Acquisition finance is funding to buy all or part of a business. It usually combines a loan from a specialist lender with your own money and, often, part of the price paid to the seller over time. bizbritain arranges acquisition finance from £25,000 to £10 million.
The deals it funds
- Trade purchase: buying an established business outright, as a share or asset deal.
- Management buy-out (MBO): the management team buys the business it already runs. See MBO finance: how is a management buyout funded?.
- Management buy-in (MBI): an outside operator buys a business to run. See What is a management buy-in (MBI)? Can I get finance as an outside buyer?.
- Partner or shareholder buy-out: buying out a co-founder or shareholder.
- Franchise purchase: a single unit, multi-unit or master franchise.
- Buy-and-build: a platform business plus bolt-on acquisitions.
How it's funded
Most deals are cash-flow-led, sized on the profits of the business you're buying. Some are asset-backed, and some include a government-guaranteed layer. Deals are usually built in layers rather than from one loan. See How is buying a business usually funded? The capital stack.
Why the profits matter
Lenders lend against the cash the business generates, because that's what repays the debt. A profitable, well-run target is the starting point. See How profitable does the business I'm buying need to be?.
Last reviewed: 8 October 2026