This page contains documentation on how to use the Funding Circle Partner API.

We believe that small businesses deserve access to finance that’s quick and hassle-free.

That’s why we have launched a Funding Circle lending API. Our API makes it fast, simple and straightforward for partners to offer Funding Circle loans from within their own website, platform or mobile app.

We also offer other ways to partner with us including referrals and co-branded landing pages. To learn more about partnership opportunities or to gain access to our Sandbox, email us at fcpartner@fundingcircle.com or register your interest using this link.

The API is under OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials Grant flow. In order to make a request, your client must be authorised.

A first step is to generate an access_token, the way to do this is to make a POST request to the Authentication endpoint, passing a base 64 token generated from your unique client_id:client_secret:

curl --request POST \
--url "https://auth.sandbox.api.fundingcircle.co.uk/oauth2/token" \
--header "Authorization: Basic 'base64(client_id:client_secret)'" \
--data-urlencode "grant_type=client_credentials"

The access_token can only be used for 24 hours and must be set in the HTTP header of each request:

Authorization: Bearer eyJraWQiOiJkd1ZKOFFhaGNcL2V4bFBwRUN3TDVNaTA3YmRqOFhNK3MzY.....

Note that you must not include the access_token when making the PUT request to upload a document.

An x-amzn-trace-id header will be returned with each request. We can use this ID to debug problems with a particular API request. Ideally, you should store the x-amzn-trace-id so we can look into a specific request, if required.

We follow the error response format proposed in RFC 7807 also known as Problem Details for HTTP APIs. As with our normal API responses, your client must be prepared to gracefully handle additional members of the response.

• HTTP status: 400

This response means that the API cannot process your request due to something that is perceived to be a client error (e.g., malformed request query, invalid request body, or deceptive request routing). To resolve this, please ensure that the request syntax is correct and includes all mandatory fields.

• HTTP status: 400

This response means that the API cannot process your request due to a wrongly typed or malformed path parameter. To resolve this, please ensure that the parameter value matches the expected pattern.

• HTTP status: 401

This response means that your client is not authorised to access the API, make sure you've called the Auth endpoint first to fetch the access_token. Note that each token expires in 24 hours.

• HTTP status: 403

This response means that your access_token might be valid, but you're temporarily not allowed to access the API.

• HTTP status: 403

This response means that the API understands the request, but refuses to authorise it. To resolve this, please ensure you have permission to access the resource.

• HTTP status: 404

This response means that the API has processed your request, but the resource could not be found.

• HTTP status: 410

This response means that the API has processed your request, but the resource has now permanently expired.

• HTTP status: 415

This response means that the API refuses to accept the request because of the payload format. To resolve this, please select content-type application/json.

• HTTP status: 422

This response means that the API has processed the request, but the client is not allowed to proceed. Some of the highlighted reasons are:

• The email provided is already in use by another Funding Circle non-borrower account.
• We are unable to identify the business provided in our database or the business is dormant or inactive.
• The application cannot be processed because this company either has an ongoing application with Funding Circle, or they have recently been rejected.
• The total percentage of the shares held submitted is less than 50%.
• None of the EBOs submitted holds a minimum of 20% of shares.

• HTTP status: 424

This response means that the requested action couldn't be performed because it depends on another action that has failed.

Approved partners will be provided access to our sandbox, which contains scenarios that can be used for testing.

The companies_house_id included in the request will result in the below eligibilities:

• 00000000 - an eligibility with a low score
• 00000001 - an eligibility with a medium score
• 00000002 - an eligibility with a high score

Requests including a different value, will return a not-eligible score, which means the company is not currently eligible for any of the Funding Circle products.

The business_name used in the loan application will result in different journeys, as described below:

• Bighead Catshark Ltd - a successful application with a credit offer
• Blotchy Swellshark Ltd - an application that requires action
• Loop Shark Ltd - an application that remains in "processing"
• Broadmouth Shark Ltd - a rejected application
• Inflight Shark Ltd - an application that triggers an error due to another ongoing application from the same company

Requests with no business name or with a different value to any of the above, will also lead to an application that remains in "processing".

As a current limitation, uploading and submitting documents will change the status of the loan application to "in progress" indefinitely.

The eligibility endpoints can be used to get a view of a company's eligibility for our Term Loan product.

Eligibility does not provide a full credit decision, but instead presents an indicative representation of a company's likeliness of receiving a credit offer, based on a small number of data inputs.

Two endpoints are available which allow for a variety of use cases. The suggested use cases for each endpoint are explained below. The eligibility endpoints will return a score of “H”, “M”, “L” or “N” for each.

Submit a full application for a term loan. The initial POST initiates the application process and returns a link to a resource that provides information on this process. When processing is complete this resource will contain a link to a resource showing the credit decision, or a resourcing indicating what further information is needed; the API provides endpoints to upload documents when required for a credit decision.

The overall flow is shown below:

Some of our endpoints follow the Microsoft Asynchronous Request-Reply Pattern, meaning that the actual processing will happen in the background even though the call returns immediately. The response will contain a placeholder rather than the actual result. To know when the result is ready, you should fetch by the related uuid.

Most of the loan applications will receive an instant decision, but for some applications we will require additional information. For this reason, some of the enpoints are not required to be called for every application and have the tag applied.

Get paid with FlexiPay, you can generate a FlexiPay payment link that can be shared to your customers. This link can be presented to customers as a payment method, allowing them to get access to the benefits of FlexiPay at point of sale. A customer can use the payment link to disburse under 2k instantly with WlexiPay, if over 2k will be asked to enter credentials for FlexiPay. If customer has not been authorised for FlexiPay with Line of Credit, will be presented with a custom onboarding flow. As current limitation, the payment link will expire after 14 days, and only one instant payment with FlexiPay can be made per customer, after that they will be asked to enter credentials for FlexiPay with Line of Credit.