Pollen Street Capital provides €100m facility to SME F&L Solutions DAC

Pollen Street Capital has completed a €100 million funding facility with SME Finance & Leasing Solutions DAC (SME F&L), an Irish non-bank lender focused on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Founded in 2014, SME F&L has established itself as a leading asset finance provider in Ireland, offering asset-backed funding for business-critical plant, equipment and machinery. The lender typically provides loans of up to €500,000 with repayment terms of up to five years. Its portfolio predominantly supports businesses operating in agriculture, construction and transport, sectors considered central to Ireland’s domestic economy.

Since inception, SME F&L has disbursed more than €200 million across 7,500 businesses, helping to address funding gaps faced by SMEs and farmers.

The new €100 million facility from Pollen Street is expected to support the lender’s next phase of growth, enabling it to meet rising demand for asset finance across the Irish SME market.

Ethan Saggu, Investment Director at Pollen Street Capital, said: “We have tremendous respect for the team at SME F&L and the important work they do in providing critical asset-backed funding to Irish businesses.

“This facility reflects our shared commitment to supporting underserved SMEs, and we look forward to helping more businesses access the finance they need to grow and thrive.”

Declan Roche, CEO of SME Finance & Leasing Solutions DAC, said the facility comes at a time of strong demand for specialist lending.

“Having seen a very significant increase in demand for our asset finance products over the past 18 months, SME F&L is delighted to have secured this €100m facility from Pollen Street. This funding will allow us to support an even greater number of small businesses and farmers with asset finance and enable them to achieve their business plans,” he said.

Roche added that the transaction underscores Pollen Street’s continued commitment to financing the underbanked SME segment through specialist lending partnerships.

Addleshaw Goddard’s London and Irish offices advised Pollen Street on the transaction, led by partner Zoe Connor and Julia Barette. SME F&L was advised by Byrne Wallace Shields LLP, led by Paraic O’Kennedy, alongside corporate advisors Invigors EMEA Ltd, led by Paul Johnson-Ferguson and Kieran O’Brien.

The deal reflects continued investor appetite for private credit opportunities in specialist SME lending platforms, particularly those focused on asset-backed financing in resilient sectors of the economy.