FCAAuthorised & Regulated · No. 943426 · Lending in the United Kingdom and internationally since 2016
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Acquisition finance for strategic buyers.

Buy-outs, mergers, and acquisitions — structured deal finance for ambitious operators. From £500,000 to £10 million, at our flat 1.5% APR.

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What acquisition finance enables

Acquiring another business is one of the highest-leverage strategic moves you can make — but it is also one of the most complex to finance. Most banks offer acquisition lending only to their existing relationship clients, often demanding personal guarantees that put the buyer's family home at risk.

Our acquisition finance is structured differently. The facility is secured primarily against the assets and cash flows of the combined business, not against the personal wealth of the acquirer. That fundamental shift makes meaningful acquisitions accessible to operators who would otherwise be priced out.

Who this loan is for

  • Management buy-out (MBO) teams acquiring their existing business from owners
  • Management buy-in (MBI) teams acquiring a business they have identified externally
  • Established businesses making strategic bolt-on acquisitions for capability or capacity
  • Trade buyers consolidating fragmented sectors through serial acquisition
  • Cross-border acquirers needing capital deployment across multiple jurisdictions
  • Equity-backed acquirers seeking to top up sponsor equity with structured debt
  • Family business succession transitions — second or third generation buy-outs
Our acquisition was complex and cross-border. ASAF structured an £8.2M facility that traditional banks said was impossible. Genuinely a finance partner, not just a lender. — Mauer & Klein GmbH · acquisition finance, €9.5M · Munich

How acquisition deals are structured

Most of our acquisition facilities are structured as senior debt, secured against the assets and cash flows of the target business and (post-completion) the combined entity. We typically lend 3–5x the target's EBITDA, depending on sector, growth trajectory, and quality of earnings.

For larger deals, we structure with staged drawdown — completion funds at signing, working capital tranches post-completion, and earn-out facilities where deal terms include deferred consideration. This minimises interest cost on capital not yet deployed.

We work alongside your corporate finance advisor, due diligence team, and legal counsel as part of the deal team. Our relationship manager attends key meetings and is available throughout the diligence and completion process — not just the early credit application.

Asset-secured, not personal

Facility secured against business assets and cash flows. Personal guarantees only where genuinely necessary.

Aligned to deal timeline

Staged drawdown across signing, completion, and post-deal integration. Pay interest as you deploy.

Cross-border specialism

International acquisitions across our 28 jurisdictions, with direct experience in EU, MENA, and APAC deals.

The process

From application to funded,
in four steps.

Each step has a defined timeline and a real person attached to your file. No black-box scoring, no run-around.

1
Apply

~3 minutes online

2
Review

Manager calls within 24 hours

3
Decision

Up to 5 working days

4
Funded

Same day on completion

Frequently asked

The honest answers,
before you ask.

Generally we expect at least 20–30% equity in the deal — either from the buying team's own resources, an equity sponsor, or vendor financing. This protects both you and us by ensuring the buyer has skin in the game. The exact ratio depends on the target's quality of earnings.
We are primarily a senior debt provider, but we can structure subordinated tranches where the deal economics support it. For mezzanine layers, we typically partner with specialist mezz funds and focus on the senior facility ourselves.
From initial enquiry to credit-committee approval typically takes 4–6 weeks for straightforward deals, longer for complex or cross-border transactions. The longest variable is diligence — we move as fast as the data room and target cooperation allow.
We aim to avoid personal guarantees where the deal economics permit. For management buy-outs where the team is contributing equity, we typically rely on that equity contribution and the target's cash flows rather than personal guarantees. Each deal is structured individually.
Yes. Most of our acquisition facilities include a working capital tranche — typically 10–20% of the deal value — drawn after completion to fund integration costs, any cash flow timing differences, and the first year of operating capital.

Discuss your acquisition

Send us your initial deal information. A relationship manager will be in touch within one working day to understand the strategic rationale and structure the right facility.

Begin your application → Speak to our team