Reflections on Global ABS 2025.
We sat down with Olly Bonavero, Chairman and Mark Coxhead, CTO to hear their take on the conference and the implications for growing marketplaces. As a forum that brings together the sharpest thinking in modern finance, it offered valuable insights and connections that reinforce our mission: delivering transformational credit to SMEs by being at at the forefront of fintech innovation.
Interviewer: Let's kick off with your reflections on ABS Global 2025. Olly, Mark—what trends stood out to you at this year’s conference?
Olly Bonavero (Chairman, TradeBridge):
Absolutely—it was a fascinating few days. One major theme that came through loud and clear was the growing convergence between alternative finance and real-time data. Across every asset class, there’s a stronger push for embedded finance solutions that respond to the pace of modern business. That aligns really well with what we’re doing at TradeBridge e.g. a key principle of our Amazon lending program is speed and convenience
Mark Coxhead (Chief Technologist, TradeBridge):
I’d second that. What really struck me was how quickly businesses and platforms are evolving. They’re no longer just transactional environments—they're ecosystems. This shift means that there’s a greater demand on financial services to plug in differently: faster, more intelligently, and more transparently. There's a lot of interest in leveraging real-time operational data—not just for fraud or KYC, but for building much more nuanced risk models. That’s exactly what we’re focused on with our technology stack.
Olly: It was clear this year that alternative credit is moving further into the mainstream. One of the biggest shifts we saw at ABS 2025 was how much more comfortable the market is becoming with asset classes that, even five years ago, would’ve been considered too opaque or too “non-traditional.” There’s a much stronger appetite for funding real-time, working capital solutions—particularly those aligned to specific verticals.
Mark: Definitely. From the tech side, there’s a lot of focus now on real-time data infrastructure—how lenders and investors can access live performance insights to make more informed decisions. That plays directly into what we’re building: embedded systems that pull directly from operational data sources and allow for more dynamic, adaptive underwriting. It’s less about static credit scores and more about live business health. This is reinforced by Amazon’s strategic focus on fintechs as opposed to banks to deliver for their sellers.
Olly: And just to add—there’s a definite trend towards decentralised, on-demand liquidity. The days of “apply and wait” are over for high-growth businesses. They want access to credit that feels as instant and intuitive as the platforms they operate on. We think that TradeBridge is in a strong position to meet that demand, and the conversations we had at ABS confirmed there’s a real appetite at banks to support fintechs that can deliver it.
“Across every asset class, there’s a stronger push for embedded finance solutions that respond to the pace of modern business. That aligns really well with what we’re doing at TradeBridge e.g. a key principle of our Amazon lending program is speed and convenience”
Olly Bonavero, Chairman, TradeBridge
Interviewer: Looking back —how have you seen the SME funding space evolve over the last two decades?
Olly: It’s been a seismic shift, really. After the GFC the door to SME funding was mostly shut by traditional banks. Credit decisions were slow, criteria were rigid, and a lot of good businesses were simply locked out of gaining proper access to debt capital. What’s changed is that we now have far better data, and more progressive lenders who are willing to use it creatively.
Mark: From a technology perspective, the evolution has been dramatic. We’ve gone from static, backward-looking underwriting—based on PDFs and point-in-time financials—to dynamic, real-time risk assessment. It’s not just about whether a business looked good last year. It’s about whether it’s trading well right now and how it will perform in the future. That’s a very different mindset—and it allows us to support businesses that are growing quickly, but might not yet have the formal structure banks are comfortable with.
Olly: Exactly. And let’s not forget the rise of marketplaces, and non-traditional business models—many of which dominate the market today. These businesses need funding solutions that match their DNA. That’s where we’ve focused a lot of our energy—providing revolving credit that’s aligned with real trading activity, not just historical balance sheets. The speed, reliability and richness of data we get on Amazon sellers has proven to be much more statistically significant than any other financial information.
“What’s changed is that we now have far better data, and more progressive lenders who are willing to use it creatively.”
Mark Coxhead, Co-CEO, TradeBridge
Interviewer: One of the big challenges in scaling SME finance globally is geography—different languages, systems, regulations. How do you see those constraints being overcome in today’s environment?
Olly : The landscape has changed significantly over the past few years. Previously, geographical constraints meant funding remained highly localised. Today, we're seeing far more cross-border lending models emerge, supported by shared regulatory standards, the adoption of open banking, and growing maturity of third-party providers.
Mark: From a technical standpoint, we’re now able to work in much more fragmented environments. APIs have become the great equaliser. Even when you're dealing with different accounting systems, payment processors, or CRM platforms, you can often pull consistent, structured data from them with the right integrations. That reduces the dependency on geography-specific infrastructure. The challenge isn’t the availability of data—it’s standardising and validating it across systems that don’t naturally talk to each other.
And with the widespread adoption of cloud-based tools, most SMEs are already operating in environments that can be accessed and analysed remotely. The real breakthrough has been in real-time data processing—allowing credit decisions to be made based on live trading activity, regardless of where the business is based. Our partnership with FARFETCH is a testament to this where we fund in over 20 European jurisdictions.
“The challenge isn’t the availability of data—it’s standardising and validating it across systems that don’t naturally talk to each other.”
Mark Coxhead, Co-CEO, TradeBridge
Interviewer: Let’s bring it back to our business for a moment—what is the TradeBridge ecosystem approach, and how does it work?
Mark (Chief Technologist, TradeBridge):
The ecosystem approach is about embedding finance directly into the operational systems businesses already use. We integrate with platforms—whether its company registries, bank accounts or marketplace APIs—to access real-time trading data. That means we can assess performance dynamically and offer credit facilities that flex as the business does. It’s fast, responsive, and online, removing the need for manual processes. For example, we support Amazon sellers in the UK with finance - they access this just as seamlessly as they use other on-platform services like marketing and logistics – all within their one-stop seller shop.
Mark:
The beauty of this setup is that it gives businesses immediate access to working capital. Drawdowns can be completed in hours, and the system adjusts based on actual performance. It’s embedded finance done properly — intelligent, data-driven, and convenient.
Our approach isn’t just about plugging in finance—it’s about building a funding relationship with sellers that evolves with their business.
Olly:
It’s that combination—speed, flexibility, and transparency—that defines the TradeBridge products. We’re not just offering credit—we’re delivering the kind of financial experience modern businesses expect,
“It’s that combination—speed, flexibility, and transparency—that defines the TradeBridge products. We’re not just offering credit—we’re delivering the kind of financial experience modern businesses expect.”
Olly Bonavero, Chairman, TradeBridge
Interviewer: So, bringing it all together—how do TradeBridge deliver SME financing to a marketplace?
Mark (Chief Technologist, TradeBridge):
Our platform is designed to deliver SME financing at scale, and Marketplaces are a perfect fit for that. Technically, we’ve built a modular infrastructure that can plug into any marketplace’s ecosystem—whether it’s global or regional. We use live, real-time data to assess risk dynamically, which means the funding adapts to each seller’s actual performance, not just historical data or credit scores.
Mark: What makes this powerful is that our credit models have been tested across ecosystems in various sectors and geographies—from healthcare to ecommerce, across the UK, Europe, and beyond, exemplified by our FARFETCH offering. That experience gives us confidence when entering new verticals or countries, because the underlying risk engine is already trained and proven. It’s scalable, flexible, and ready to support rapid deployment without compromising on control or compliance.
Olly (Chairman, TradeBridge):
Exactly. From a business standpoint, we’ve been delivering working capital solutions for over a decade. We’ve kept loss rates low, even through market volatility and across diverse industries. That’s not by chance—it’s because we understand how to balance data, risk, and commercial need. And that credibility is crucial when partnering with marketplaces that are putting their seller relationships on the line.
Mark: And the integration is seamless. We can embed the financing experience directly into the Marketplace platform, so Sellers can access credit intuitively, without leaving their usual environment. It’s finance as a service—live, responsive, and always available when needed.
Olly: At the end of the day, Marketplaces are scaling fast - technically, operationally and geographically. But for real growth, they need to bring their sellers with them and for that they need a funding partner that can keep pace. That’s exactly what TradeBridge is.
Ready to talk?
Call: +44 (0)73 9738 7247
or email: salman@tradebridge.com
