Development Bank of Wales - Mike Armstrong Author, Entrepreneur, International Speaker, Mentor, Coach, Trainer, B2B Influencer, Podcaster & YouTuber

1. What do they do?

The Development Bank of Wales is a unique lender to businesses in Wales. It has been set up by the Welsh Government to support the economy of Wales by making it easier for businesses to get the finance they need to start up, strengthen and grow.

It can invest from £1,000 to £5 million at a time in businesses based throughout Wales from a number of investment funds supporting Welsh businesses in the following ways:

Loans from £1,000 – £5 million to start, strengthen or grow your business
Equity investment from £50,000 to £5 million for established businesses
Seed finance for pre-revenue tech start-ups
Equity investment for early stage and mature technology-based businesses
Finance up to £5 million to buy a business
Property development loans for projects in Wales
Co-investment alongside banks, crowd funders, grants, investors and other lenders

Currently the Development Bank of Wales has a new streamlined 2-day fast track scheme for micro loans between £1,000 and £10,000 for Welsh businesses that have been trading for more than 2 years.

Generally, repayment terms range from 1 to 10 years. Interest rates charged are based on a business’ individual circumstances and are fixed for the term of the loan.

2. Applying for investment from the Development Bank Of Wales…

Eligibility Criteria

The Development Bank can only help businesses based in Wales or willing to relocate. It can support both B2B and B2C with a focus on micro to medium businesses although non SMEs can also apply.

You can check your business’ eligibility in just a few minutes through the Development Bank’s eligibility tool .

If your business is eligible you’ll need a business plan that demonstrates a strong business case for investment. The amount of detail in your plan depends on the size of investment you apply for:

up to £50,000 – a 2 year business plan
over £50,000 – a business plan of up to 3 years

How to apply

You can apply through an online application form. Supporting documents such as business plans or bank statements can either be attached to your application or sent in at a later date.