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West Midlands-based Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust announced as the third accredited delivery partner under the British Business Bank’s Community ENABLE Funding programme

Press release 08 September 2025

  • Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust will provide up to £13m of lending to West Midlands-based smaller businesses.

The British Business Bank has today announced West Midlands-based Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT) as the third accredited delivery partner under its Community ENABLE Funding programme.

CWRT will be allocated up to £13m under the programme to provide loans above £25k, unlocking capital for underserved smaller businesses across the West Midlands. These are expected to include businesses located in disadvantaged areas, those who have less awareness of the finance options available to them, or businesses declined by traditional finance routes, such as high street banks.

In addition, the programme seeks to target underrepresented groups, such as female and ethnic-minority led businesses, raising the diversity of businesses in those areas and improving the local small business ecosystem. 

The programme works by increasing the availability of funding to social impact sector lenders, and in turn the smaller businesses they serve in local communities. It is aimed primarily at Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and will provide a significant boost to the sector, supporting up to £150m of lending over the next two years.

CDFIs are regional, social impact sector lenders that provide debt finance and support to underserved smaller businesses which may find it difficult to access finance from mainstream lenders. One of the key objectives of the programme is to help develop the whole sector, so many more such businesses can access the finance they need.

CDFIs typically have strong, local knowledge of the smaller businesses they support and the communities they reside in. As such, they are well placed to provide the right finance which can unlock the potential in those communities. Through this knowledge, they are able to help remove barriers to accessing finance experienced by businesses in their area, in this case the West Midlands.

CWRT is a not-for-profit, FCA authorised, specialist business finance provider, committed to supporting businesses and individuals primarily based in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Since 2010, after receiving capital to on-lend from various organisations including the Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, the European Regional Development Fund and Unity Trust Bank, CWRT has lent £30.37m to individuals, start-ups and existing businesses in Coventry, Warwickshire and the surrounding areas that have had difficulty in raising finance elsewhere.

All lending decisions are delegated to Community ENABLE Funding-accredited delivery partners.

Reinald de Monchy, Chief Banking Officer, British Business Bank said: 

It’s great to welcome the Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust as a delivery partner under the Community ENABLE Funding programme.

Alongside First Enterprise, we now have two CDFI lenders accredited under the programme who are committed to supporting small businesses in the Midlands.

Sheridan Sulskis, CEO, Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust said: 

CWRT is proud to be the third lender in the UK to be accredited under the Community ENABLE Funding programme. This accreditation strengthens our ability to support businesses across Coventry, Warwickshire and the wider region, giving them access to the finance they need to grow, create jobs, and build resilience.

At the heart of our mission is breaking down barriers to finance, with a particular focus on supporting women-led, ethnic minority-led, and disadvantaged businesses to realise their ambitions. This aligns closely with the British Business Bank’s wider mission to improve access to finance for underserved entrepreneurs across the UK.

Further Information

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Notes to editors

The British Business Bank’s Community ENABLE Funding programme will be rolled out in two phases. In this first phase, the Department for Business and Trade will provide 100% of the programme’s funding via the British Business Bank, which will enable CDFIs to make more finance available to smaller businesses. 

In the second phase, the British Business Bank will source additional funding from private sector investors, leveraging the government-backed funding to increase the amount of wholesale finance available under the programme.

About the British Business Bank

The British Business Bank is the UK government’s economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to drive sustainable growth and prosperity across the UK and to enable the transition to a net zero economy, by improving access to finance for smaller businesses. Its remit is to design, deliver and efficiently manage UK-wide smaller business access to finance programmes for the UK government.

The British Business Bank’s core programmes support £23bn 1  of finance to almost 64,000 2  smaller businesses.

As well as increasing the supply and diversity of finance for UK smaller businesses through its programmes, the Bank works to raise awareness of finance options available to smaller businesses. The British Business Bank's Business Guidance Library provides independent and impartial information to businesses about finance options, featuring short films, expert guides, checklists and articles from finance providers to help make their application a success. 

The British Business Bank is also responsible for administering the government’s three Coronavirus loan schemes and its Future Fund, together responsible for delivering £80.4bn in finance to 1.67m businesses. These schemes are now closed to new applications.

British Business Bank plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales, registration number 08616013, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. It is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. With the exception of BBB Investment Services Limited they are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority. BBB Investment Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at British Business Bank.

The accreditation described above does not constitute or imply any endorsement, warranty or recommendation by the UK government, the British Business Bank plc, its subsidiaries or any other party of Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust or its products or services.

About Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT)

Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT) is a not-for-profit, FCA-accredited Responsible Finance Provider, established in 2004 to improve access to finance for businesses and social enterprises unable to secure funding from mainstream lenders. Our mission is to enable inclusive economic growth by providing fair, flexible finance and wraparound support to entrepreneurs and businesses across Coventry, Warwickshire and the wider region.

To date, CWRT has supported almost 1,000 businesses with loans totalling £32.5m. This has helped to safeguard 2,924 jobs, create 3,222 new jobs, and generate an estimated £153.65m in local economic value. We are committed to addressing barriers to finance for underrepresented groups, including women and ethnic minority entrepreneurs, and to increasing our impact through new products and services that support business growth, resilience and long-term sustainability.

CWRT is a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) and a member of Responsible Finance. It is registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (Company Number 05188971) with its registered office at The Enterprise Centre, Coventry University Technology Park, Puma Way, Coventry, CV1 2TX. CWRT is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Firm Reference Number 743876. CWRT does not provide loans to individuals.

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