Optimum Finance has signed the UK government’s SME Finance Charter, to show its commitment to supporting small businesses in the UK with outside financing.

The SME Finance Charter, originally set up in 2019 to ensure the provision of finance to the UK’s growing SME sector is kept fair and effective, has since been updated to better reflect the challenges created by the pandemic and supply chain disruption.

Optimum Finance, a specialist invoice finance company. joins the charter as part of its ongoing commitment to support the UK’s SME community.

The Charter is a voluntary agreement and consists of five pledges, which Optimum Finance has made:

• We’re open and ready for business
• We’ll help you build back better after COVID-19
• We’ll support your application and signpost other options if needed
• We’ll treat you fairly at all times
• We’ll work with the government-owned British Business Bank to Support SMEs

The pledge ensures lenders are publicly committed to supporting small businesses, whilst also providing those small businesses with a selection of trusted partners they can be confident will provide regulated, trustworthy solutions.

Ant Persse, CEO of Optimum Finance and Saltare, said: “Cash is critical for businesses to prosper, whether it is maintaining day to day cashflow or having access to external financing for expansion, without it, businesses fail.

“It has been a challenging time for small and medium sized businesses and some are still navigating through these challenges. They need to know that there are trusted lenders who are there to support them so that they can continue focus on managing and growing their business, rather than balancing the books.”