Export Finance Broker

Export finance for UK businesses selling to overseas customers

/ FCA Registered

Reference: 729876

Get paid sooner on your overseas sales

Selling overseas usually means waiting a long time to be paid. Export orders carry longer credit terms and goods spend longer in transit, so the working capital you need for your next order can stay tied up for months.

Export finance releases the cash held up in your overseas sales, so you can keep trading and take on new orders without waiting on payment from international customers. Mill Wood Finance helps UK exporters access this funding through a panel of specialist lenders, matched to the way your export business trades.

What is export finance?

Export finance is funding that releases cash tied up in sales to overseas customers. It bridges the gap between fulfilling an export order and being paid for it, which can stretch to 90 days or more once international credit terms and shipping times are taken into account.

It is a form of trade finance focused on the selling side of international trade. Rather than a single product, export finance covers a set of facilities that can be used on their own or together, depending on whether you need funding before your goods ship or after, and whether you want cover against the risk of a customer not paying.

Because funding is often assessed on the strength of the order and the creditworthiness of your customer, export finance can work for businesses that would find a conventional loan harder to secure.

Types of export finance

Export finance covers several facilities. Most exporters use one or two of them depending on how and where they sell.

Pre-shipment finance: Funding released against a confirmed export order before your goods ship, covering the cost of producing or buying the goods so you can fulfil the order without paying for it out of your own reserves.
Post-shipment finance: Cash advanced once your goods have shipped, bridging the wait between despatch and payment so you are not left short while an overseas customer takes their agreed credit terms.
Export factoring: An advance against your export invoices, where the provider can also manage collections from your overseas customers, drawing on their knowledge of the countries you sell into.
Export invoice discounting: An advance against your export invoices where you keep control of your own sales ledger and collections, usually on a confidential basis so your customers need not know finance is in place.
Letters of credit: A bank-backed guarantee that you will be paid once agreed shipping documents are presented. Letters of credit give you the confidence to ship to a new customer and reassure both sides of the transaction.
Export credit insurance: Cover against the risk of an overseas customer failing to pay, whether through insolvency or another issue. It protects your cash flow when you extend credit terms to buyers in markets you may not know well.

Managing the risks of selling overseas

Selling overseas brings risks that domestic sales do not. Currency can move between agreeing a price and being paid, which eats into your margin, and judging the creditworthiness of a customer in another country is harder than doing so at home.

Export finance can address both. Funding is often arranged in the currency you trade in to reduce your exchange rate exposure, and credit protection can be built in so one unpaid invoice does not put your cash flow at risk.

You may be a good fit for export finance if...

You sell to overseas customers on credit terms and wait weeks or months to be paid
You have won a large export order but need funding to fulfil it before you ship
Exchange rate movement is affecting the margin on your overseas sales
You are concerned about an overseas customer not paying
You want to offer competitive terms to international buyers without straining your cash flow
Your bank cannot support the way your export business trades

If your bank cannot help

If your bank has told you it cannot support your export requirements, or standard lending does not fit the way you sell overseas, you are not on your own.

An independent broker approaches it differently. When you work with us Mill Wood Finance, we:

Learn how your export cycle works, including your customers’ payment terms and the markets you sell into
Structure a facility that fits the way your business actually exports
Approach the right lenders from our panel to secure competitive terms
Prepare your application so lenders understand it clearly and funds are not held up by avoidable delays

Why work with an export finance broker?

Not every lender offers export finance, and those that do vary in their appetite for the countries and currencies involved. A broker such as Mill Wood Finance gives you access to lenders who understand how exporters operate, including those who fund the larger or more complex requirements that mainstream lenders turn away.

Whether you need a first facility or you are financing substantial international orders across more than one market, we identify the lenders worth approaching and handle the documentation involved. The finance is structured around your export cycle so that funding lines up with how and when you get paid.

We connect UK exporters with specialist lenders who understand selling overseas.

Who are Mill Wood Finance

Since 1999 we have been arranging finance on behalf of UK businesses that trade internationally. We work with exporters whose funding needs sit outside what their bank is willing or able to provide.

Our Ethos

We take the time to understand how your export business works before we recommend anything. Our advice is shaped by what your business needs, not by what suits any single lender.

Our Services

We manage the process from first enquiry through to completion, matching you with the right facility from our panel and staying with the case until the funding is in place.

FAQs

What is export finance and how does it work?

Export finance is funding that releases the cash tied up in your overseas sales. Depending on the facility, a lender advances funds against a confirmed order or against invoices you have raised, and the facility is settled once your overseas customer pays. It is structured around your export cycle so funding matches the terms you trade on.

What is the difference between pre-shipment and post-shipment finance?

Pre-shipment finance is released before your goods ship, to cover the cost of producing or buying them so you can fulfil an order. Post-shipment finance is advanced after your goods have shipped, bridging the wait until your customer pays. Many exporters use one or both, depending on where the pressure falls in their trade cycle.

Is export finance the same as trade finance?

Export finance is one part of trade finance. Trade finance is the broad term for funding that supports buying and selling goods, while export finance focuses on the selling side, where you supply overseas customers. If you also buy from overseas suppliers, import finance covers that side, and the two are often used together.

Can export finance protect me if an overseas customer does not pay?

Yes. Export credit insurance can be built into your funding to cover the risk of an overseas customer failing to pay, whether through insolvency or another issue. This protects your cash flow when you extend credit terms to buyers in markets you may not know well.

What is UK Export Finance (UKEF)?

UK Export Finance is the government’s export credit agency, which supports UK exporters through guarantees and insurance, usually alongside a bank or lender. It works well for some businesses, though not every exporter fits its criteria. We can talk through where commercial export finance may suit you better, or sit alongside government-backed support.

Is Mill Wood Finance regulated?

Yes. Mill Wood Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for its credit broking activities. Our Firm Reference Number is 729876 and can be verified on the FCA register. We have been operating since 1999.

Speak to a specialist broker in export finance

Whether you are exporting for the first time and need a facility in place, or you are an established exporter looking to improve your current funding, we are happy to talk through your situation. You can book a meeting using the calendar below, visit our Brighton office, call us on 01273 523690 or email info@millwoodfinance.com.