February 11, 2026

Lender Comparisons

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Kriya vs Nucleus Commercial Finance: Which Lender Is Better for UK Business Finance?

Compare Kriya and Nucleus Commercial Finance to choose the best lender. Evaluate their rates, fees, eligibility, and application processes to make an informed decision.

James Laden

Co-founder and CEO

8 years of experience working with major financial companies in the UK, and now focuses on making business funding simpler for SMEs through a faster, technology-led application journey.

This guide compares Kriya and Nucleus Commercial Finance for UK businesses weighing up working capital, cash flow and growth funding options. Both brands operate in the SME finance space, but they tend to suit different business models and funding triggers. The right choice can change your total cost, your repayment pressure, and how quickly you can access funds. We focus on what is publicly verifiable from current sources, and highlight where details vary by applicant or product.

TL;DR

Kriya is best known for B2B working capital tools such as invoice finance and B2B PayLater, which can align with businesses that invoice other businesses.
Nucleus Commercial Finance positions itself around business loans across a wide size range, including secured and unsecured options, with a quick online application.
Cost structures differ, invoice finance is typically tied to invoices and usage, while term loans are typically repaid on a fixed schedule.
Speed depends on eligibility, documentation, and the product chosen, both lenders market fast decisions but timelines vary.
If you are unsure which product fits, start by mapping your cash flow pattern, not just the headline rate.

Kriya vs Nucleus, numbers you can sanity check

This dashboard turns the clearest published figures into quick comparisons. Use it to see how each lender signals size, speed, and structure today, then confirm with a written quote for your exact case.

Amounts Speed Structure

Nucleus publishes a clear loan size range, which helps if you need to know early whether a lender can cover your target. Kriya does not publish one single cross product amount range on its main pages, so you should expect the maximum to depend on your invoices, debtors, and facility design. If you already know your funding need is above six figures, a stated upper bound can save time. If your need flexes with invoicing, the lack of a single headline range may be less important than advance rate and debtor fit.

Nucleus states a 2 minute application, which is a useful signal for how fast the first step can be. Kriya markets instant working capital but does not publish a fixed time to apply or decide, and invoice finance speed often hinges on checks on invoices and customers. Treat these numbers as front end speed, not cash in bank. If you need funds by a hard deadline, ask each lender what delays drawdown in cases like yours, for example security, director ID checks, or debtor verification.

This chart compares two structural signals that are stated in public materials. Kriya highlights advances of up to 90% for invoice finance, which matters if you need a high percentage of invoice value released quickly. Nucleus highlights breadth of loan amount, which matters if you want a single lump sum over a wide range. If your core issue is payment lag from B2B customers, advance rate and invoice eligibility tend to drive suitability more than a headline loan limit. If your core issue is a one off purchase or refinance, a term loan structure may be simpler to budget for.

Products and terms at a glance

Before comparing costs, it helps to pin down what each lender is actually offering to UK SMEs, and how the product structures differ in day to day use. Where you see a range, it is because the lender publishes multiple products or notes that terms vary by applicant.

Kriya, overview

Kriya’s UK facing brand is “Kriya”, using the kriya.co domain, and its group includes UK incorporated entities such as Kriya Finance Limited (Companies House). Kriya describes a suite of B2B financing solutions including invoice finance, B2B PayLater, and working capital loans, positioned around improving cash flow for businesses that sell to other businesses. In October 2025, Kriya announced it had been acquired by Allica Bank, with the completion date stated as 20 October 2025 in its press release, which is a useful freshness cross check for ownership and brand continuity going into 2026.

For readers new to the product category, invoice finance is covered in Funding Agent’s guide to invoice financing.

Pros

Product set is explicitly oriented around B2B cash flow tools, including Kriya’s stated invoice finance solution.
Invoice finance can be used selectively depending on the facility structure, which may suit businesses with uneven cash flow, Kriya markets “selective invoice financing” and advances, per its invoice finance page.
Kriya provides a single place to start for working capital loan enquiries via its working capital registration form, which can be helpful if you are not sure which sub product is best.

Cons

Public, UK specific pricing tables and fee schedules are not always shown on the main product pages, so total cost often needs a quote, Kriya’s materials emphasise product capability rather than publishing universal rates on its invoice finance page.
Invoice finance is not a like for like alternative to a term loan, if you do not invoice other businesses, eligibility and usefulness may be limited, as Kriya frames invoice finance as a tool to turn unpaid invoices into working capital on its invoice finance page.
Complaints handling details are not presented as a dedicated “complaints policy” page in search results, so you may need to start with Kriya’s contact page and request the current complaints process if you require it for governance.

Nucleus Commercial Finance, overview

Nucleus Commercial Finance’s UK facing brand is “Nucleus Commercial Finance”, using the nucleuscommercialfinance.com domain, and it trades through a UK company listed at Companies House as NUCLEUS COMMERCIAL FINANCE LIMITED. On its product pages, Nucleus presents business loans as a core offer and states it provides unsecured and secured options, with a “2 minute application” and “rapid decision” messaging. Nucleus also publishes a “small business loans” explainer that outlines product categories and states it offers business loans and revenue based loans, described as “two loan products”, on its small business loans page.

For readers comparing mainstream term lending to other structures, Funding Agent’s guide to unsecured business loans provides a baseline on how unsecured lending is commonly positioned in the UK SME market.

Pros

Clear public positioning around business loans with a wide stated range, Nucleus states “from £3k to £2m” on its business loans page.
Choice of unsecured and secured options is stated on the same page, which can be practical if you want to compare pricing versus security requirements, per Nucleus’s business loans overview.
Published application flow and speed claims are explicit, including “2 minute application” and “rapid decision” wording on the business loans page.

Cons

As with most SME lenders, pricing is not a single published rate card for all applicants, so your offer will depend on business profile and underwriting, Nucleus’s product pages describe options but do not present a universal rate table on the business loans page.
Some public pages focus on marketing claims rather than full terms, you may need to review the lender’s legal documentation after an offer is produced, and compare it to your internal finance policy.
“Nucleus” is also a name used by other UK financial services firms, so when researching complaints or regulatory information you should confirm you are using Nucleus Commercial Finance’s own pages, for example its contact page and its privacy notice, rather than similarly named but unrelated firms.

Costs and repayments in practice

Cost comparisons can be misleading unless you line up the repayment model with your cash flow. Broadly, Kriya’s invoice finance is typically structured around advancing against specific invoices and charging fees based on usage and the time until the invoice is paid, as implied by Kriya’s positioning of turning invoices into working capital on its invoice finance page. Nucleus’s business loans are positioned as term lending where you repay over a defined schedule, with the loan amount and structure determined during underwriting, as set out on Nucleus’s business loans page.

If you want to sanity check repayment pressure before applying, Funding Agent’s business loan calculator can help you estimate monthly payments for a term loan style product. (Calculator outputs are estimates and do not replace lender quotes.)

Cost and repayment feature	Kriya	Nucleus Commercial Finance
Primary published product focus	B2B PayLater, invoice finance, working capital loans, per Kriya’s homepage	Business loans, including secured and unsecured, per Nucleus business loans
How repayments typically happen	Often linked to invoice settlement, depending on facility terms, Kriya positions advances against invoices on its invoice finance page	Typically fixed repayments over an agreed term, as a standard loan structure, per Nucleus’s business loans page
How costs are commonly expressed	Fees and advance structures vary by facility and applicant, quote based, product described on Kriya invoice finance	Pricing varies by product and applicant, quote based, product described on Nucleus business loans
Funding size signals on public pages	Not consistently published as a single range across all products, depends on product and applicant, see Kriya’s product overview	States a range “from £3k to £2m” on business loans
Best fit cash flow pattern	Businesses issuing B2B invoices and wanting to reduce payment lag, per Kriya’s framing of invoice finance on its solution page	Businesses that prefer predictable loan repayments for general purposes, aligned to Nucleus’s positioning on business loans

Worked example 1, Kriya (illustrative)

Scenario: A recruitment business invoices a corporate client £50,000 with 60 day payment terms, and wants to improve cash flow without waiting for the invoice to settle.

Assumptions (illustrative): The business uses an invoice finance facility that provides an advance against a single invoice, and the lender advances “up to 90%”, which is a figure Kriya uses in its invoice finance positioning on the invoice finance page. Assume the business draws the maximum 90% advance, and the customer pays on day 60. Fees, service charges, and any discount charges are not specified publicly in a single rate card on the cited page, so treat the cost as quote dependent.

What the cash flow could look like: Advance received could be up to £45,000 (90% of £50,000), subject to eligibility, invoice quality, and facility terms per Kriya’s invoice finance description. When the customer pays, the lender would reconcile the invoice, release any remaining balance (often called the reserve) and deduct agreed fees, but the actual fee method and amounts should be confirmed in your offer documentation.

What to watch: In invoice finance, your “cost” is often sensitive to how quickly customers pay, how many invoices you fund, and whether there are minimum fees. Because Kriya’s public page does not publish a full fee schedule, you should request a written quote and confirm all charges, including any service fees and whether there are fees for paying early or switching facilities.

Worked example 2, Nucleus Commercial Finance (illustrative)

Scenario: A small manufacturer wants £100,000 to purchase equipment and smooth working capital, and prefers a predictable monthly repayment.

Assumptions (illustrative): The business applies for a business loan through Nucleus’s online process. Nucleus states it offers business loans with a “2 minute application” and “rapid decision” and a range of “unsecured and secured options”, per its business loans page. The example assumes a 36 month term with fixed monthly repayments, but Nucleus does not publish a universal APR on that page, so any rate used would be speculative, and is therefore omitted.

What the cash flow could look like: If approved for a 36 month amortising loan, the business would make equal repayments each month for 36 months. You can approximate monthly repayment sensitivity using a neutral tool like Funding Agent’s unsecured business loan calculator, but the lender’s final repayment schedule will depend on the offer.

What to watch: With term loans, your cost is usually sensitive to the interest rate, fees, and whether early settlement fees apply. Because the public Nucleus product page focuses on high level features, you should check your offer document carefully for arrangement fees, broker fees where applicable, security requirements, and whether early repayment changes total cost.

Speed and service

Both lenders market speed, but speed in practice depends on how complex your case is, your documentation readiness, and the product. For Kriya, invoice finance speed commonly depends on how quickly the lender can verify invoices and debtor details, and on your onboarding. Kriya’s invoice finance page positions the product as providing “instant working capital” and an advance for selective invoice financing, see Instant Invoice Finance Solutions, but it does not publish a guaranteed funding timeline, so treat timing as case dependent.

Nucleus is more explicit in its marketing about application pace, stating “2 minute application” and “rapid decision” on its business loans page. It also states “funding amounts from £3k to £2m” on that same page, but again the time to drawdown will depend on underwriting, any security, and completion of legal documentation.

Service factors to compare in your due diligence include support hours, onboarding help, and how disputes and complaints are handled. For Kriya, a starting point for support is its contact page. For Nucleus, the lender publishes a direct contact page with address, phone and email on its contact page, and it sets out complaint contact instructions in its privacy notice (including an email address for complaints), which you can use to request the latest complaints procedure if you need the full policy document.

Who each lender suits

Below are neutral scenarios to help you shortlist, they are not endorsements, and you should validate against current eligibility criteria and offers.

You invoice other businesses and want to reduce payment lag. Kriya may be a better first conversation if your main pain point is waiting 30 to 90 days for customers to pay. Kriya explicitly positions invoice finance as a way to access cash against invoices.
You want a single lump sum with predictable repayments. Nucleus may suit if you want a standard business loan structure and to repay over time. Nucleus focuses on business loans with unsecured and secured options.
You need flexibility and do not want to borrow more than necessary. Invoice linked products can sometimes be used as needed rather than as a full term loan, depending on facility structure, and Kriya’s selective invoice finance positioning suggests a usage based approach for some customers.
You want to compare secured vs unsecured pathways early. Nucleus presents both secured and unsecured options on the same business loans overview page, which can make it easier to scope trade offs before you commit to a route.

How to apply

Application steps and required documents can change, so treat the steps below as a practical checklist and confirm the exact requirements on the lender’s current pages or with their team.

Applying to Kriya

Start on Kriya’s official site and choose the relevant product route, for invoice finance see Kriya invoice finance, for working capital loan enquiries see get working capital.
Be ready to share information that supports underwriting and onboarding for the product you select, for example business details and, for invoice finance, details of invoices and customers. Kriya indicates it checks sources such as Companies House in its FAQ content, see Kriya FAQ, but the specific list of required documents should be confirmed during application.
If you need help or want to clarify support and complaints routes, use Kriya’s contact page to reach the appropriate team.

Applying to Nucleus Commercial Finance

Start with the official business loans page and proceed via the apply journey. Nucleus states a “2 minute application” and “rapid decision” on that page, which sets expectations for initial submission speed, not necessarily for final drawdown.
Expect credit and affordability checks, and be prepared to provide documents commonly requested in SME lending, such as management accounts, bank statements, and business identifiers, although Nucleus does not publish a single definitive checklist on the cited page, so requirements may vary.
For customer service queries, use the official contact page. For complaints contact details, Nucleus includes a complaints email route in its privacy notice, which you can use to request the current complaints procedure document.

Final verdict

These are decision rules of thumb based on publicly verifiable positioning, always confirm a written quote and review the loan agreement or facility terms before proceeding.

Choose Kriya if:

You have B2B invoices and want funding linked to those invoices, consistent with Kriya’s invoice finance positioning.
Your need is primarily to smooth cash flow between invoicing and payment, rather than to fund a one off purchase.
You prefer a facility style approach where funding can track sales volume, subject to underwriting and facility design.
You are comfortable with quote based pricing and will compare the full schedule of fees once offered.

Choose Nucleus Commercial Finance if:

You want a straightforward business loan with a defined repayment plan, as described on Nucleus’s business loans page.
You want to explore unsecured versus secured options within one lender conversation, per the same page.
You value a fast initial application flow, with Nucleus stating a “2 minute application” and “rapid decision” on its business loans page.
You are looking for a lender that publicly states a broad loan size range, from £3k to £2m, on its business loans page.

If you want to compare these options alongside other lenders, and get a recommendation based on your cash flow and eligibility, you can start with Funding Agent and submit a short enquiry via the form.