Capify Australia: Review for Borrowers
This Capify review will help readers gain a better understanding of what Capify – the small business lender – is like as a company. We look at how Capify is controlled, the solutions that Capify offer, and what it is that makes Capify one of Australia’s most successful online lenders. We will of course run through what Capify looks for in prospective borrowers and what Capify clients have had to say about their experiences too. Read the following Capify review to see if they suit your business financing needs.
| 🌐 Website: | https://www.capify.com.au |
| ®️ Logo: |  |
| 📝 ABN: | 38 630 469 117 |
| 📝 Credit License: | 630 469 117 |
| 💰 Loan Amount | $5,000 – $500,000 (Unsecured) $100,000 – $5,000,000 (Secured) |
| ⏲️ Loan Term | 3 months – 12 months (Unsecured) Flexible terms from 1 month (Secured) |
| 💸 Unsecured Loans? | Unsecured Loans are Available |
| ⌚ Lender Requirements |
|
| 📃 Required: | For loans under $150,000: Bank statements for the last 12 months & front and back of the owner’s ID. Users can automatically share bank statements to Capify’s software. For loans over $150,000: Business financials, tax returns, business activity statements |
| ⏱️ Response Time: | Pre-approval within 24hours, Funds issued within 24hours of approval. |
| 🌝 Easy to Apply: | Yes, fully online (expedited application here) |
The Nitty-gritty
| 💌 Online Reviews: | 99% positive feedback from borrowers online. Borrowers are pleased with the quick application process and ease of receiving funds. |
| 🏆 Awards and Recognition: |
|
| 💳 Minimal Interest Rates: | No interest rates as such. Capify sets a total payback amount in your loan contract which is paid as part of your consistent daily or weekly repayment. 3% origination fee. |
| ⚖️ Advantages |
|
| ⚖️ Disadvantages |
|
| ⚖️ Compare Capify | Compare Capify with 20+ Australian Lenders on Lend.com |
| Review Table of Contents |
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What Products do Capify Offer?
Capify offers three main products; Unsecured Business Loans,Merchant Cash Advances and, new to 2023, secured business loans.
Capify Unsecured Business Loans
Capify launched unsecured business loans in Australia in 2008– ranging from $5,000 – $500,000 – with all loans incurring a 3% origination fee (fairly standard, if not perhaps at the top end of the 2-3% charged in the online lending industry). Loans up to $500,000 will cover most of the SME market and most commonly, a typical client is seeking small business loans between the $20,000 – $50,000 range.
In your repayment schedule, the repayment amount is presented as one fixed sum – easier to digest for customers but not the same as being shown in APR so it’s important to consider this if you’re comparing rates between different providers. Simply understand your loan costs relative to a full 12-month repayment schedule.
Loans are provided to the business but do require a guarantee by the business owner, which could potentially influence other areas of the person’s life such as creditworthiness and credit score. It’s this directors’ guarantee which Capify utilises in place of collateral. Making Capify quite unique in providing loans up to the value of $500,000 on an unsecured basis. Prospa, for comparison, offers unsecured business loans up to $150,000.
Capify Merchant Cash Advance
As there are very few Merchant Cash Advance providers for small businesses in Australia, it does make Capify a very good option for this form of business finance. A Merchant Cash Advance is ideal for retailers or businesses who accept credit and debit cards with point-of-sale card readers or accept card payments online. As an alternative to a business loan, a merchant cash advance is a real way to match working capital requirements to the sales your business makes. Rather than a fixed repayment amount that is paid daily or weekly, Capify will deduct a percentage of each day’s point-of-sale revenue until the amount borrowed + merchant cash advance fees are repaid.
As a merchant cash advance involves paying a fixed percentage of your revenue from your daily card sales it can be particularly helpful for the small businesses in Australia seeking working capital but see sales fluctuate from day-to-day or season-to-season.
Capify Secured Finance Loans
New in 2023, Capify has launched secured business financing. Secured loans are available from $100,000 all the way through to a sizable $5 million, and a wide number of business assets and mortgages can be used to secure the loan. ‘Cross-collateralization’ is possible, allowing borrowers to use more than one asset as security. If valuation of an asset is required, the borrower is responsible to cover the cost of this.
Capify offers secured funding at a Loan to Value Ratio of 75%, so bear this in mind for the total amount of finance you can access. Interest rates start at 1.5% per month and interest-only solutions are available, leaving the principal to be paid in full at the end of the loan.
Secured loans from Capify can be used for virtually any business purpose, including distressed construction loans, bridging finance and paying ATO debt.
COVID Flexible Loans (Now Ended)
The COVID flexible loan was a hybrid financing option between Capify’s standard short term business loan and a Merchant Cash Advance.It was for SMEs who took the majority of their sales digitally and provided the flexibility to repay the loan in line with revenue, rather than fixed repayments. We keep it for reference to demonstrate Capify’s flexibility and innovation during a tough period for economic activity which saw some lenders completely halt their operations.
Company Story
Capify has been in business for over 20 years and has financed over $500,000,000 in small business loans around the world to date. The firm has multiple investors and holds a credit facility with Goldman Sachs, so the pedigree and reputation of the business is obviously strong. The core focus on service and simplicity has served Capify well and it’s these same foundations that the firm operates on today.
Despite not being a traditional bank lender, they’ve won several awards for business excellence and for excellent business lending practices. In addition to the provision of Australian small business loans, Capify offers its lending services in the UK market. In years gone by, Capify also operated in Canada and the US but exited both markets in the last couple of years (closing its Canadian operations and selling its US loan book – more on this in the footer).
All of this has resulted in Capify being one of Australia’s primary business lenders. The application process takes as little as 60 seconds and Capfy has always been known for their fast turnaround time to make a lending decision. Applications are pre-approved within 24 hours and once a loan is agreed, funds are issued within a further 24 hours. Arguably, other Australian business lenders have now caught up with Capify in terms of speed and some, such as Prospa, who are perhaps even faster (fine margins though and both are still much faster than the big banks).
Capify values small businesses and works to provide “simple, quick and responsible access to funding.” This is all outlined in Capify’s ‘Bill of Rights’ which is intended to outline their mission and values. The Capify Bill of Rights states that lending should be: “Transparent, Responsible, Unwavering, Ethical.” This summarises to “True” Business Lending – and they plan to stick by these philosophies no matter where the industry changes or shifts.
Unsecured Capify loans are for 3-12 months. And with loans between $5,000 – $500,000 there’s a fairly vast scope to help everyone on an unsecured basis. SMEs seeking a higher amount of finance, or simply lower interest rates and improved terms, now have even more options with the launch of Capify Secured Finance. Loans are available all the way through to $5 million and Capify will consider loans above this amount on an ad-hoc basis.
In addition to the $135 million credit facility Capify secured with Goldman Sachs in 2019, Capify secured a further $15 million AUD in private investment in 2020. The fact that Capify was able to raise $15 million as an online small business lender in the midst of a global economic shutdown, we think vouches for Capify’s business model and loan book.
In late 2022, Capify announced a $40m fund to “help SMEs meet financial challenges”. It’s not often that lenders specifically carve out capital for these types of businesses and is further testament to Capify’s attempt to keep their lending channels open during difficult economic times. COO John Rozenbroek commented “As we saw in that last great recession, traditional banks restrict their lending criteria in uncertain times and make it difficult for SMEs to get the finance they so desperately need. Our new fund is a specific response to this gap in the funding landscape.”
Overall, Capify is a respected and reputable SME lender that is now in its third decade of trading. Nowadays, there are a significant number of Capify reviews for an interested borrower to explore, and the vast majority of them are positive.
Success Stories with Capify:
Capify Client Reviews
- TrustPilot Australia: 337 Reviews, 87% Excellent, 12% Great, <1% Poor, <1% Bad – , 4.8 / 5 Total Score (Excellent)
- TrustPilot UK: 4.6 / 5 (430 Reviews)
The Feedback:
There is strong feedback across the board for Capify Australia, with some Capify reviews detailing:
“Capify are a great team. Definitely recommend them for when you need some quick funds. Huge thumbs up”.
“Professional, friendly, rapid & hassle free. Didn’t have to “jump through hoops” considering the substantial sum lent”.
There are five reports of bad feedback, two of them are for the same reason – users who were rejected for funding. So this may suggest Capify are more stringent than other loan providers. The three other pieces of poor feedback felt fees were too high – in one case Capify successfully helped them with the capital for an impending ATO payment but they wouldn’t use Capify again, in the other cases they felt the huge premium they paid was not necessary.
In recent reviews throughout 2022 and 2023, the overwhelming majority have rated Capify five stars, a handful have rated Capify four stars and there were no negative reviews.
Analysis of Client Reviews:
There are just over 300 Capify Australia reviews online. The vast majority of them are either excellent or great – with just three disgruntled and two rejected borrowers thrown in, as well. Positive reviews state that the application and lending process is easy, response time is fast, and Capify’s instant quote service is helpful. Many of the Capify reviews specifically mention their contact at Capify too, personally naming many members of staff, attesting to the great service provided by Capify.
Capify.com.au Website:
Capify’s website is what you would have expected from one of the most recognizable names in business financing in Australia. A smooth, mobile friendly, and informative website that can be used by both seasoned SME owners and newcomers to the world of online business financing. There is also a huge variety of information in their help centre and a great place for first time borrowers to start.
The features of a Capify business loan and the minimum borrowing criteria that Capify sets are clearly displayed and easy to find on Capify’s site. Leaving no ambiguity which could cause unnecessary application delays and wasted time.
Capify Australia – Loan Compatibility
- Startup: No, but lower than the industry standard. Capify works with companies which have been in operation for at least 6 months.
- Bad credit: Yes, but Capify does require a personal guarantee from the owner of the business.
- Sole trader: Yes, Capify has no requirements regarding whether or not they work with sole traders and provide sole trader loans.
- Established business: Yes, Capify will accept established businesses.
- Turnover: Capify does require at least $10,000/month turnover.
Key Points
Capify offers SME loans by paying back a small percentage of the principal loan, either daily or weekly, as a fixed amount over time (except for the Merchant Cash Advance which is better suited to businesses whose sales fluctuate as it works on a % of sales).
Capify Review Summary
Overall
- Credibility - 100%100%
- Client Reviews - 97%97%
- Website - 90%90%
- Compatibility - 92%92%
Editor's Conclusions
Capify is one of the best known and friendliest lenders in Australia. It’s been operating smoothly for 16 years and has received nothing besides positive feedback. If you want quick and hassle-free small business financing, Capify is one of the best options for you.
Capify is obviously among the top 3 largest and most respected lenders in the Australian small business loans market alongside competitors like Prospa and OnDeck. Capify has one of the most flexible and exciting platforms to use, requires the least documents and information to make a choice, and is one of the quickest to make a lending decision and fund.
Best for the following industries:
✓ Retailers
✓ Hospitality
✓ Automotive
Merchant Cash Advance – Important Information on Factor Rates and Interest Rates
Much like other small business lenders Capify uses a ‘factor-rate’ for its Merchant Cash Advance rather than interest rates. Factor rates are not the same as traditional interest because the repayment rate never goes down as the principal loan amount is repaid.
Factor rates and interest rates are entirely different concepts.
With a factor rate, the fee is calculated once (at the initial stage of applying for the loan) based upon the original borrowing amount.With interest, repayments are calculated over time as a percentage of the remaining loan amount, until the loan is paid off.
This key difference changes the dynamics of how loans are paid off, and therefore, how cost-efficient they are for the borrower. As a rule of thumb, the longer the duration of the loan, the more disadvantageous factor rates become
Capify Australia – Background Information & Research
Capify has provided more than $100 million unsecured loans in Australia since 2008, originally under the brand name of AUSvance. It currently lends around $40 million per year as an aggregated total of all its activities in Australia only.
Business Consolidation
Capify was part of a global lending group with AUSvance operating across Australia since 2008; AmeriMerchant operating across the United States since 2002; United Kapital and Capiota operating throughout the United Kingdom since 2007 andTrue North Capital operating throughout Canada since 2007.
Once the companies became established in their respective marketplaces, Mr Goldin united the businesses under a single name — Capify. Form 2008 – 2017 Capify was headquartered in New York, USA, and had more than 200 employees globally across 4 countries. More recently it has focused purely on non-bank high-growth small business loan sectors in the UK and Australia, closing its Canadian operation and transitioning its US clients to an alternative SME business loan provider known as Strategic Funding Source.
Capify History – Notable Developments
In 2013, Capify raised $30 million from undisclosed private investors.
In 2015, Capify partnered with Alibaba. The Alibaba partnership was designed to simplify online commerce and buying/selling of goods online, not to compete with banks. Capify offers Alibaba users the ability to apply for an unsecured loan of between $5,000 and $400,000 from Capify using an automated 60 second credit scoring model.
In 2017, Capify announced a developing partnership reminiscent of a slow-motion takeover with Strategic Funding Source Inc. The terms of the deal were to l see Capify’s US customers “integrated” into Strategic Funding Source’s adaptive proprietary operating platform.
Both Strategic Funding and Capify had been providing non-bank financing options to small and mid-size businesses for over a decade. The integration enabled Strategic Funding to expand its US operations by marketing to and providing capital to Capify’s customer base.
For Capify customers that wish to renew their existing financing, merchant cash advances or business loans, they will automatically become “a part of the Strategic Funding family of customers” according to Capify. In effect, Strategic Funding Source absorbed all of Capify’s customers into its own operations.
According to a joint statement from Capify and Strategic Funding Source Inc, as part of the transition, many of Capify’s New York-based employees were to become part of the larger and growing family of employees at Strategic Funding.
With the clients now transitioning to Strategic Funding, this has now signalled the close of Capify in both the US and Canada.
Big Funding in 2019
In 2019, Capify announced a huge investment backing from the juggernaut Goldman Sachs through Goldman’s Private Equity Division. $135m was injected by Goldman Sachs to further expand the Australia and UK divisions of Capify and further increase the lending they conduct. Capify has traditionally “outgrown its previous credit facilities” and Capify’s CEO David Goldin said that with this bold support the firm could double its annual lending.
As the first lender to enter the Australian small business loan market David had this to say “We were the first lender here, so in a way there was no competition, but we actually had one really big competitor – awareness.” Now that more and more customers are becoming aware of the alternatives to the banks, Capify believes they have the right foundations to build on this with rapid market share growth.
A further $15m raised in 2020
Capify confirmed that it would start issuing more loans after securing $15 million in equity capital, a move which showed confidence in Capify’s strategy in what was a very tough year for businesses and lenders. CEO David Goldon had this to say at the time “Most businesses have already accessed the CBILS and Business Bounce Back Loan Scheme but will still need additional capital – as do the many businesses that didn’t qualify for the Government backed programmes and are seeking much needed working capital to grow.”
$40m raised in 2022
In late 2022, Capify announced a $40m fund to “help SMEs meet financial challenges”. As interest rates go up, and business lending becomes more challenging, this was likely a necessity to keep the company strong and active.