Business loan

Quick facts

Read this article to me

A traditional business loan is a lump sum of capital that you pay back with regular repayments at (usually) a fixed interest rate. Lenders include high-street banks, challenger banks, online lenders and small local specialists. There are many different types of loan but the two overall categories are secured loans and unsecured loans.

Business loan is a broad category, and can refer to lots of different products including:

Within these different types of business loan – of course there is some overlap between them – you’ll find some that better suit your particular situation, e.g. you might be looking for startup finance, equipment finance or working capital finance.

Depending on how long you think you’d take to repay the loan you can consider:

  • short-term business loans – usually between 3 and 18 months (often referred to as working capital loans)
  • ‘term’ loans – usually between two and five years (‘term’ means medium- or long-term)
  • very short-term loans – including revolving credit facilities and other business overdraft alternatives.
  • long-term loans – these can run from 3 to 30 years, require monthly or quarterly payments from cash flow or profit, might restrict other financial commitments (e.g. debts, dividends or principals’ salaries), and can require an amount of profit set aside for loan repayment
  • balloon loans – relatively small monthly payments, ending with final ‘balloon’ payment to pay off the remaining loan balance.

There is a huge range of lenders offering loans to businesses, and they all have different eligibility criteria, application processes and interest rates.

It’s often possible – though more challenging – to get a business loan if you have a poor credit rating. You may need to offer security or a personal guarantee.

It’s worth noting that if you take out a short-term loan you’ll pay higher interest, but you may pay more interest overall with long-term financing, because you’re borrowing for a longer period of time.

Register now for funding and savings options tailored to your business.

Ready to grow your business?

Clever finance tips and the latest news

Delivered to your inbox monthly

Join the 95,000+ businesses just like yours getting the Swoop newsletter.

Free. No spam. Opt out whenever you like.

Our offices:

Disclaimer: Swoop Finance Pty Ltd (ABN 52 644 513 333) helps Australian firms access business finance, working directly with firms and their trusted advisors. We are a credit broker and do not provide finance products ourselves. All finance and quotes are subject to status and income. Applicants must be aged 18 and over and terms and conditions apply. Guarantees and Indemnities may be required. Swoop Finance Pty Ltd can introduce applicants to a number of providers based on the applicants’ circumstances and creditworthiness, we may receive a commission or finder’s fee for effecting such introductions. Swoop Finance Pty Ltd does not provide any kind of advice and in giving you information about providers products, we are not making any suggestion or recommendation to you about a particular product. Offers of finance are subject to a separate assessment process by the provider and subject to their terms and conditions. If you feel you have a complaint, please read our complaints section which is contained within our terms and conditions.

© Swoop 2025

Looks like you're in . Go to our site to find relevant products for your country. Go to Swoop