Sheffield-based commercial finance platform selected for regulatory innovation event
SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FundingSearch.com has been invited to participate in the Financial Conduct Authority's SME Finance TechSprint this week, marking a significant milestone as the intelligent matching platform simultaneously opens its doors to commercial lenders across the UK.
The invitation recognises FundingSearch's alignment with the FCA's Open Finance vision and its innovative approach to addressing inefficiencies in the commercial finance market. The platform will demonstrate its verified financial data integration and intelligent matching capabilities at the regulatory event.
"This invitation validates everything we've built," said Phillip Evans, Founder and CEO of FundingSearch. "We're not waiting for 2030 to implement Open Finance principles. We're delivering them now. The FCA's recognition comes at the perfect moment as we welcome lenders onto the platform."
FundingSearch has now opened its lender onboarding process, inviting banks and alternative finance providers to join a marketplace that promises to transform how commercial finance deals are matched and processed. The platform reduces lender due diligence time by 60% through verified financial data integration with Xero and Sage accounting software.
The intelligent matching system addresses a critical industry inefficiency. Commercial finance brokers currently spend 20+ hours per deal researching suitable lenders manually. FundingSearch reduces this to minutes through AI-powered algorithms that analyse verified financial data against lender criteria.
Lenders joining the platform receive pre-qualified applications with live P&L, balance sheet and cash flow data pulled directly from accounting software. This eliminates the manual document chase and reduces mismatched applications by up to 50%.
Evans, who spent decades as a commercial finance broker before founding FundingSearch, built the platform to solve problems he experienced firsthand. "I built the platform I wish existed when I started broking," he said. "The technology gap between mortgage broking and commercial finance is shocking. We're closing that gap."
The platform covers the full commercial finance spectrum, including asset finance, invoice finance, working capital, trade finance, merchant cash advance and property finance. Following UK market establishment, FundingSearch plans expansion into Ireland, Australia and Canada.
Commercial lenders interested in joining the platform can register at www.fundingsearch.com.
Notes to Editors:
FundingSearch.com is a Sheffield-based commercial finance technology platform launching February 2026. The company provides intelligent matching between SME borrowers, commercial finance brokers and lenders through verified financial data integration.
Media Contact:
Phillip Evans
Founder & CEO, FundingSearch.com
phill@fundingsearch.com
07970 500425
www.fundingsearch.com
