Nighthawk Partners Announces Partnership with UK Export Finance to Unlock New Funding Pathways for UK SMEs

London, UK - Monday 23 March 2026 Nighthawk Partners, the UK’s leading early- and mid-stage multi-product lender, has announced a strategic partnership with UK Export Finance (UKEF) aimed at significantly expanding access to export funding for innovative small and medium-sized businesses across the UK.

The partnership will enable Nighthawk to deliver new export-focused financing solutions designed specifically for high-growth SMEs looking to scale internationally but facing barriers to accessing traditional bank lending.

At a time when global demand for UK innovation continues to rise, many early-stage and scaling businesses remain constrained by working capital challenges, long payment cycles, and limited access to flexible funding.

By combining Nighthawk’s expertise in non-dilutive capital with the backing of UK Export Finance, the partnership will open up new funding opportunities that allow ambitious companies to export, scale, and compete globally.

James Davis, Senior Partner at Nighthawk Partners, said:

“The UK builds extraordinary companies, but too often access to capital becomes the limiting factor when those businesses are ready to scale internationally.

This partnership with UK Export Finance is a major step forward in unlocking new funding pathways for SMEs that are driving innovation and growth across the UK economy.

At Nighthawk, we’ve built our funding platform to support businesses from innovation through to scale-up. By working alongside UKEF, we can now help even more companies access the flexible capital they need to export, grow and compete on a global stage.”

SMEs account for a huge proportion of UK businesses and generate over £2.8 trillion in turnover, which accounts for 51–52% of the total turnover of all private sector businesses and employs 16.9 million people (60% of the private sector workforce). Yet many remain underserved by traditional lending models that rely on long trading histories and asset-backed collateral.

Nighthawk was founded to address this funding gap, providing flexible, tailored capital solutions that evolve alongside companies as they grow.

The firm currently supports high-growth companies through four core financing products:

• R&D tax credit financing

• Government grant financing

• Term loans for growth capital

• Venture debt for scaling businesses

Through its partnership with UK Export Finance, Nighthawk will now be able to support SMEs looking to expand into international markets with funding solutions that better reflect the realities of modern high-growth businesses.

The collaboration is expected to unlock new capital flows into the UK innovation economy while helping ambitious businesses accelerate export growth.

Exporting remains one of the most powerful drivers of business scale, with exporting SMEs typically growing faster, creating more jobs, and contributing more significantly to regional economic development.

By broadening access to export finance, the partnership aims to help more UK companies transition from domestic success to global expansion.

James added:

“For founders and finance leaders building the next generation of UK businesses, access to capital should accelerate ambition, not hold it back.

Our partnership with UK Export Finance represents a powerful step towards ensuring that innovative UK SMEs have the funding support they need to scale globally.”

The partnership reflects a broader push across the UK innovation ecosystem to strengthen access to growth capital and ensure that ambitious companies can access funding earlier in their journey.

For innovative businesses looking to export internationally, the message is clear: the capital landscape is evolving.

And new opportunities are opening up.

About Nighthawk Partners

Nighthawk Partners is a UK-based early- and mid-stage multi-product lender providing flexible, non-dilutive capital to innovative, high-growth companies.

The firm supports businesses from seed stage through to IPO, delivering tailored financing solutions that evolve alongside companies as they grow.

Nighthawk provides funding through a range of facilities, including R&D tax credit financing, grant-backed lending, term loans, venture debt, and now export finance solutions through its partnership with UK Export Finance.

Since launch, Nighthawk has supported hundreds of innovative businesses across the UK innovation ecosystem.

For more information visit: www.nighthawk.partners