Export Finance Boost for UK SMEs led by veterans

Small businesses led by veterans will find the door to international trade easier to open.

UK Export Finance (UKEF), the government’s export credit agency, today launched a partnership with specialist broker Finance for Forces designed to close a critical gap that has long plagued ex-servicemen turning their hand to business: getting the right money, at the right time, to chase orders overseas.

For the thousands of veterans who have built businesses since leaving the uniform, the desire to export is rarely in doubt. The cash flow to underwrite that ambition, however, was another matter. Under the new scheme, Finance for Forces, founded by Russell Lewis MC and Paul Goodman, will be able to introduce eligible customers to UKEF’s range of short-term products for small exporters, including working capital guarantees, bond-backed guarantees and export insurance policies. UKEF, in turn, will back veteran-led firms back in another way where the fit is right.

It is a neat piece of federal government, and comes with a clear strategic background. This partnership is clearly designed to support the Veterans Government Strategy, established in November 2025, which places the former community as a national economic asset instead of a social one, citing leadership, discipline and a working word that translates, again and again surprisingly, into strong commercial SMEs.

In addition to the referral pipeline, the two organizations will conduct information sessions and networking events aimed at demystifying export finance, an area that even seasoned entrepreneurs can find labyrinthine. For seasoned entrepreneurs, many of whom are scaling for the first time, that handshake may be as important as the products themselves.

Chris Bryant, Minister of State for Trade, said the partnership was about turning work into trade reward. “Our veterans have shown extraordinary courage and dedication in serving the nation, and their skills should be matched with real business opportunities,” he said. “This partnership will help turn business ambitions into export success, helping veteran-led businesses access international markets with the support and confidence they deserve.”

Tim Reid, who is the chief executive of UKEF, said that the money released by this organization is what is important in this step. “Supporting small businesses to export and grow is at the heart of UKEF’s mission. By working with Finance for Forces, we can reach veteran-led businesses and help them access the finance they need to win international contracts, enter new markets and grow with confidence.”

Paul Goodman, the founder of Finance for Forces, was perhaps not clear on the real problem it aims to solve. “Veterans bring leadership, tenacity and business focus, but navigating trade finance can be challenging,” he said. “This partnership with UKEF will help veteran-led firms understand their options and access the funding they need to improve exports and accelerate growth.”

For UKEF, the announcement sits within a wider push to dismiss any name that continues as a place particularly for heavy corporations. The agency has spent recent years reforming SMEs in all corners of the country, promising fast response times and highly targeted support regardless of location, size or ownership. Focusing on a dedicated channel for a veteran business community, a region with a strong history of resilience and follow-up, looks, on its face, like a logical bet.

Whether the partnership translates into a meaningful increase in veteran-led export volume will depend, as ever, on awareness and implementation. But for founders who have spent years wondering if the foreign funding system is really built for businesses like theirs, the answer has been encouraging.