Growing Your Business

Green SME Fund

Check your green eligibility and register for the Green SME Fund

Designed to make investing in sustainable solutions more accessible and rewarding for businesses

Today we finance a number of industries that significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. We have a strategy to help our customers to reduce their emissions and to reduce our own. For more information visit www.hsbc.com/sustainability

Key benefits

Get 1% cashback on the loan value*.

For loans of £10k and below a Representative 11.3% APR** applies.

For loans over £10k and up to £25k a Representative 7.1% APR** applies.

Lending is subject to credit status.

Available to UK SMEs with a group annual turnover up to £25m. Loans start from £1k, or £50k for asset finance, with a maximum potential loan value of £25m

90% of the loan proceeds must be applied in alignment to one of the categories in our Green SME Fund Eligibility Guide.

Eligibility criteria and T & Cs apply.

Available for your business subject to you using loan proceeds to finance a range of green activities and to make your business more sustainable^**.

Demonstrate your commitment to sustainability with investment in green projects.

Meet changing customer demands by boosting your green credentials.

For loans of £10k and below a Representative 11.3% APR** applies.

For loans over £10k and up to £25k a Representative 7.1% APR** applies.

Lending is subject to credit status.

Products available through the fund include: Small Business Loan, Commercial Business Loan, Recovery Loan Scheme, Flexible Business Loan, Commercial Mortgage, Property Development Loan and Asset Finance including: Hire Purchase, Finance Lease, Asset Loan.

* The 1% cashback may be available to customers who can evidence that at least of 90% of their term loan has been applied for “green” purposes under the Eligibility Criteria. The cashback payment is calculated as 1% of the aggregate drawdowns in the 12-month period after the first drawdown.

**Representative APR is the advertised rate (or a lower rate) we reasonably expect at least 51% of people who are accepted for and enter into the loan agreement as a result of the advertising or marketing will pay.

Eligible Green Categories

A variety of different applications of your loan might be eligible for cashback, including those listed below. These categories are indicative and capture the most commonly used types of green projects.

Renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, waste, heat pumps, transmission and distribution lines)
Energy efficiency
Pollution prevention or control
Environmental sustainable management of living natural resources and land use
Terrestrial and biodiversity conservation
Clean / sustainable transport
Sustainable water and water waste management
Waste management
Climate change adaptation
Eco-efficient circular economy
Green buildings or developments

You can find more information in our Green SME Fund Eligibility Guide.

Cashback Calculation Examples

Here are some examples of how the cashback* calculation will work. Please note: if 90% of the loan is not applied towards eligible purposes then no cashback is payable:

A self-employed electrician working in London would like to borrow £25,000 to purchase an electric van. This will enable them to drive an efficient vehicle and reduce costs through congestion charge areas and ultra-low emission charges. They would like to use the HSBC UK Green SME Fund to access the cashback. As more than 90% of the loan was used for eligible purposes, the cashback will be provided on the total loan which equates to £250.
A company looking to retrofit solar panels to production facilities to support the generation of renewable energy will cost £10,000 and upgrading vehicles to fully electric will cost £120,000. Total approved loan £130,000. As at least 90% of the loan was used for eligible purposes they will receive cashback on the total loan value which equates to £1,300.

^{* The 1% cashback may be available to customers who can evidence that at least of 90% of their term loan has been applied for “green” purposes under the Eligibility Criteria. The cashback payment is calculated as 1% of the aggregate drawdowns in the 12-month period after the first drawdown.}

Cashback calculation

Important information

Interest rates

Price list

See the prices of our most frequently-used account services

Appeals for borrowing

If your lending application is declined, find out how you can appeal the decision

The Standards of Lending for Business customers

The Standards of Lending Practice for Business customers

£15bn lending fund

If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, come and talk to us about our £15bn lending fund for small businesses.

Guide to Business Borrowing

Find out which lending option might be right for you and what you should know before you apply

Check your green eligibility

Find more details about eligible projects or activities in our Green SME Fund Eligibility Guide.

Register for the Green SME Fund

We will contact you on or around the time your loan documentation is issued to you to provide further details around eligibility and how to apply.

To quality for the cashback payment, suitable evidence must be provided, which must be submitted to our online portal by no later than the end of the relevant period (12 months after the first loan drawdown).