Cash & high-quality bonds
Price transparency and lower volatility can support stronger advance rates.
- Currency still matters
- Duration and issuer quality are tested
- Cash may be treated differently by custodian
Securities-backed lending · Portfolio liquidity
Turn invested wealth into usable liquidity.
Create a credit facility against eligible securities—without automatically selling the assets, abandoning the strategy or waiting for another source of capital.
Explore the securities-backed lending route before you pay anything.
Your initial conversation, borrowing assessment and presentation of appropriate finance solutions are free. We explain every cost before you decide whether to proceed.
Independent finance advice across private banks and specialist securities-backed lenders. Investment advice should remain with your investment adviser.
The securities-backed advantage
Liquidity now. Strategy intact.
A borrowing base built from the eligible assets you already own.
Whole-of-market advice
Private banks and specialist lenders
Portfolio-level analysis
Eligibility, haircuts and concentration
Cross-border capability
Custody, currency and jurisdiction
Risk-aware structuring
Buffers, margin calls and exit planning
Securities-backed lending, clearly defined
Your investments become the borrowing base—not the repayment plan.
Eligible listed securities are pledged to support a revolving line or term facility. The portfolio remains invested, but its value is monitored throughout the loan.
Securities-backed lending is often used interchangeably with Lombard lending. In practice, the important question is not the label—it is which assets the lender will recognise, what advance rate each receives, where they must be held and how the facility behaves if markets move.
Headline value
The total market value shown on the portfolio statement.
Eligible value
The assets a lender is willing and operationally able to accept as collateral.
Borrowing base
Eligible assets after individual advance rates, haircuts and concentration limits.
Maintenance level
The minimum collateral position required while the facility remains drawn.
01
Map the portfolio
Holdings, currencies, custody and ownership.
02
Assign lending values
Advance rates and exclusions by asset.
03
Size the facility
Purpose, term, pricing and risk buffer.
04
Monitor and exit
Collateral movement, servicing and repayment.
The lender’s collateral map
Liquidity is assessed holding by holding.
Two portfolios with the same market value can produce very different credit outcomes. The usable borrowing base depends on what sits inside them.
£0
Your initial securities-backed borrowing assessment is free and carries no obligation.
We will understand the portfolio, liquidity objective, timing and risk considerations, then present appropriate borrowing solutions before you decide whether to engage us.
Funds, ETFs & broad equities
Liquid, diversified exposure often forms the centre of a securities-backed facility.
- Underlying holdings are considered
- Correlation can reduce diversification benefit
- Volatility drives maintenance terms
Concentrated & specialist assets
Single stocks, structured products and illiquid positions may attract deep haircuts or no value.
- Issuer and daily trading volume matter
- Concentration caps may apply
- Additional collateral may be needed
A liquidity tool, not a destination
Match the facility to the event it needs to solve.
SBL is most effective when the use, duration and exit are clear. Select the scenario closest to your requirement.
Opportunity liquidity
Build purchasing power before the opportunity appears.
A committed revolving line can create ready liquidity for acquisitions or investments while the portfolio remains in place.
Useful when
Speed and certainty matter more than immediate utilisation
Structure focus
Commitment period, non-utilisation cost and draw mechanics
Risk focus
Avoiding leverage simply because it is available
A facility can be valuable before it is drawn. Compare the cost of optionality with the cost of arranging finance after an opportunity becomes time-critical.
SBL portfolio composer
Build the borrowing base asset by asset.
Allocate your portfolio across five broad asset groups, then test capacity, pricing and resilience. Unlike a single dropdown, the composer weights each component separately.
Portfolio composition
Total allocation
100%
Advance and maintenance assumptions are simplified illustrations, not current lender terms. Reference rate is held at 4.25%.
Your indicative borrowing base
40%
Balanced indicative position
Weighted advance rate
59%
Indicative borrowing base
£1,185,000
Headroom to borrowing base
£385,000
Estimated monthly interest
£3,833
Estimated annual interest
£46,000
Indicative call portfolio value
£1,220,000
After selected market fall
Portfolio value: £1,600,000
Stressed LTV: 50%
Educational illustration only. Actual eligibility, advance rates, maintenance levels, pricing and availability vary by lender, holding and market conditions.
Review this portfolio with an adviserThe statement total before any lender rules are applied.
The weighted lendable value after eligibility and advance rates.
The unused collateral and liquidity available if markets fall.
Margin calls without euphemism
The lender can act before the portfolio reaches zero.
If collateral falls below its maintenance requirement, the response may be immediate: add eligible assets, reduce the loan, rebalance holdings or permit sales.
Design a more resilient buffer Trigger
The portfolio no longer supports the drawn amount under the lender’s maintenance rules.
Notice period
Remediation windows can be short and are controlled by facility documentation.
Borrower options
Add collateral, repay, rebalance or agree another remedy—subject to lender approval.
Best defence
Conservative initial leverage, diversification and a genuinely accessible reserve.
SBL knowledge centre
Research the structure behind the facility.
Filter practical guides, current market commentary and real cases by the securities-backed lending question you are trying to answer.
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2 · Resource type
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Guides for SBL essentials
No matching resources. Try another topic, type or search term.
Frequently asked questions
Understand the obligations as well as the liquidity.
SBL can be flexible, but it is still secured borrowing against assets whose value can change daily.
Is there a fee for the initial conversation and securities-backed lending assessment?
No. Speaking with a Willow adviser, assessing the borrowing position and presenting appropriate finance solutions are free and carry no obligation. We only charge if you decide to proceed, and we explain our fee and the lender, custody or facility costs before you engage us.
Is securities-backed lending the same as Lombard lending?
The terms are often used interchangeably. Facility documentation, eligible collateral, custody requirements, advance rates and maintenance rules matter more than the product label.
Can my portfolio remain with its current investment manager?
Sometimes. Certain lenders can use a control agreement; others require assets to transfer onto their custody platform. The operational route should be understood before lender selection.
How are concentrated share positions treated?
They may receive a lower advance rate, a capped eligible value or no value. Issuer, trading volume, volatility, lock-ups and the position’s percentage of the portfolio all matter.
Can an SBL facility be used to buy property?
Yes. It may fund a deposit, full purchase or timing gap and can sit alongside mortgage or bridging finance. The eventual repayment or refinance route remains important.
What happens if the portfolio falls?
The lender may require more collateral, partial repayment, rebalancing or asset sales. Maintenance terms and remediation windows should be reviewed before drawing.
Are interest and fees charged on committed or drawn funds?
Interest is generally charged on drawn balances, while commitment or non-utilisation fees may apply to undrawn availability. Terms vary and should be compared on total cost and flexibility.
Can international clients use global portfolios?
Potentially. Residence, nationality, asset domicile, custodian, currency and sanctions or regulatory rules shape which lenders can participate.
Why Willow Private Finance
Broker the facility and the banking relationship around it.
Since 2008, Willow has helped HNW clients, entrepreneurs and international borrowers structure complex finance across property, private banking and investable wealth.
No fee before you decide.
Your initial conversation, borrowing assessment and presentation of appropriate finance solutions are free. Our fee only becomes payable if you choose to proceed, after all costs have been made clear.
Build the collateral map
We separate market value from eligible value and identify concentration, custody and jurisdiction issues early.
Select the right lender model
We compare relationship-led private banks with specialist securities-backed credit providers.
Negotiate the whole facility
Advance rates matter, but so do maintenance levels, transfer requirements, fees and flexibility.
Coordinate implementation
We support the journey through credit, custody, documentation, drawdown and any linked property finance.
Confidential securities-backed lending assessment
Start with a portfolio map, not a product pitch.
Tell us what you hold, where it is custodied, the liquidity required and what it needs to achieve. We will identify the likely borrowing base and the lender models worth exploring.
No fee. No obligation.
Understand the securities-backed lending options before you commit.
Speaking with an adviser, assessing the borrowing position and presenting appropriate finance solutions costs you nothing. You only pay us if you decide to proceed, after our fee and the lender, custody or facility costs have been explained.
Free initial conversation
Free borrowing assessment
All costs explained first
Managed through credit, custody and drawdown
01
Approximate portfolio value and asset mix
02
Custodian, ownership and jurisdiction
03
Facility size, currency and purpose
04
Timing, interest plan and expected exit
You do not need to send a full statement before an initial conversation.
Book a 30-minute confidential conversation
Choose a convenient time with an available specialist finance adviser
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Call a securities-backed lending specialist
Best for a live opportunity, deadline or complex portfolio
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Email a high-level portfolio outline
Asset classes, approximate values, custody, requirement and timing
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Begin on WhatsApp
Useful for a quick introduction or while travelling
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Keep sensitive information secure.
Do not send statements, identification or account information by ordinary email or WhatsApp. Willow will explain how to share documents securely.
Willow Private Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is entered on the Financial Services Register under reference 588422. This page is general information, not investment, tax or legal advice. Investment values can fall as well as rise. A lender may require additional collateral or sell pledged assets if facility terms are not maintained.