Vendor Financing

Vendor finance is finance provided to companies by suppliers. In such arrangements, a vendor will make capital available to enable customers to purchase products from the vendor. Vendor financing ties borrowers into a commercial relationship with suppliers. The two parties will almost always have a pre-existing business relationship. A vendor lending agreement will require the borrower to pay a deposit for goods provided and repay the principal along with any interest as agreed over a set period of time. Typically, vendor loans come with high interest and are collateralised by goods purchased or by other business assets. Vendor financing can also be provided in the form of equity, in which case rather than providing vendor loans, recipients give the provider equity in the company. In acquisition financing, a form of vendor financing known as a vendor take-back (VTB) is when a buyer finances or part-finances the purchase of a company or company assets via financing from the seller, who receives the financing back over time.