Cash flow finance
for Cardiff companies
Cardiff companies have more public finance options than most, and you should know them before you speak to us. Flowzo is a commercial broker. For a Cardiff limited company or LLP we can source between £1,000 and £500,000 through a credit line, invoice finance or a loan, working remotely, with no office in Wales.
No credit check to enquire.
Cardiff’s 12,120 businesses
About 295 more than a year earlier. Professional services lead, and tech and media firms make the top five, which they do in only three of these ten cities.
Source: ONS UK Business Counts, enterprises on Nomis, Cardiff, March 2026. Sector groups are ONS broad industry groups, totalled from Nomis division counts rounded to the nearest 5. The query behind the total.
- 335 film, TV and audio producers. More than twice the UK share, a sign of the capital’s broadcasting and screen industry.
- 540 legal and accounting practices. About 1.7 times as common as nationally, as you would expect in a capital city.
- 9,695 companies. 80% of the base, alongside 1,450 sole proprietors and 370 partnerships.
What squeezes a Cardiff business
- Public-sector customers who pay to their own rhythm
A capital city has a large public sector buying services from local firms. Those customers are good debtors but rarely quick ones, and invoice finance is priced on exactly that kind of reliable, slow payer.
- Screen production paid in tranches
Producers fund crews and kit before each tranche from the commissioner arrives. A credit line bridges each one and costs nothing between productions.
- Practices billing after the work
Legal, accounting and consulting firms carry unbilled time and then client terms on top. A revolving facility evens out the months when several large bills are outstanding.
- Hospitality around the stadium calendar
1,015 food, drink and accommodation businesses see trade spike around big events. Revenue-based finance repaid from card takings suits that unevenness.
Billing the public sector from Cardiff? Tell us who your customers are and their payment terms.
Get my optionsWelsh support worth trying first
Wales has its own business support system and its own public lender. For some Cardiff businesses these are a better first call than any broker. Business Wales can tell you which Welsh Government grants are open this year, and the Development Bank has an application process of its own, separate from ours. Ask us if you are unsure which door to knock on first.
- Business Wales. The Welsh Government’s information and support service for starting and growing a business, including guidance on finance and grants.
- Development Bank of Wales. The Welsh Government’s development bank, which lends to and invests in businesses in Wales. It is a lender in its own right, and not on our panel.
- Cardiff Capital Region. The partnership of councils across south-east Wales, investing in infrastructure, innovation and priority sectors.
- Investment Fund for Wales. £130m from the British Business Bank, set aside for smaller Welsh firms and run by appointed managers who handle applications themselves.
Where a broker fits in Cardiff
We sit alongside these, not instead of them. If a public lender or fund can help, it may be the right route, and we will say so. Where we are useful is speed and choice: some commercial lenders on our panel can decide within days, and some will lend where public schemes have criteria you do not meet. We do all of this remotely and have no Cardiff premises.
For a business invoicing public bodies or larger firms, invoice finance. For a standing buffer, a credit line. For a fixed project, an unsecured loan. Broadcast and production kit is asset finance, through our sister company CW Asset Finance.
A sole trader in Cardiff is outside what our cash flow lenders accept, since they want a company behind the borrowing; the reasons are here, and Business Wales is a better place to start.
If you supply public bodies, send three things with your enquiry: the contract or framework you supply under, an aged debtor report showing who owes you what and for how long, and any clause about assigning payments to a third party. Those decide whether invoice finance is possible far more than your turnover does.
Common questions
Should a Cardiff business try the Development Bank of Wales first?
It is worth asking, particularly for growth or for a business that banks find hard to place. It has its own criteria and timescales. If you need money quickly, or it says no, a commercial lender may still say yes.
Can I use invoice finance on Welsh Government contracts?
Generally yes, a public body is a strong debtor. The lender will check the contract for terms that restrict assigning the debt, which some public contracts include, so share the contract early.
Can I see someone face to face in Cardiff?
Not from us. We keep no Welsh premises, and a Cardiff company deals with us over the phone and through our website, exactly as a company in Kent or Cumbria would.
Is the Investment Fund for Wales the same as the Development Bank?
No. The Investment Fund for Wales is a British Business Bank fund run through its own appointed fund managers. The Development Bank of Wales is owned by the Welsh Government. Both are worth knowing about.
Can a Cardiff production company borrow before a commission is signed?
Rarely against the commission itself, since nothing is owed yet. A revolving facility based on your earlier productions and bank history is the realistic route, and it is easier to put in place between projects than in the middle of one.
Compare commercial options for a Cardiff company
One enquiry, no credit check, and an honest view of where we fit.
Get my options