Working and earning on your own terms brings a multitude of benefits. If you are self-employed, you might often need a loan to start your business or boost its growth. A lender approves a loan, only if you have the capability to repay it. A loan for self-employed differs from traditional loans due to their type of earnings and perceived risks associated with variable income sources.
However, when it comes to securing a loan, you may face multiple challenges. This is because lenders require additional documentation and assess your income stability before approving a loan.
If you find difficulty with financial assistance in seeking a personal loan for self-employed, worry not! We are here with this guide to help you navigate these loans and unlock the funding you need for your personal or professional financial needs.
Difference between Loans for Self-Employed and Salaried Professionals
A loan for self-employed differs from a loan for salaried individuals based on the following factors:
Income documentation
Income documentation is one of the primary factors differentiating a loan for self-employed over salaried individuals. This document is required to verify the income and its source. If you are self-employed, you may need to present documents that reflect profit-and-loss statements, income tax returns, bank statements, and others to prove the legitimacy of your income.
Income stability
Since self-employed individuals often experience fluctuations in their income due to the nature of their work, it becomes a crucial factor for lenders to consider before loan approval.
A loan for self-employed is different based on the income trends, consistency, and likelihood of upcoming earnings.
Risk perception
Usually, there is a perception that you may have a higher risk of financial stability due to multiple income sources and potential business volatility. You can overcome this through your consistent income track to seek a loan for self-employed.
Ways to Navigate a Loan for Self-Employed
If there are so many complexities in seeking a loan for self-employed, how will you navigate them? Worry not! We have listed some of the ways here:
Understand the difference
Before applying for a loan for self-employed, gain insights into the factors that may influence your loan approval process. Find out the factors that affect your loan approval. Gathering crucial information allows you to streamline your document to present them effectively.
Build a strong financial profile
Lenders analyse your profile and look for evidence that supports your financial stability. If you need to apply for a loan for self-employed, organise your financial statements like bank statements or tax returns. This helps you build a good credit score that improves your chances of taking advantage of a loan for self-employed.
Showcase income stability
If you have trouble seeking a loan for self-employed, income stability is one of the most crucial factors that lenders rely on. So, showcase long-term relationships with your clients. This instils confidence among the lenders to rely on you and approve your loan immediately.
Optimise documentation
Documentation is an important aspect of any loan. Present comprehensive and accurate documentation to support your income claims. Arrange all the documentation with credible income sources to show your earning consistency. This fuels trust among the lenders for your loan approval.
Improve loan eligibility
To secure a loan for self-employed, a few tactics may help you a lot. Lenders analyse your debt-to-income ratio and your potential to repay it on time. If you have any debt obligations, ensure to clear, or reduce them before applying for a self-employed loan. Paying off high-interest rates or consolidating loans helps you free up more funds for repayment. This improves your chances of getting a loan for self-employed.
Work with specialised lenders
For a hassle-free process of approval on a loan for self-employed, collaborate with specialised lenders. They help you effectively meet your financial needs. Some lenders understand your financial situation and offer flexible options for funding opportunities.
Compare multiple options
When you get an offer, explore more lenders or loan options that best cater to your financial needs. It is wise to consider better loan options with interest rates, repayment terms, and easy monthly payments. This adds to your convenience of repaying it .
Summing Up
Sometimes, securing a loan for a self-employed individual can be daunting. Whether you need to scale up your business, are willing to pursue higher education, or have personal financial emergencies, a loan bridges this financial gap.
However, there are instances where you witness many difficulties in getting your loan approved. These loans are different from traditional loans in terms of documentation, income sources, and risk perception. Optimising your documents and building a credible financial profile and credit score helps you overcome funding challenges.
You don’t have to hustle door to door to apply for a loan. With an online facility, you can get the advantage of loan approval from authorised lenders.
So what’s holding you back? Explore various loan options for self-employed online and easily fulfil your financial needs.
MICROSOFT CEO Satya Nadella on Wednesday (17) said the American tech giant is “doubling down” on its investments in Britain as US president Donald Trump began his state visit with the launch of a US-UK Tech Prosperity Deal.
The agreement focuses on advancing fast-growing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and nuclear innovation.
Trump spent the night at the US ambassador’s residence, Winfield House in central London, before receiving a royal welcome at Windsor Castle. He also spoke by phone with prime minister Keir Starmer ahead of their formal talks on Thursday (18).
The visit opened with a series of investment pledges described as a “generational step change”, committing joint resources and expertise into emerging technologies across both nations.
“We’re committed to creating new opportunity for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, and to ensuring America remains a trusted and reliable tech partner for the UK,” Nadella, the Indian American Microsoft chief, said in a statement.
“That is why we are doubling down on our investment in the UK, investing more than $30 billion over four years, including building the country’s largest supercomputer,” he added.
Alongside Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, OpenAI, and CoreWeave are among the US technology companies pledging a combined £31bn to strengthen the UK’s AI infrastructure, including data centres and computer chips.
Starmer welcomed the deal, saying: “This Tech Prosperity Deal marks a generational step change in our relationship with the US, shaping the futures of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and delivering growth, security and opportunity up and down the country.
“By teaming up with world-class companies from both the UK and US, we’re laying the foundations for a future where together we are world leaders in the technology of tomorrow, creating highly skilled jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets and ensuring this partnership benefits every corner of the UK.”
The deal will support new AI models for breakthroughs in medicine, including cancer and rare disease treatment, as well as shared priorities such as fusion energy.
UK technology secretary Liz Kendall described the pact as “a vote of confidence in Britain’s booming AI sector – building on British success stories such as Arm, Wayve and Google DeepMind – that will boost growth and deliver tens of thousands of skilled jobs.”
As part of the agreement, a new AI Growth Zone will host early deployment of OpenAI’s Stargate UK project at Cobalt Park.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said: “The UK has been a longstanding pioneer of AI, and is now home to world-class researchers, millions of ChatGPT users, and a government that quickly recognised the potential of this technology. Stargate UK builds on this foundation to help accelerate scientific breakthroughs, improve productivity, and drive economic growth.”
The Tech Prosperity Deal set the stage for Trump’s state welcome at Windsor Castle, featuring a gilded carriage procession, guard of honour, and a State Banquet hosted by King Charles.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
FILE PHOTO: A member of staff works on the production line at Jaguar Land Rover’s factory in Solihull, Britain. REUTERS/Phil Noble
BRITAIN's largest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, said a pause in production due to a cyber attack would now stretch to September 24, extending the stoppage at its plants to more than three weeks.
The luxury carmaker, owned by India's Tata Motors, said it shut down its systems in early September to contain the hack that has severely disrupted its retail and manufacturing operations.
Its three factories in Britain, which usually produce about 1,000 cars per day, will now not restart until September 24, the company said on Tuesday (16). It has told many of its 33,000 staff to stay at home.
"We have taken this decision as our forensic investigation of the cyber incident continues, and as we consider the different stages of the controlled restart of our global operations, which will take time," JLR said in a statement on its website.
There is concern about the financial impact of the stoppage on JLR's British supply chain, which includes many smaller companies and supports 104,000 jobs across the country. The Unite trade union has warned of job losses and said government support would be needed given the lengthy stoppage.
Chris McDonald, minister in the Department of Business and Trade, told Reuters he had met the company on Tuesday to "discuss their plans to resolve this issue and get production started again".
"Our cyber experts are supporting JLR to help them resolve this issue as quickly as possible," he added.
The Telegraph reported on Monday (15) that the production shutdown could last until November, although JLR said this was not its position.
JLR has said the incident has affected some data, although it remains unclear whether it involved customers, suppliers or internal systems.
The breach was the latest in a string of cyber and ransomware attacks targeting companies around the world. In Britain, household names including Marks & Spencer and the Co-op have fallen victim to increasingly sophisticated breaches.
The disruption comes as JLR faces broader challenges, including weaker demand in China and Europe, and delays to the launch of its electric vehicle models.
In July, JLR reported an 11 per cent drop in quarterly sales, partly due to a temporary pause in US shipments after tariffs were imposed. Although exports resumed in May, the company cut its profit margin target for fiscal 2026 to 5 per cent to 7 per cent, down from 10 per cent, citing ongoing trade uncertainty.
(Reuters)
Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump and Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House on February 13, 2025.
INDIA and the United States will hold trade discussions in New Delhi on Tuesday, officials and Indian media reports said, as the two countries look to resolve a tariff dispute.
India currently faces high US tariffs on most of its exports and has not yet been able to reach a trade deal that would ease the pressure.
Trump has sought to increase pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. The move has added to tensions between Washington and New Delhi.
Both governments, however, have said they remain committed to talks.
Commerce ministry official Rajesh Agarwal said on Monday that officials would meet in person on Tuesday for discussions, The Indian Express reported.
According to broadcaster NDTV, Brendan Lynch, assistant trade representative for South and Central Asia, will be part of the US delegation. The report said the discussions would be a “precursor” to a later full round of negotiations.
The talks come a week after Trump said discussions would continue between the two sides to address trade barriers.
“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!,” Trump posted on Truth Social last week, without providing details.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi responded by calling India and the United States “close friends and natural partners” and said teams from both sides were working to conclude discussions “at the earliest”.
(With inputs from agencies)
Keep ReadingShow less
Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.
He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.
“Discussions have been going on in a positive atmosphere with seriousness since March. It is progressing, and both the countries are satisfied with the progress,” Goyal told reporters. On Wednesday, he had also said that India is in “active dialogue” with the United States.
Trump this week said there would be “no difficulty” for the two countries to reach a successful conclusion and that he looked forward to speaking with his “very good friend” Modi in the coming weeks. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote he was “pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations.”
Modi responded on X, welcoming Trump’s statement and expressing confidence that the negotiations would help unlock the potential of the partnership. He said India and the US are close friends and natural partners and are working to conclude the discussions at the earliest.
The two countries have completed five rounds of negotiations since March. The sixth round, scheduled to take place in India last month, was deferred after Washington imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over purchases of Russian crude oil.
The aim of the pact is to more than double bilateral trade in goods and services to USD 500 billion by 2030 from the current USD 191 bn. Trade ties have been strained due to tariffs, with the US imposing a 50 per cent import duty on Indian goods from August 27. The move has hit exports from labour-intensive sectors such as shrimp, textiles, leather and footwear. India has described the tariffs as unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.
Talks have also been delayed over US demands for greater access in sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy. India has said repeatedly that it will not compromise the interests of small and marginal farmers and cattle rearers.
The US is India’s largest trading partner. In 2024-25, bilateral trade in goods was USD 131.8 bn, with India’s exports at USD 86.5 bn and imports at USD 45.3 bn. The US is also the third-largest investor in India, with foreign direct investment of USD 76.26 bn between April 2000 and June 2025, accounting for 10 per cent of India’s total FDI inflows.
On protests in Nepal, Goyal said the Indian government is monitoring the situation and working to bring back Indian citizens stranded there. He added that the Indian mission in Nepal is ready to provide support and expressed hope for normalcy to return soon.
(With inputs from agencies)
Keep ReadingShow less
At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.
At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.
Bhatt was born in 1984 in Poquoson, Virginia, to immigrant parents from Gujarat, India. His father, an aerospace engineer, worked at NASA. He grew up in a household where English was a second language and money was limited. He later attended Stanford University, where he studied physics and earned a master’s degree in mathematics.
In 2013, Bhatt co-founded Robinhood with Vlad Tenev, a fellow Stanford graduate. The platform introduced commission-free stock trading to retail investors in the United States and later expanded into retirement accounts and high-yield savings products. The company gained widespread attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, when trading activity surged around so-called meme stocks.
Robinhood went public in 2021 at the height of the retail investing boom. Bhatt served as co-CEO with Tenev until 2020, when he moved into the role of chief creative officer. In 2024, he stepped down from his executive position but continues to serve on Robinhood’s board of directors while retaining his 6 per cent stake.
Robinhood’s stock has seen significant gains over the past year, rising by about 400 per cent. The increase has been linked to a boost in cryptocurrency-related sales, new products such as individual retirement accounts and high-yield savings, and a strong performance in 2024, when the company reported USD 3 billion (£2.2 billion) in revenue.
Bhatt’s recognition in the Forbes 400 list underscores the continuing influence of technology entrepreneurs in the American financial sector. His career reflects the trajectory of several Indian-origin leaders in the United States, who have made a mark in technology and finance in recent years.
Forbes’ annual ranking of the 400 wealthiest Americans is based on estimates of net worth, which include publicly disclosed stakes in companies, real estate holdings, and other assets. Bhatt joins the ranks of young billionaires who have built fortunes through technology-driven ventures.
In addition to his role with Robinhood, Bhatt has been noted for his early life influences. Growing up in Virginia, he was exposed to science and technology through his father’s aerospace career. His academic path at Stanford provided the foundation to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in financial technology.
Robinhood, under the leadership of Bhatt and Tenev, has changed how millions of Americans approach investing by lowering barriers to entry. While Bhatt is no longer in an executive role, his continued stake in the company keeps him closely tied to its growth and future direction.
Bhatt’s inclusion in the 2025 Forbes 400 as one of the youngest billionaires highlights his role in shaping retail investing and signals the growing presence of Indian-origin entrepreneurs in the US technology and finance industries.