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Build the knowledge, confidence, and judgement to succeed in commercial lending.Commercial finance is at the heart of how businesses grow - but understanding how it works in practice can be complex.This course gives you a clear, practical foundation in commercial finance, combining core knowledge with real-world application.Whether you’re starting your career or moving into a lending role, you’ll develop the skills needed to understand customers, structure solutions, and make sound lending decisions.
• Duration: Approximately 8 - 10 hours of study time• Format: Fully online, self-paced• Access: 12 months• Final assessment/exam: Multiple-choice question assessment
You’ll gain a complete end-to-end understanding of commercial finance, including:
This isn’t just theory. You’ll work through practical case studies and interactive scenarios, including:
By the end of the course, you won’t just understand commercial finance, you’ll be able to apply it in real situations.You’ll finish this course with the confidence to engage with commercial lending scenarios, understand customer needs, and contribute effectively within a commercial finance environment.
This course is CPD certified.
Module 1 - Foundations of Commercial Finance
This module introduces the core principles of commercial finance and the role it plays in supporting businesses. You will explore what commercial finance is, why businesses need funding, and how lenders support customers across different stages of growth. The module also introduces the wider commercial finance ecosystem and the factors that shape lending decisions.
Module 2 - Understanding Risk in Commercial Lending
This module explores the different types of risks lenders consider when making commercial lending decisions. You will explore how lenders establish risk appetite and how different risks can interact in real world situations.
Module 3 - Customer Markets & Business Models
This module explores the different types of customers lenders work with and how their markets and business models influence lending needs and risk. You will examine business segmentation, sector characteristics, growth stages, and the fundamentals of how businesses create value. The module supports stronger customer understanding and more informed lending decisions.
Module 4 - Finance Types and Funding Options
This module introduces the main types of finance available to businesses and explains how lenders and intermediaries match funding solutions to customer needs. You will explore debt finance, asset and working capital finance, equity and alternative finance, and the factors that influence product selection. The module focuses on choosing the right finance for the right purpose.
Module 5 - The Lending Process: From Customer Engagement to Recovery
This module explains the end-to-end lending process, from prospecting and customer engagement through to approval, documentation, monitoring, and exit. You will explore how lenders gather information, assess opportunities, structure facilities, and manage customer relationships over the life of a loan.
Module 6 - Financial Analysis & Credit Assessment
This module explores the key financial statements and ratios used by lenders to assess cash flow and debt repayment capacity. You’ll identify how lenders use financial analysis to make informed credit decisions.
Module 7 - Non-Financial & Qualitative Analysis
This module focuses on the non-financial factors that influence lending decisions and long-term risk. You will examine management quality, governance, strategy, operational resilience, and ESG considerations, and understand how these factors support a more complete view of a borrower.
Module 8 - Regulation, Conduct & Responsible Lending
This module explores the regulatory and conduct framework within which commercial lending takes place. You will examine the UK regulatory environment, responsible lending principles, financial crime prevention, and the behaviours and decisions that support fair and appropriate customer outcomes.
Module 9 - The End-to-End Customer Journey
This module brings together previous learning to show how the customer experiences the lending journey from first contact through to ongoing support. You will explore how customer needs are identified, how communication shapes trust, how difficult outcomes are delivered, and how monitoring and relationship management support long-term customer outcomes.
Module 10 - Digital Transformation and the Future of Commercial Finance
This module explores how technology is transforming the commercial finance landscape and reshaping how lenders compete, assess risk, and engage with customers. You will examine fintechs, challenger banks, Open Banking, automation, AI, and digital customer journeys, and consider what these changes mean for the future role of commercial finance professionals.
Final Assessment
This final assessment tests your understanding of the key concepts covered across the ten modules in the course. The assessment is designed to evaluate your ability to apply knowledge from across the commercial finance journey, including risk, products, process, customer understanding, regulation, and digital transformation.
Assessment format
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