Derek Money

A total of £14m of the CBILS funding has been provided to Scottish SMEs.

The milestone comes as the British Business Bank increased White Oak’s lending allocation under the terms of the scheme, allowing it to continue supporting UK SMEs up to the application deadline on 31st March.

Delivered through British Business Bank accredited lenders, CBILS is designed to support the continued provision of finance to UK smaller businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The scheme enables lenders to provide facilities of up to £5m to smaller businesses across the UK who are experiencing lost or deferred revenues, leading to disruptions to their cashflow.

Since White Oak was accredited under CBILS in May 2020, it has provided tailored finance solutions for over 1,350 businesses with loans paid out from £75,000 to £750,000.

White Oak’s fast and flexible funding has allowed it to partner with a wide range of businesses including:

• £73m to companies in the construction and manufacturing sectors
• £64m to solicitors and business support services
• £27m to retailers and wholesalers

Under the CBILS scheme, interest is covered by the government for 12 months, and White Oak customers can additionally benefit from a payment holiday of up to 12 months.

As businesses look ahead to recovery in 2021, White Oak’s CBILS offering is designed to enable business to recover from the crisis and look towards financial growth without the immediate burden of repayments.

With offices in London, Glasgow, Southampton, Manchester and Ewloe in Wales, White Oak benefits from national coverage. White Oak has almost 200 UK-based professionals who have approved loans for SMEs and mid-sized corporates around country with 80% lent to SMEs outside of London.

Derek Money, head of sales at White Oak in Glasgow, said: “Over the past year, we are very pleased to have been able to provide essential support to businesses across Scotland as they demonstrated their spirit in weathering the storm of the pandemic. We’ve provided over £14 million in CBILS loans to businesses in Scotland and this increase in our lending allocation will not only allow us to continue providing a lifeline for businesses but also help them to grow and drive economic recovery for Scotland and the UK.”

Andre A. Hakkak, chief executive officer and co-founder of White Oak Global Advisors, LLC, added: “It has been a difficult time for our customers around the world, and we’re proud to have provided this critical CBILS funding to SMEs across the UK. As a company, White Oak has supported UK businesses since 1986, and we look forward to continuing our partnerships with large and small companies as they endure the adversity of the pandemic and look to future growth.”