What minimum EBITDA do UK lenders look for?
The answer
17 lenders in Solon's directory publish a minimum EBITDA. By type, they are 1 clearing bank, 2 challenger and specialist banks, 1 regional or government-backed fund and 13 private-credit funds. Alphabetically, they are Beechbrook Capital, Cordet Capital, Coutts, Duke Capital, DunPort Capital Management, Harwood Private Capital, Investec, Kartesia, Maven Capital Partners, Muzinich & Co., Pictet Asset Management, Prefequity, Santander UK, Shard Credit Partners, SME Capital, ThinCats and Tosca Debt Capital. Published floors run from about £250k (SME Capital) to about £4.3m (Muzinich & Co.). A further 2 lend at sizes above the lower mid-market: Ares Management and Barings.
Answered by Solon Corporate Finance from the lenders’ own published terms · Last reviewed 27 September 2026
How this list is drawn
A lender appears here when its profile records an EBITDA floor: the smallest earnings it will lend against. Floors are shown in sterling and rounded, as recorded on each lender's profile; several funds publish theirs in euros.
What to know
Most cash-flow lenders set a floor on EBITDA below which they will not lend, because underwriting a small facility costs them nearly as much as a large one. Banks rarely publish a floor. About a third of the private-credit funds in the directory do, and the floor is often the quickest way to tell whether a fund is worth approaching.
A floor is an entry point rather than a statement of appetite. The guide to how much a business can borrow covers what lenders lend against once you are over it.
The lenders17
| Lender | Type | What they lend | Published range | Minimum EBITDA | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beechbrook Capital | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsSenior secured, unitranche, subordinated / junior debt | Range£5m–£25m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2m | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| Cordet Capital | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsSenior secured direct lending, direct lending plus+ | Range£4m–£25m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2m | ReviewedJun 2026 |
| Coutts | TypeChallenger & specialist · Private & merchant banks | LendsCommercial cashflow term / RCF & acquisition finance, asset-based lending, invoice financing | Range£3m–£15m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £1m | ReviewedJun 2026 |
| Duke Capital | TypePrivate credit · Mezzanine & special situations | LendsRoyalty financing (corporate mortgage) + equity kicker | Range£5m–£30m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2m | ReviewedAug 2026 |
| DunPort Capital Management | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsUnitranche / senior secured direct lending, junior / subordinated & holdco capital | Range£3m–£15m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £1m | ReviewedAug 2026 |
| Harwood Private Capital | TypePrivate credit · Mezzanine & special situations | LendsFlexible capital — unitranche / subordinated debt, preferred / minority equity | Range£3m–£20m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2m | ReviewedAug 2026 |
| Investec | TypeChallenger & specialist · Private & merchant banks | LendsBilateral senior debt, unitranche, subordinated / mezzanine debt | Rangeup to £100m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2.6m (€3m published) | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| Kartesia | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsSenior secured (first lien), unitranche, subordinated / junior | Range£8.5m–£60m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £4.2m | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| Maven Capital Partners | TypeRegional funds · Regional & government-anchored funds | LendsPrivate equity — VCT growth / MBO / buyout, regional debt funds — commercial term loans | Rangeup to £20m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £1m | ReviewedJun 2026 |
| Muzinich & Co. | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsSenior secured (first lien), unitranche, second lien | RangeNot published | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £4.3m (€5m published) | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| Pictet Asset Management | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsEuropean direct lending | Range£13m–£35m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2.6m (€3m published) | ReviewedAug 2026 |
| Prefequity | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsFlexible debt-based growth capital | Range£5m–£25m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2m | ReviewedAug 2026 |
| Santander UK | TypeClearing banks · Clearing & relationship | LendsSenior term debt, revolving credit / working-capital facilities, invoice finance | Rangefrom £3m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £2.5m | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| Shard Credit Partners | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsSenior secured unitranche / stretched senior, Second lien / mezzanine / PIK | Range£5m–£15m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £1m | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| SME Capital | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsBespoke cashflow term loan | Range£500k–£15m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £250k | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| ThinCats | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsSenior secured term loan, unitranche, transitional capital / acquisition bridge | Range£1m–£30m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £1m | ReviewedJul 2026 |
| Tosca Debt Capital | TypePrivate credit · Unitranche & senior direct | LendsStructured debt | Range£10m–£30m | Minimum EBITDAFrom about £3m | ReviewedJul 2026 |
Above the lower mid-market
A reference list drawn from each lender’s published material, informational and not a ranking or a recommendation. Each name links to the lender’s profile, where the sources are listed.