lovey has integrated with Funding Circle to speed up SME funding decisions as pressure grows on alternative lenders to fill gaps left by high street banks.
The SME lender and broker has connected directly to Funding Circle’s API, allowing applications to move more quickly from submission through to lender engagement. The move is designed to cut manual processing and reduce delays in decisioning.
It comes as demand for faster access to capital intensifies. Lovey’s own research suggests 81% of SMEs missed growth opportunities last year due to a lack of finance, while more than seven in 10 expect to seek funding in 2026.
The integration reflects a broader shift toward automation across specialist and alternative lending, where speed of execution is increasingly becoming a competitive differentiator.
RESHAPING EXPECTATIONS
According to analysis by Oxford Economics and Funding Circle, alternative lenders are already playing a significant role in supporting the UK economy. Funding Circle’s loan book contributed £7.9bn in economic output in 2025, while supporting over 100,000 jobs.
Lovey says the API connection would allow eligible cases to progress more consistently, removing friction caused by fragmented systems and manual handoffs. The firm is also aiming to create a more scalable lending infrastructure as application volumes increase.
The move follows Lovey’s existing API integration with iwoca, positioning the business among a small group of brokers with multiple direct lender connections embedded into their platform.
SHARED MISSION
Alex O’Malley, Chief Commercial Officer at Lovey, says: “This partnership with Funding Circle reinforces a shared mission: using technology and innovation to improve speed, increase scale, and deliver better outcomes for SMEs by helping more businesses access funding with less friction and greater confidence.”
And Rachael Raymond, Head of Broker at Funding Circle, adds: “We are thrilled to launch this API partnership with Lovey and to further support their impressive growth journey.
“For Funding Circle, our strategic focus is firmly rooted in leveraging technology and automation to streamline lending and deliver a superior experience for our brokers and borrowers.
“This integration perfectly exemplifies that focus, allowing us to double down on our core mission of helping UK businesses access the funding they need to win.”
