NACFB Commercial Lender Awards 2025 winners revealed
The glamorous Westminster Park Plaza was electric tonight as it hosted the largest-ever NACFB Commercial Lender Awards.
A record-breaking 857 industry guests came together to celebrate lending excellence, cheering on the winners as they took to the stage to claim their well-earned accolades across 23 distinguished categories.
Tonight’s ceremony was expertly hosted by renowned broadcaster Gabby Logan, whose dedication, professionalism and sharp sense of humour kept the audience engaged and the evening running flawlessly. Following her stand-out appearance at September’s NACFB Commercial Broker Awards, comedian Jayde Adams made her triumphant return as the night’s MC.
Emotions ran high when Paul Slapa, founder of the NACFB’s charity partner The Unbeatable Eva Foundation, took to the stage to share his powerful story. Later, guests showed their support by joining a spirited game of Heads and Tails, helping to raise essential funds. The winner, XXX from XXX, walked away with a brand-new Garmin Multisport Smartwatch. Congratulations XXX!
Commenting on the event, NACFB CEO Jim Higginbotham said: “This year, we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 428 award entries from more than 100 lenders and suppliers which made the judges’ job of whittling down a shortlist very difficult, especially as the overall standard of submissions was extremely high.
“In addition to celebrating lending excellence, these prestigious awards give NACFB Members the opportunity to thank the Association’s Patrons and Partners for their continued dedication to supporting brokers and their SME clients. While not everyone can take home a trophy, please know that your efforts are recognised, appreciated, and essential to helping fund UK businesses.”
Kindly sponsored by NACFB Partner, Red Flag Alert, with support from Market Financial Solutions (welcome drinks sponsor), Recognise Bank (centre piece sponsor), Method Valuation (wine sponsor), VAS (charity game sponsor), Metro Bank (cocktail sponsor), Bluecroft Finance (photo booth sponsor), Colenko (after party food sponsor) and HSBC (after party sponsor) the Commercial Lender Awards provides an opportunity for attendees to dress up, catch up, have fun and dance until the small hours.
Richard West, CEO of Red Flag Alert - the evening’s headline sponsor - said: “We were incredibly proud to be the headline sponsor of what was the NACFB’s biggest awards night to date. The calibre of lenders in the room, the stories behind the deals, and the insights shared throughout the evening all showed just how much talent and dedication sits at the heart of this industry.
“A huge congratulations to the winners and those highly commended - but truly, everyone in that room plays a vital role in keeping the wheels of UK plc turning. It was a privilege for Red Flag Alert to stand alongside you in celebrating that success.”
It was also announced on stage that HSBC UK has signed a two-year agreement to become the Association’s headline sponsor for 2026 and 2027, marking a significant strategic commitment to the intermediary market.
The NACFB’s newly appointed Chair, Simon Featherstone, was also in attendance and delivered his first speech for the trade body. In his new role, he will work closely with the NACFB Board and leadership team to build on the Association’s strong foundations, strengthen its advocacy voice, and ensure it remains well-positioned to support brokers and their SME clients long into the future.
This year, a panel of expert judges carefully reviewed the entries to determine the shortlist. Following this, NACFB Member brokers were invited to vote for their preferred Patron lender or Partner supplier in each category. The voting period remained open for one week, and to ensure fairness, each eligible broker received a password to access the platform and was limited to five votes per firm per category. The final winners were determined by combining the judges’ assessments with the results of the broker vote.
The winners and highly commended in each category are:
Commercial Finance Lender of the Year
Winner: Allica Bank
Asset Finance Lender of the Year
Winner: Novuna Business Finance
Highly commended: Arkle Finance
BDM Team of the Year
Winner: Allica Bank
Highly commended: iwoca
Bridging Lender of the Year
Winner: Octane Capital
Highly commended: Colenko
Business Bank of the Year
Winner: NatWest
Highly commended: Allica Bank
Buy-to-Let Lender of the Year
Winner: Paragon Bank
Highly commended: LendInvest
Commercial Mortgage Lender of the Year
Winner: Allica Bank
Highly commended: Atom bank
Community Lender of the Year
Winner: Reliance Bank
Highly commended: Unity Trust Bank
Development Finance Lender of the Year
Winner: Paragon Bank
Highly commended: Assetz Capital
Emerging Lender of the Year
Winner: TRIVER
Highly commended: multifi
Industry Leader of the Year
Winner: Rachael Raymond – Funding Circle
Highly commended: Josh Harris – Doc2 and Chris Storey - Atom bank
Industry Supplier of the Year
Winner: Doc2
Highly commended: Red Flag Alert
Intermediary Advocate of the Year
Winner: Ultimate Finance
Highly commended: Market Financial Solutions
Invoice Finance Lender of the Year
Winner: Close Brothers Invoice Finance
Highly commended: Skipton Business Finance
Marketing Team of the Year
Winner: YBS Commercial Mortgages
Highly commended: Octane Capital and Propel Finance
Pioneers of the Year
Winner: Allica Bank
Highly commended: Funding Circle
Rising Star of the Year
Winner: Guy Olden – Atom bank
Highly commended: Chris Adams – Blackfinch Property
Service Excellence Award
Winner: YouLend
Highly commended: iwoca
Specialist Lender of the Year
Winner: Charity Bank
Highly commended: Cubefunder
Sustainability Champion of the Year
Winner: Triodos
Highly commended: CAF Bank
Underwriting Team of the Year
Winner: United Trust Bank
Highly commended: Atom bank
Unsecured Lender of the Year
Winner: Funding Circle
Highly commended: 365 Finance
Unsung Hero of the Year
Winner: Natalie Cockburn – Atom bank
Highly commended: Lauren Robertson – Method Valuation