SBCI loans: what is open to borrowers today, what has closed and what is coming

How SBCI money reaches a business

The SBCI was set up in 2014 to make lower-cost credit available to small and medium businesses. It works in two ways.

• Cheaper funding. It lends to finance companies at a low cost. It says it checks that the saving is passed on in full to the businesses they lend to.
• Guarantees. It agrees to cover most of a lender's loss if a borrower cannot repay. In its recent schemes that was up to 80% of each loan.

Either way, the lender decides using its own credit rules. The guarantee is given to the lender, not to you. If you borrow under an SBCI scheme you still owe the whole loan.

What is open on 3 October 2026

The SBCI says it is currently putting its funding through five lenders, and its partners page has their contact details. These are the products you can apply for now.

Microfinance Ireland is the only one of these aimed at very small firms. We cover its loan sizes, its interest rate and what you have to send on a separate page.

If leasing or invoice finance is new to you, read what each kind of business finance is and what it costs first.

The scheme that ended on 30 June 2026

The Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme was the SBCI's main scheme for ordinary businesses and farms. It offered loans of €25,000 to €3 million over 7 to 10 years, with no security needed up to €500,000.

It opened in September 2023 and was set to run until 30 June 2026 or until the money was used up. By 30 June 2026 the SBCI had issued 5,444 eligibility codes, and lenders had approved 2,358 loans worth €556 million.

It is not taking new applications. The SBCI has taken down its application page and no longer lists the scheme among its products. AIB says the scheme is paused for new applications. Close Brothers Commercial Finance, another of the lenders, says it is now closed.

If you were given an eligibility code before the end date, ask the lender you applied to where your application stands. We could not find a published answer.

What is coming, and when

The Business Loan Scheme. On 6 July 2026 the SBCI invited lenders to deliver a new scheme of smaller, shorter loans. On 6 August 2026 it withdrew that invitation and said a replacement would be published shortly. Nothing has been published since.

The withdrawn document set out these draft terms:

• a fund of up to €50 million, to be lent over 24 months
• term loans of €5,000 to €150,000, over 1 to 7 years
• no security
• an interest rate of no more than 5.99%, including the guarantee fee
• for working capital or investment, by businesses with fewer than 250 staff
• not for farming, fishing or fish farming, and not for refinancing existing debt or pure property deals
• an eligibility code from the SBCI's online hub first, then an application to a lender

A second series of the Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme. The SBCI's annual report for 2025 says it plans to bring a further €500 million to market during 2026, with at least 30% kept for climate and environmental investment. No lenders or opening date had been announced when we checked.

Older schemes people still ask about

All of these are closed. The dates come from the SBCI's own list of previous schemes.

Not sure about a different scheme? Look it up in our list of open and closed business schemes.

The Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme is not a business loan

This scheme sits beside the business products on the SBCI website, but it is for homes. The borrower must be an individual, not a company, and the loan must be for a residential property.

It gives unsecured loans of €5,000 to €75,000 per property for energy upgrades, and the work must also be getting a grant from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Loans are available until 31 December 2026, unless the money is used up first.

Who cannot use SBCI finance

• Anyone hoping to apply to the SBCI itself. It has no loans for the public.
• Businesses with 250 or more staff. Most products are for small and medium firms only. Green Transition Finance goes up to 499 staff.
• Businesses that can borrow from a bank, in the case of Microfinance Ireland.
• Property developers and share dealers. Finór's SBCI terms rule out pure real estate development and the purchase of shares.
• Farmers and fishers, for Finór's standard SBCI leasing. It has a separate SBCI farm investment loan of €25,000 to €500,000.

Each lender applies its own credit rules on top of these. If AIB, Bank of Ireland or PTSB turns you down for a business loan, you can ask Credit Review to examine the bank's decision.

Common questions