In this review, we will cover Bigstone’s lending practices, how their corporate structure is set up, and how borrowers can apply. We’ll also evaluate the available verified Bigstone Business reviews and assess if this contributes to us recommending them as a trustworthy lender. 

🌐 Website:	https://www.bigstone.com.au/
®️ Logo:
📝 ABN:	44 603 289 658
📝 Credit License:	603 289 658
💰 Loan Amount	$10,000 to $2,000,000
⏲️ Loan Term	1 to 5 years
💸 Unsecured Loans?	Yes
⌚ Lender Requirements	Been in business for 2 years Has 1+ employees At least 1 Director must own property No bankruptcies
📃 Required:	Six months of bank statements, a copy of lease, Photo ID, documents related to your loan’s security (if applicable).
⏱️ Response Time:	Less than 24 hours
🌝 Easy to Apply:	Yes

The Nitty-gritty

💌 Online Reviews:	Trustpilot 14 reviews, 4.5 / 5
🏆 Awards and Recognition:	Wholesale Business of the Year and Retail Business of the Year from Optus MyBusiness Awards 2017, 2017 Communicator Award
💳 Minimal Interest Rates:	Not Specified
⚖️ Advantages	Fast funding for smaller loans
⚖️ Disadvantage’s	Bigstone does require reasonable credit Only works with businesses with 2+ years old Requires to have more than 1 employee
Compare Max Funding	Compare Max Funding with 30+ Australian Lenders on Lend.com

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Short Summary:

Bigstone offers a wide range of loan amounts to help Australian small businesses achieve their goals. They believe that if your business has excellent performance and profitability, you should have access to a loan – and fast. However, Bigstone does have several application criteria that borrowers must meet in order to qualify.

Company Story

Founded by Boyd Pederson, Liam McLagan, and Rob Morgan in 2014, Bigstone quickly began  making waves on the small business lender scene. Bigstone has raised millions of dollars in capital from investors, including diversified investments and venture capital firm, CVC. Bigstone Capital started lending in Australia in 2016, and enjoyed a lot of early success – including media coverage. This is, in large part, due to their unique peer-to-peer marketplace model of lending. They match small businesses with financing from wholesale investors – not a bad idea for diversifying risk and still getting funds to small businesses.

Bigstone is truly a fintech lender that disrupted the industry as we know it. Their lending process is seamless, and they received capital investments from investors who claim they were  drawn to Bigstone because of their strong leadership team, and their commitment to best practices.

Towards the end of 2021, Bigstone finance was acquired by leading non-bank corporate lender ‘Metrics’, as part of their growth in the SME lending sector. Since the acquisition, there has been no online presence from Bigstone, either across their website, social platforms or review pages. Despite the website remaining active, it’s unclear whether or not Bigstone have continued operating as an independent entity or whether they have merged operations with Metrics since the acquisition. 

Bigstone Client Reviews

Analysis of Client Reviews:

Having previously used a verified review page built into their website, Bigstone claimed their Trustpilot page in September 2018. Since then they have only amassed a total of 14 verified reviews, which is very low compared to other similar sized lenders in the market. With that said, these reviews have all been either 4 or 5 stars out of 5, praising the company for their comprehensive service and helpful staff. Given the same 2 or 3 staff members are frequently mentioned, it seems to suggest they have a fairly small team, which will be appealing to some customers, but potentially off putting for others who might prefer a more established lender with a larger pedigree. 

Seeing as Bigstone has been operating for more than 8 years, the fact they’ve received such a small number of verified reviews means we’re unable to recommend Bigstone as a secure lender, as we would have hoped to have seen a wider sample size of customer experiences.

Those looking for a more secure lender also based in Sydney, might consider one of many other small business loan companies in Sydney.

Bigstone Loan Compatibility

• Startup: No. Bigstone only works with businesses established for 2+ years
• Bad credit: No. Bigstone does require reasonable credit and a credit check.
• Sole trader: No, Bigstone requires you to have more than one employee.
• Established business: Yes, Bigstone works with established businesses.
• Turnover: Bigstone does not currently state (previously$250,000/year min in sales).

Bigstone Lender Review: Concluding Words

Bigstone made a splash when launching in 2014 for disrupting the funding model, making a promising start and generating a good couple rounds of capital funding. It’s not clear from their online presence whether or not they achieved their ambitions goals of expanding beyond Australia into other markets, however the fact they were acquired in late 2021, suggests that they were operating profitably and they had something of value to offer Metrics. However, with so few customer reviews and a very minimal online presence, it’s unclear what Bigstone Finance current operations are, despite being listed online as an operating subsidiary. For those looking for more peace of mind by working with a more well known and active business, there are other lenders in Australia which could in fact prove easier, more agile, and more trustworthy. Below are some of our finest selections.