Software firm Sage brings funding options to its SME customers

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - British software company Sage is tying up with lenders Funding Circle and MarketInvoice to give its small business customers easier access to alternative sources of funds.

Bank lending in Britain has been weak since the financial crisis and many small businesses have struggled to get finance from traditional lenders.

MarketInvoice, which Sage said on Tuesday would be integrated into its small business accounting package, provides short-term funds against outstanding invoices, licences, contracts and subscriptions.

Funding Circle, meanwhile, is an online marketplace for business loans, where investors lend sums ranging from 5,000 pounds to 1 million pounds