The business advisory firm will now support SMEs applying for long-term unsecured finance of between £500,000 and £5m.

Loans originated by Caple are part of BNP Paribas Asset Management’s direct lending programme and require no collateral or personal guarantees as security.

Moore Stephens will assess the eligibility of its clients for funding through the preparation of business plans and financial forecasts.

Mark Lamb, partner and head of owner-managed businesses at Moore Stephens, said: “We partner with our clients to support their aspirations and contribute to their success.

“This means helping them assess and secure the funding they need to grow.

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“Debt finance is critical to clients’ growth and management succession, but options are limited.

“We’re delighted to be working with Caple, giving our owner-managed business clients greater options for accessing long-term unsecured finance.”

Caple originates loans through its network of business advisory firms such as Moore Stephens.

 Dominic Buch, co-founder and managing partner at Caple, added: “Ten years after the financial crash, it is still difficult for SMEs to raise debt finance for growth or management succession.

“This is because banks can generally fund an amount that reflects the assets in the business and if a business has no further assets, banks can’t help.

“In a service-based economy such as the UK, this can create a barrier to growth and may push some businesses to issue equity instead of raising debt.”