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DEBT FUNDING

Whiterock provides flexible debt funding solutions to established and growing SMEs across Northern Ireland. Delivered through the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland (IFNI), our debt solutions support businesses at different stages of growth, from early expansion to larger-scale investment.

Choose the Right Debt Solution

Micro Finance

Best suited to: Smaller businesses with ambition to grow.
  • Smaller loan size £25k - £125k
  • Simpler structure
  • Faster, more accessible funding
  • Ideal for working capital and early growth

Debt Finance

Best for: Established SMEs with a proven business concept.
  • Larger facilities £126k – £2m
  • More structured funding
  • Designed for growth, expansion, and investment
  • Cashflow-led assessment
Read More about Debt Finance Below

What’s the Difference?

  • Micro Finance is designed to provide accessible funding to smaller or earlier-stage businesses that may not yet require or qualify for larger, more structured debt facilities.
  • Debt Finance is aimed at established SMEs with a proven trading history, offering larger loan sizes and more flexible structures to support growth, expansion, or capital investment.

Micro Finance

Whiterock provides micro finance loans to smaller businesses with ambition. This product supports businesses with a proven concept or early trading history that require working capital or investment to scale.

  • Fund: IFNI
  • Fund Size: £60m
  • Loan Size: £25k – £125k

Eligibility

  • SMEs based in Northern Ireland
  • Proven business concept with potential for growth
  • Demonstratable repayment capacity
  • Sector agnostic (with limited exceptions)
  • Complementary to existing sources of finance

Funding Terms

  • Terms typically up to 5 years
  • Monthly Repayments (capital & interest, flat rate)

Process

  • Enquiry
  • Approval
  • Drawdown
A simple, transparent process to deliver accessible finance.

Working Capital

Sales & Marketing

R&D Spend

New Products

Hiring Staff

Capital Spend

New Markets

Discuss Micro Finance with Us

Debt Finance

Whiterock’s debt finance offering provides flexible loan funding to support established SMEs across Northern Ireland. Facilities are designed to align with projected cashflows and longer-term business plans.
  • Fund : IFNI
  • Fund Size : £60m
  • Loan Size : £126k – £2m

Eligibility

  • SMEs based in Northern Ireland
  • Proven business concept with potential for growth
  • Demonstratable repayment capacity
  • Sector agnostic (with limited exceptions)
  • Complementary to existing sources of finance

Funding Terms

  • Terms typically up to 5 years
  • Monthly repayments (capital & interest, plus fee)
  • Flexible structures available to suit cashflow
  • Security typically second-ranking

Process

  • Enquiry
  • Approval
  • Diligence
  • Legals
  • Drawdown
A structured process designed to deliver growth-focused funding.

Working Capital

Sales & Marketing

R&D Spend

New Products

Hiring Staff

Capital Spend

New Markets

Discuss Debt Finance with Us

Not Sure Which Is Right?

If you’re unsure whether micro finance or debt finance is right for your business, our team will guide you through the options and structure funding that aligns with your growth plans. Visit our team page and reach out to a member of our debt team, or alternatively, visit out contact us page and fill out the enquiry form.

Whiterock Debt Team

Neil Mccabe

Partner

Rhona Barbour

Partner

Una Warnock

Investment Director

Jacob McConkey

Investment Manager

Ian Vance

Investment Analyst

Visit Our Team Page

Jamie Cairnduff

Head of Portfolio

Jamie graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a First-Class Honours Degree in Accounting and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants Ireland in 2016.

Jamie joined Whiterock in 2019, having spent 7 years in the Advisory team at BDO Northern Ireland, where she gained considerable experience in providing restructuring and advisory services to individuals and SMEs operating across a wide range of sectors. Her experience includes business growth planning, independent business reviews, viability studies, debt restructuring & refinancing, insolvency and asset tracing.

As Head of Portfolio Jamie is experienced in managing a diverse portfolio of SMEs operating across a multitude of sectors. Jamie is responsible for building relationships with the key individuals and developing an in-depth understanding of the business, its financial performance and overall strategic plans.  Jamie is also responsible for sourcing and executing follow-on investments.

Olivia Foster

Investment Executive

Olivia graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Finance and Investment Management from Ulster University in 2024. During her studies, she completed a placement year with Whiterock, gaining hands-on experience across investment, portfolio, and operational functions.

She rejoined Whiterock in September 2024 and is currently training to become a Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants Ireland, having successfully completed all CAP1 exams.

As an Investment Executive, she supports internal and external reporting, fund monitoring, credit papers, and investment committee processes across Whiterock’s investment, portfolio, and finance functions, with a growing focus on ESG integration.

Olivia brings a detail-oriented and collaborative approach to her work, helping to ensure high-quality delivery across Whiterock’s funds.

Caitlin Barber

Portfolio Analyst

Caitlin graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a First Class Honours degree in International Business. Caitlin is a qualified chartered accountant previously working at Sumer Northern Ireland for 4 years in the Audit, Accounts and Advisory team.

Caitlin is a Portfolio Analyst with a focus on building and maintaining key relationships within our diverse portfolio. She collaborates closely with SMEs to understand and support their core business functions and contributes to the development and execution of their strategic plans.