Invoice finance should be one of the most powerful tools available to small businesses, turning completed work into working capital - but the traditional model has become slow, rigid, and lender-centric. Fundtap removes the friction by eliminating contracts, setup costs, and compulsory funding, transforming invoice finance into an on-demand tool businesses can use only when they need it. The result is cashflow support designed for SMEs: simple, transparent, and built to keep momentum rather than slow it down.
At its core, invoice finance is a simple idea: a business completes the work, issues an invoice, and instead of waiting 30, 60, or even 90 days to be paid, it can unlock some of that value immediately.
Used properly, it should smooth timing gaps, reduce stress, and help businesses seize opportunities with confidence.
But for most SMEs, that isn’t how it feels.
The traditional model of invoice finance became heavy, contractual, and ultimately disconnected from the realities of operating a small business. Instead of behaving like a flexible tool, it turned into a rigid system - one that often created as many constraints as it solved.
This fits a broader pattern: many financial products available to small businesses today were never designed for them. They are, as our brand narrative says, “blunt instruments - slow moving, expensive, inflexible.”
And when a tool is built for the lender, not the business, its potential is never fully realized.
Rigid structures that limit flexibility
For years, invoice finance came wrapped in requirements that worked well for lenders, but poorly for SMEs:
As described in your internal copy samples, these layers transformed a simple idea into a cumbersome system - one that many businesses avoided entirely, even when they desperately needed support.
The root issue is structural. Traditional invoice finance was built around managing provider risk and maximising utilisation, not around business agility.
This mirrors what’s happening across the broader SME finance sector: established lenders continue selling old products at higher prices and with less transparency.
When business owners sense the product is rigid, complex, or misaligned, they choose not to engage - even if it means delaying growth.
Many owners avoid invoice finance because they worry it signals financial weakness or lack of control. That stigma persists because traditional products often feel heavy or risky.
But as your own content points out, cashflow timing issues are not a sign of failure - they’re often the consequence of growth, reinvestment, or long retailer payment terms.
Unfortunately, when a product feels like a commitment rather than a tool, SMEs hesitate to use it. And opportunities are lost in the timing gap.
Most SMEs aren’t struggling because they can’t generate cashflow - they’re struggling because of when that cash arrives.
A product built for SMEs must reflect that reality. It should be:
Or, in the words of your brand narrative: finance should be “a precision tool… reliable but nimble, clever but un-complicated, simple but sophisticated.”
This is the gap Fundtap was built to fill.
Simplicity at the centre
Fundtap removes the layers that made invoice finance hard to use:
This aligns directly with Fundtap’s brand principle of simplicity without laziness - doing the work to make things easy for the customer.
Instead of locking customers in, Fundtap gives them control.
Fundtap integrates with the accounting systems business owners already rely on - particularly Xero, which is a foundation of SME bookkeeping across NZ and Australia.
There’s no need to shift payment processes, create new bank accounts, or change how customers pay invoices.
Funds are available instantly once approved - giving SMEs the ability to act decisively, not wait.
This reflects a core brand belief: “We give business owners the space to think clearly and act decisively - by turning waiting into momentum.”
One of the most consistent frustrations with traditional invoice finance is the stack of hidden fees.
Fundtap removes them. The fee is simple, upfront, and directly tied to the invoice funded - nothing more.
That transparency allows business owners and advisors to make confident decisions quickly.
It supports another brand principle: create forward motion, not distraction.
Fundtap reframes invoice finance from a system to a tool: something SMEs can pick up, use, and put down without consequences.
It solves the core issue - cashflow timing - without burdening the business with debt structures that shape daily operations.
In a sector facing increasing pressure - rising tax debt, increasing ATO/IRD activity, and a surge in non-bank lenders targeting SMEs - this kind of flexibility isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.
A Kiwi beverage business facing 60-day retailer payment terms - a common challenge in F&B - turned to Fundtap to smooth the gap between fulfilling orders and receiving payment.
After a fast setup, they accessed funds instantly against reliable invoices. No contracts. No obligations. No risk of being locked into an expensive facility.
For them, the value wasn’t just the cash - it was the freedom: “a safe way to access money without being tied to anything.”
This kind of use case is exactly what invoice finance was originally meant to serve.
Small businesses don’t need more financial noise - they need tools that help them stay in control, keep moving, and take opportunities at the right moment.
Fundtap doesn’t claim to reinvent finance itself. But it does something just as important: It removes the unnecessary weight that stopped invoice finance reaching its potential
Invoice finance, finally designed for small business - not lenders.
What is invoice finance and how does it work?
Invoice finance lets businesses access a portion of the value of an invoice immediately, instead of waiting for customers to pay. When the customer pays later, the advance is repaid along with a simple fee.
Why is traditional invoice finance difficult for SMEs?
Most traditional providers require contracts, setup fees, and mandatory funding of all invoices. These structures create friction and reduce flexibility, making the product feel heavy rather than helpful.
How is Fundtap different?
Fundtap removes contracts, setup costs, and compulsory funding. You fund only the invoices you choose, without obligations or long-term commitments - transforming invoice finance into an on-demand tool for cashflow control.
Will using invoice finance signal financial weakness?
No. Cashflow timing issues are normal - often the result of growth, long payment terms, or simply the cost cadence of doing business. Flexible finance helps businesses operate confidently and take opportunities when they arise.
When does invoice finance make the most sense?
Invoice finance is most valuable when payment terms are long, cashflow timing is unpredictable, or when a business wants to smooth out operating cycles without committing to traditional debt products.