Up to £100bn
potential investment value of more than 250 planned development projects across the Highlands and Islands
Highlands and Islands
Commercial and Asset Finance for the Highlands and Islands
Property, equipment and vessel finance for tourism, aquaculture, food and drink, farming, estates and energy businesses, with a realistic view of which lenders will lend where.
- Broker since 1997
- 575+ lenders
- Led from Dundee
The Highlands and Islands in numbers
18,000
operational jobs the planned projects could create by 2040, plus around 16,000 at the peak of construction
18,300
jobs the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport aims to create, 11,300 of them in the Highlands
516 miles
the North Coast 500, launched in 2015, which an HIE-commissioned study found had a positive impact on visitor numbers and business trade in the north Highlands
Source: Caithness Business, reporting an HIE-commissioned baseline study, baseline study
A region of very different economies
The Highlands and Islands is not one economy. The mainland, the inner isles and the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland each have their own mix. Tourism is a major employer, helped by the North Coast 500 and the Cairngorms. Aquaculture is a major export industry. The islands are seeing a growing number of distilleries and food and drink producers, and the region as a whole has a large pipeline of renewable energy, port and grid projects.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise has identified more than 250 planned projects with a potential investment value of up to £100 billion, led by energy, but also covering ports, housing and other sectors. Its research did not look at tourism, food and drink or creative industries, which will have significant effects at a local level too.
The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport is one of the two Scottish Green Freeports, offering tax and customs incentives for qualifying businesses on designated sites. The reliefs and their deadlines change, so check the current terms with your accountant. We arrange the finance.
Borrowing in remote and island locations
Doing business in the Highlands and Islands comes with its own practicalities. Island businesses and households face higher costs than the rest of Scotland, and remote locations can affect lending in specific ways. We check lender appetite for your location before we approach anyone.
- Valuation: surveyors may have fewer comparable sales to work from, and visits can take longer to arrange
- Lender coverage: some lenders exclude islands or remote postcodes, others lend only in larger towns, and some are comfortable across the whole region
- Equipment: dealer support and servicing can affect whether a lender will finance a machine
- Seasonality: tourism and farming income is seasonal, so the shape of repayments matters
- Crofting and estates: crofting tenure has its own legal rules, and lenders will want advice from your solicitor
What we can help finance
Tourism and hospitality
Hotels, guest houses, holiday parks, visitor attractions and self-catering, valued on what they earn as well as the property.
Aquaculture
Feed barges, workboats and farm equipment. Vessels usually need a survey, registration and insurance, so allow extra time.
Distilleries and food producers
Stills, tanks, bottling lines and food production equipment for island and mainland producers.
Farms, forestry and estates
Tractors, harvesters, forestry machinery and estate equipment.
Energy supply chain
Plant, vessels and premises finance for businesses serving renewables and the Green Freeport.
Plant, vehicles and vessels
Hire purchase and leasing for construction plant, commercial vehicles and workshop equipment.
Across the Highlands and Islands
| Area | Main economies | Typical finance needs |
|---|---|---|
| Inverness and the Moray Firth | Services, technology, energy and port development, Green Freeport | Commercial property, plant for energy projects, fleets |
| North Highlands and Caithness | Tourism along the North Coast 500, fishing, energy, farming | Hospitality property, vehicles and equipment, farm machinery |
| Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross | Tourism, aquaculture, forestry, food and drink | Hospitality and holiday property, aquaculture and forestry equipment |
| Argyll and the Inner Hebrides | Whisky, tourism, aquaculture, farming | Distillery equipment, visitor and hospitality property, boats and farm machinery |
| Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland | Crofting, aquaculture, renewables, tourism, food and drink, marine | Vessels and marine equipment, small-scale production plant, hospitality property |
Which lenders are available varies by location and by case.
Tell us what you need
Tell us what you want to finance and where. We’ll come back to you with options. There is no obligation, and we don’t carry out a credit search at this initial stage.
Highlands and Islands finance FAQs
Some do. Others exclude islands or remote postcodes, so we check lender appetite for your exact location before approaching anyone.
Often. Lenders look at trading accounts, occupancy and seasonality, and for short-term lets they will usually want to see the council licence or an application.
Often, although fewer lenders finance vessels and they usually require a survey, registration and insurance.
Crofting tenure has its own legal rules, and lenders take a careful view. Speak to your solicitor first, and tell us your position early.
Yes. Our Scotland lead is based in Dundee and works with clients across Scotland, usually by video call and in person where it helps.
Related
Sources
- Highlands and Islands Enterprise: £100bn potential of transformational projects May 2025
- Highlands and Islands Enterprise: islands are vital to Scotland’s economic transformation August 2026
- Scottish Government: Green Freeports 2025
- Caithness Business: North Coast 500 baseline study baseline study
- Comhairle nan Eilean Siar: economic strategy August 2025
This page is general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures come from the published sources listed on this page and were correct when last reviewed. Lender availability, terms and criteria vary and are subject to status and underwriting.
Paul Thompson, trading as Acorn.finance, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 660207). Not all of the finance we arrange is regulated by the FCA.
Last reviewed: 13 November 2026