UK Export Finance and the Department for Business and Trade have confirmed that Leeds-based Tilz Prosperitas has arranged trade loans worth up to £200,000 after an Export Assist referral. The funding, brokered by Dynamic Funding, is intended to meet seasonal demand in Europe and support first deliveries to the United States and Canada. The announcement was issued on 21 October 2025.
Tilz Prosperitas began in 2017 with £5,000 of start-up capital under founder Tayo Adebisi and grew to £3 million turnover within four years. Pandemic-era pressures then stressed cash flow, delaying supplier payments and product development despite healthy order books-an issue common to inventory-heavy e-commerce exporters.
After several banks declined applications, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority signposted the company to the Department for Business and Trade’s International Trade Adviser Moustafa Elgendy and UKEF’s Export Finance Manager for West Yorkshire, Alissia Deane. Following discussions on available options, UKEF introduced a specialist broker, leading to two trade finance facilities totalling up to £200,000.
UKEF describes “Export Assist” as support that follows a UKEF introduction or involvement from an Export Finance Manager and results in tangible outcomes such as a finance or insurance product, an export contract or another clear benefit. In practice, this can include referrals into private-sector lenders, brokers or insurers without UKEF necessarily underwriting the facility.
In this case, the finance will cover working capital gaps between paying suppliers and receiving buyer payments, enabling Tilz Prosperitas to fulfil confirmed European orders and prepare supply to a major US supermarket chain while entering Canada. The firm is also assessing opportunities in Australia, China and Mexico as it diversifies beyond seasonal products.
For SMEs seeking similar support, UKEF’s working-capital products illustrate the typical mechanics. Through schemes such as the Export Working Capital Scheme (for contract-linked needs) and the General Export Facility (for broader export activity), UKEF can provide a guarantee to a lender-often covering up to 80% of the risk-to increase appetite for trade loans or bonding lines.
Eligibility criteria vary by product. Under the General Export Facility, applicants generally evidence either 20% export turnover in any one of the last three financial years or 5% in each of the last three years. Export Working Capital support requires the business to be UK-based (including the Crown Dependencies) with an actual or intended contract with an overseas counterparty; there is no minimum or maximum facility size.
UKEF’s Export Finance Managers offer impartial, no-cost guidance and can introduce exporters to finance providers or insurance brokers. They do not advise on specific transactions or recommend particular products, and exporters should continue to rely on their professional advisers for banking, legal and accounting decisions.
With funding now arranged, Tilz Prosperitas plans to service holiday-season orders across the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain, and to commence North American shipments. The financing provides capacity to scale purchase orders, shipping and inventory ahead of peak retail windows.
The case sits within a year of record activity at the export credit agency. UKEF’s 2024–25 annual report records £14.5 billion of support to 667 UK companies, with activity estimated to back up to 70,000 UK jobs and contribute up to £5.4 billion to GDP-figures the department links to the government’s Plan for Change.
Officials timed the announcement with the first Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham on 21 October 2025, where the government reported more than £10 billion of investment commitments and close to 1,000 associated jobs across the UK. For policy teams, this case exemplifies how signposting and referrals can translate into financeable export orders for SMEs.