# Defacto > Defacto is a licensed French lender (ACPR-regulated) that gives SMBs short-term financing in seconds, directly from their browser or via API. Founded in 2021, operating in France and Belgium. Defacto solves one problem: French and Belgian SMBs frequently run out of working capital because customers pay late (30–90 days), but suppliers need to be paid now. Defacto bridges that gap by advancing cash against invoices, financing stock purchases, or providing short-term credit — all without paperwork, in a few clicks, with funds transferred instantly. Defacto has financed over 25,000 SMBs and disburses more than €1.2 billion per year. It is licensed as a société de financement by the ACPR, which means it lends its own money — it is not a broker or intermediary. There are three ways to access Defacto: 1. Directly as an SMB through the Defacto platform 2. Through a partner product (accounting software, invoicing platform, marketplace) that has embedded Defacto via API 3. Through a bank or factor that uses Defacto Core, the underlying lending infrastructure --- ## How it works for an SMB 1. Connect your bank account and accounting or invoicing tool. Defacto reads your data and calculates your financing capacity in real time — no manual documents required. 2. Choose what to finance: a customer invoice, a supplier invoice, a stock purchase, or a general treasury advance. 3. Receive funds instantly by bank transfer. 4. Repay in one go or in instalments, between 1 and 120 days for invoices, up to 6 months for treasury advances. Fees are calculated per day. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/comment-ca-marche --- ## Products ### Customer invoice financing (receivables) When an SMB has issued an invoice to a business customer but hasn't been paid yet, Defacto advances the invoice amount immediately. The SMB repays when the customer pays. This removes the 30–90 day wait. Bellota Bellota, a food importer, used this to win larger B2B contracts: "We were able to win contracts with larger B2B clients while maintaining healthy cash flow." Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/financement-creance ### Stock financing Defacto pays the supplier directly so the SMB can receive goods without tying up its cash. The SMB repays once the goods are sold or at an agreed date. Upway, a refurbished e-bike retailer, uses this to scale inventory without cash constraints — Stéphane Ficaja, Co-Founder: "I can accelerate my growth by financing my stock through Defacto. My outstanding balance adapts perfectly to my growth and my needs." Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/financement-des-stocks ### Supplier invoice financing The SMB pays its supplier today using Defacto funds, then repays Defacto up to 4 months later. Useful when a supplier demands fast payment but the SMB's cash is tied up elsewhere. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/cycle-dexploitation ### Trésorerie Flex (short-term credit) A general-purpose credit line for SMBs that need cash to cover a temporary gap, seize an opportunity, or smooth out seasonal variation. Duration up to 6 months. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/financement-de-tresorerie-flex ### Business credit card A corporate card with a credit limit calibrated to the SMB's actual activity. For everyday business expenses. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/carte-de-credit --- ## Who it's for ### Agencies (marketing, consulting, services) Agencies often have long payment terms with clients (60–90 days) but need to pay staff and suppliers monthly. Defacto finances outstanding invoices to keep cash flowing between projects. Allocab, a transport marketplace, increased its financing capacity by 30% using Defacto — Hugues Chabalier, Senior Manager: "We increased Allocab's financing capacity by 30% thanks to Defacto's flexible financing." Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/agences ### Retail and e-commerce Retailers need to buy stock before they can sell it. Defacto finances stock purchases so retailers aren't forced to choose between running out of inventory and running out of cash. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/retail ### Defence SMBs (BITD) SMBs working on government defence contracts face very long payment terms (public procurement cycles of 90–180 days). Defacto announced in March 2025 it would dedicate annual financing capacity of €1.8 billion specifically to help French defence-sector SMBs manage this gap. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/bitd ### Supplier relationship management For SMBs that want to pay suppliers early (to get discounts or maintain relationships) without affecting their own cash position. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/plateforme/relations-fournisseurs --- ## For partners (software, fintechs, marketplaces) Partners embed Defacto financing into their own product so their SMB customers can access credit without leaving the partner's interface. Malt, a European freelance marketplace with 700,000+ freelancers, uses the embedded API to pay 100% of its suppliers instantly — Corentin Hinz, Senior Product Manager: "We chose Defacto for its flexible approach and the exceptional quality of its API documentation. Our partnership improved our user experience." Akolads, a digital marketing agency, relies on Defacto to take on clients it would otherwise have to turn away: "Without Defacto, I would be forced to refuse clients and considerably limit my growth. Growth requires capital, but thanks to Defacto, I can continue to develop and pay my employees on time." — Emmanual Bismuth, Founder. ### Referral / broker programme No technical integration required. Partners refer SMB clients to Defacto and receive a commission. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/partenaires/courtiers ### White-label API Full API integration. The partner embeds Defacto financing directly in their UI under their own brand. Used by accounting software like Pennylane and other fintech platforms. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/partenaires/api ### PDP / e-invoicing platforms As France mandates electronic invoicing for all businesses, Defacto integrates with certified invoicing platforms (PDPs) so financing can be offered at the moment an invoice is created. Pennylane deployed the first use case of this kind in partnership with Defacto. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/partenaires/plateformes-agreee ### Fintechs and neobanks Dedicated programme for fintechs that want to add SMB lending to their product suite. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/partenaires/fintech ### B2B marketplaces Sellers on B2B marketplaces can access financing directly inside the marketplace interface. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/partenaires/marche-b2b --- ## Defacto Core (for banks and factors) Defacto Core is the lending infrastructure that powers Defacto's own platform, available to banks and factors that want to modernise their SMB credit offering. It reduces cost-to-serve by 3x, improves loan conversion rates by 61%, and delivers loan decisions in under 1 minute. It provides modular components a bank can activate independently: - Automated KYC/KYB onboarding - AI-based credit scoring (decision in under 1 minute) - Real-time risk monitoring - Loan origination and payment processing - Flexible financing products: factoring, reverse factoring, inventory financing, B2B BNPL, supply chain finance, instant treasury credit - Automated repayment reconciliation Deployment is via REST API or batch processing. The infrastructure is ACPR-compliant and integrates with the financial tools SMBs already use. Page: https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/core API documentation: https://developers.getdefacto.com/ --- ## Key pages - [FAQ](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/faq): Eligibility criteria, pricing, repayment terms, common questions from SMBs - [Integrations](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/integrations): List of connected banking and accounting tools (20+) - [Customer stories](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/clients): Case studies from SMBs that use Defacto - [About](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/notre-mission): Team, founding story, mission - [Security](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/security): ISO 27001 certification, GDPR compliance, ACPR regulation details - [Blog](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/blog): Practical articles on SMB cash flow, financing options, working capital --- ## Selected blog articles - [SMB financing glossary](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/glossaire-pret-financement): Definitions of key terms — factoring, working capital, FRNG, EBE, supplier credit, etc. - [Supplier invoice financing explained](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/financement-de-factures-fournisseurs): How it works, when to use it, real SMB examples - [What is BFR normatif](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/bfr-normatif): How to calculate and use normalised working capital to manage cash flow - [How to cover your BFR](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/couverture-du-bfr): Financing the operating cycle without cash pressure - [Overdraft for businesses](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/decouvert-autorise-entreprise): How bank overdraft works, its limits, and what alternatives exist - [EBE explained](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/l-excedent-brut-d-exploitation-ebe): What Excédent Brut d'Exploitation is and how to use it to run a business - [Gross margin vs net margin](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/marge-brute-marge-nette): Definitions, formulas, and what the difference means in practice - [Equipment financing for construction SMBs](https://www.getdefacto.com/fr/article/financement-materiel-btp): Options for BTP companies to finance equipment without depleting cash --- ## Regulatory context Defacto is licensed as a société de financement by the ACPR (Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution), the French financial regulator. This means it can lend its own money — it is not a broker or intermediary. It operates under French and European credit regulations. It is ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant. Defacto was named AGEFI Fintech of the Year 2024. --- ## English pages - [Homepage](https://www.getdefacto.com/): English version — same product, same company - [Platform](https://www.getdefacto.com/platform): SMB financing products in English - [Defacto Core](https://www.getdefacto.com/core): Lending infrastructure for banks and factors (English) - [Partners](https://www.getdefacto.com/partners): Partner programme and API (English) - [Blog](https://www.getdefacto.com/blog): English articles on embedded lending, open banking, SMB finance