Stage payment funding in Europe · UK buyers, European manufacturers

Stage payment funding for equipment built in Europe. Pay during the build, lease on delivery.

European manufacturers of custom-built equipment rarely wait for delivery to be paid. They want deposits and stage payments while they build, often in euros, which can tie up a UK buyer’s working capital for months. We arrange funding that pays them for you.

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In short

What stage payment funding is

With stage payment funding, the funder pays the manufacturer's deposit and stage payments as the equipment is built, usually secured by an advance payment guarantee from the manufacturer. You pay only interest on each amount as it is paid out. The full lease starts when the equipment is delivered and accepted.

It is a structure most main clearing banks walk away from. We arrange it for UK limited companies buying equipment made in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and across Europe, typically on transactions from £100,000 to £10 million in sterling or euros.

Built in Europe, funded for the UK

Stage payments across borders

Most of the stage payment deals we arrange involve a manufacturer in one country and a buyer in another. That is exactly where a domestic bank tends to stop: the money goes abroad before the asset exists, in another currency and under another country’s law.

We work with funders who are used to this. Stage payments can be made to the manufacturer in euros or its local currency, the advance payment guarantee comes from the manufacturer’s bank, and the documents are aligned in both countries. Where it helps, the funder’s local office handles signing on the manufacturer’s side.

European manufacturers selling into the UK can also offer stage payment funding to their UK customers through a vendor leasing programme, so the deposit is never the reason an order stalls.

Manufacturer countries we work with

  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • France
  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Austria
  • Switzerland
  • Sweden
  • Denmark
  • Norway
  • Finland
  • Poland
  • Czech Republic
  • Slovakia
  • and more

Plus equipment imported from outside Europe, such as the USA, paid on landing with duties settled.

How it works

Four steps from order to lease

  1. Order and guaranteeYou place the order; the manufacturer issues an advance payment guarantee to protect the money paid before delivery.
  2. Funder pays the stagesThe deposit and each stage payment are paid directly to the manufacturer as agreed milestones are reached.
  3. Interest only during the buildYou pay interest on the amounts paid out so far, not full rentals.
  4. Lease starts on deliveryWhen the equipment is delivered and accepted, the lease or hire purchase begins over the agreed term.
Who it's for

When stage payment funding makes sense

Custom-built equipment

Production lines, specialist vehicles, bespoke machinery: anything built to your specification over weeks or months.

Overseas manufacturers

UK businesses buying European-manufactured equipment, with documents and payments that work in both countries.

Long or staged deliveries

Equipment delivered in phases or shipped from several countries, funded as a single programme.

Protecting working capital

Keep cash for running the business instead of tying it up in deposits for equipment that is not yet earning.

Manufacturers and suppliers

Offer stage payment funding to your customers so deposits are paid and the order goes ahead.

Not a lender

We structure the deal and place it with the right funder from a panel of 40+. Our fee is typically paid by the funder and disclosed before you sign.

Proof

Builds we've funded

£1.2m
  • Retail
  • Sweden → UK plc
  • Staged deliveries

Highly specialised equipment from a large Swedish manufacturer for a large UK retail plc, delivered over several months and shipped from different countries, funded as one programme.

£1m
  • Aviation
  • UK airport
  • 4 stage payments

Three aviation fuel tankers built from bare chassis. Four milestone stage payments over a ten-month build; delivered on time and on budget. Case study →

£450k
  • Offshore energy
  • North Sea
  • Stage payments · US import

Subsea equipment with stage payments on one item, a specialist build on another and US imports paid on landing. Everything went out to sea. Case study →

£200k
  • Sport
  • Netherlands → Scotland
  • Stage payments

An artificial pitch for a professional football club, with stage payments to the Dutch supplier as it was prepared, installed and laid before the season. Case study →

Questions

Stage payment funding FAQs

What is an advance payment guarantee?

A guarantee, usually from the manufacturer's bank, that repays money paid before delivery if the equipment is not delivered. It protects the funder, and you, while the equipment is being built.

Do I pay rentals while the equipment is being built?

No. During the build you pay interest only on the amounts paid to the manufacturer so far. Full rentals start when the equipment is delivered and accepted.

Can the manufacturer be outside the UK?

Yes. Many of the builds we fund are made in Europe for UK buyers, and we can include equipment shipped from further afield.

Can stage payments be made in euros?

Yes. Stage payments can be made to the manufacturer in euros or its local currency, and the lease itself can be in sterling or euros.

What size of transaction do you fund?

Typically £100,000 to £10 million, in sterling or euros, for limited companies.

Why do banks often say no?

Paying out before an asset exists, often to a supplier in another country, falls outside most banks' standard lending. We place these deals with funders who understand them.

Let’s talk about your equipment leasing transaction

Tell us what you are funding, where it will be used and when. A Funding Director will reply within one business day with a recommended structure.

Speak to a Funding Director