At a glance
| Eligibility check | 60 seconds, no credit score impact |
|---|---|
| Decision | Same business day in most cases |
| Funding (cash-flow) | As little as 2 hours after approval |
| Funding (property-secured) | As little as 24 hours, up to $5M |
| Application fee | None |
Why owners choose us when it's urgent
"Fast" gets used loosely in lending. For us it means specific hours: minutes to see if you qualify, hours for a decision, and funds that can land the same day or the next.
We get there by keeping each loan type simple. Property-secured loans skip the financial review entirely. Cash-flow loans use read-only bank statement technology instead of accountant-prepared financials. Nothing sits in a queue waiting for a committee.
Still working out which kind of finance fits? The Business Loan Store is an Australian marketplace we work with where you can compare business loans across the wider market, including lenders we do not compete with. Worth a look before you commit to anything.
Who it suits
- Owners who need money this week, not next month
- Businesses that want a clear yes or no before lunch
- Anyone comparing online lenders on speed
- Companies, trusts, partnerships and sole traders with an ABN
How it works
- Check eligibility60 seconds online, with no credit score impact.
- We pick your fastest laneProperty-secured (up to $5M, no financials) or cash-flow (bank statements).
- Get a decisionUsually the same business day, with every cost in writing.
- Get fundedIn as little as 2 hours (cash-flow) or 24 hours (property-secured).
What you'll need
- Photo ID
- Your ABN
- Property details or business bank statements
- What the money is for
Not needed: No tax returns or accountant-prepared financials on either lane.
A café that needed a new espresso machine by Saturday
A Brisbane café's machine died on a Wednesday, right before its busiest weekend. The owner had 14 months of steady card takings. We assessed the bank statements that morning and funded a short cash-flow loan the same afternoon. The new machine was running by Friday.
Fast compared with what?
Speed only means something next to the alternatives. These are typical times from enquiry to cleared funds across the main kinds of business finance in Australia. Where a figure is a median, it comes from our own loan book.
| Route | Typical time to funds | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Major bank term loan | Two to six weeks | Financials, tax returns, serviceability and a credit committee |
| Refinance to a new lender | Several weeks | A full application, a valuation and the old loan discharged |
| Invoice finance | Median about 4 days | A debtor ledger the lender can verify |
| Asset finance | Median about 2 days | A supplier invoice; the asset is the security |
| Line of credit | Median about 24 hours | Bank statements, then draw when you need it |
| Cash-flow loan | As little as 2 hours after approval; median about 24 hours | 6+ months of business bank statements |
| Second mortgage, or caveat loan in Victoria | As little as 24 hours; median about 36 hours | Equity and an exit — no financials |
| First mortgage on unencumbered property | Median about 12 hours | A clear title and an exit |
The pattern surprises most people: lending secured by property is at the fast end, not the slow end, because it is assessed on equity and on how the loan gets repaid rather than on trading history. The full dataset is in our Funding Speed Report.
Where do the hours actually go?
Speed in lending is almost never about the decision. It is about how long the inputs take to gather.
A bank is slow because accountant-prepared financials, serviceability calculations and a credit committee are slow — not because the credit officer is. Remove those inputs and replace them with a title search, an equity position and an exit, or with a read-only bank feed, and the same decision can be made before lunch.
That is the entire mechanism. There is no trick to it and no shortcut being taken on diligence; there is a different set of questions that happen to be answerable quickly.
Quick, fast or instant: which lane are you in?
| If you | Then | Funded in |
|---|---|---|
| Own property, any type | No financials, no minimum trading period, bad credit considered | As little as 24 hours |
| Do not own property, 6+ months trading | Assessed from business bank statements | As little as 2 hours |
| Do not own property, under 6 months trading | Worth a conversation — there may be other options | Case by case |
| Own property and need more than $5M | Structured individually | Talk to us |
What a quick application actually asks for
There is a persistent belief that fast lending means less scrutiny. It means different scrutiny, applied to things that can be checked quickly.
| What we check | How | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the property | Title search | Minutes |
| What it is worth | Desktop or automated valuation where the property allows | Minutes to hours |
| What is owed against it | Your most recent mortgage statement | Minutes |
| Trading pattern (cash-flow lane) | Secure read-only bank feed | Minutes |
| Who you are | Photo ID for everyone on the title or the account | Minutes |
| How it gets repaid | A conversation | Ten minutes, and the most important item on the list |
None of that is lighter than a bank. It is simply a set of questions that have fast answers, rather than a set that requires an accountant and a committee.
The claim, and the caveat on it
Two hours and twenty-four hours are the fast end of each lane, not the average. They are real and they happen, but across our book the median is about a day for cash-flow loans and about a day and a half for property-secured loans.
We publish the fast end because it is true and because it is achievable when your paperwork is ready. We would rather tell you that plainly than have you plan around two hours on a file that was always going to take a day. The how fast can I get a business loan guide shows what separates the two.
What the speed is actually worth
The honest way to judge fast finance is not against a bank rate you cannot access in the timeframe. It is against what the delay costs.
That number is usually easy to work out and rarely gets worked out. A contract lost because a deposit could not be paid. A settlement that collapses and forfeits a deposit. A discount forgone because the supplier wanted payment on Friday. Staff who leave because a pay run was missed and who take their customers with them. Interest and enforcement on a tax debt that keeps compounding while an application sits in a queue.
Put a figure on that, then compare it with the cost of the facility over the weeks you actually need it. Sometimes the answer is obvious in one direction and sometimes in the other. Either way it is a better question than ‘what is the rate’.
Does quick mean careless?
Fast lending has a reputation, and some of it is earned. The way it goes wrong is a loan written against a property with no realistic way of repaying it, at a term everyone knew was optimistic.
The things that keep it honest are unglamorous: every cost in writing before signing, a term set against a real exit rather than a hopeful one, and a willingness to say no. We decline files where the exit does not hold up, and that costs us deals.
If your situation genuinely calls for something slower and cheaper, that is what we will tell you. It is a better outcome for you and a better book for us.
The other thing that keeps it honest is doing this for long enough to have seen the cycle. Instant Business Finance has funded more than $500 million since 2012, which is enough files to know which exits hold and which quietly do not.
Fast funding in detail
Each of these is a full page on one part of fast business funding, written for people who want the detail before they pick up the phone.
Read before you borrow
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest type of business loan in Australia?
Unsecured cash-flow loans are usually the fastest, because approval rests on your bank statements, which can be verified in minutes. With us they can be funded in as little as 2 hours. For larger amounts, a property-secured caveat loan is the fastest route, often funded within 24 hours.
What slows a fast business loan down?
Mostly paperwork gaps: expired ID, a missing co-owner signature, or bank statements that don't cover the right accounts. For property loans, a title held in a different entity name can add time. We tell you exactly what's needed up front so none of this catches you out.
Do fast business loans cost more?
Speed and flexibility generally cost more than a slow bank loan, and short terms mean you pay interest for less time. We show you every cost in writing before you sign, so you can judge whether the speed is worth it for your situation.
Why is a bank so much slower?
Because it assesses serviceability from accountant-prepared financials and runs a credit committee. Those inputs take weeks to assemble; equity and an exit do not.
Do you lend outside the capital cities?
Yes, across regional Australia. Remote or specialised property generally needs a full valuation rather than a desktop one, which adds days rather than hours.
What is the largest loan you write?
$5 million against property. Larger amounts are structured individually rather than ruled out.
Will applying quickly hurt my chances?
No, provided the information is accurate. What does hurt is applying to several lenders in quick succession, because each credit enquiry is visible and a cluster reads badly. Our eligibility check makes none.
Do I need to have been trading long?
Not if you own property — there is no minimum trading period on the property-secured lane. Cash-flow loans need at least 6 months of trading history.
Can I repay early?
Short-term facilities are built to be repaid from a defined exit, and repaying early is normal. Ask how early repayment is treated before you sign — it should be in the written offer.
Does it cost anything to apply?
No. There's no cost to apply or check your eligibility. All costs are set out in writing in your loan offer before you sign anything.
Will checking my eligibility affect my credit score?
No. Our 60-second eligibility check doesn't make a credit enquiry. A credit check is only done later, with your consent, if you decide to proceed.