Saible, a construction payments fintech, has raised £2.9 million in funding from angel investors, comprising £2.1 million already raised and a further £800,000 angel round. Funds will go towards expanding the platform, supporting regulatory work and taking the product into more live projects with project funders that need clearer control over how money moves through the supply chain.
On a large project, four or five tiers can separate the project owner and the smallest supplier, and at each stage a payment can be delayed or held back, often because the firm holding it can use it as free credit to fund their operations. Recent industry research from UK accountancy and advisory firm Menzies found that 93% of firms report late payments, with invoices averaging 53 days overdue, and that 86% are already in or at risk of serious financial distress, with the average firm expecting to reach that point within eight months. For the fourth year running, construction recorded more insolvencies than any other sector in the United Kingdom, with 4,450 firms failing in 2025, up 9%, and a further 1,180 in Q1 2026 alone.
The Digital Parallel Payment Account ("DiPPA") holds project funds in a trust with regulated banking partner Griffin, while Saible provides the software platform for approvals, verification and audit. Released directly to approved firms across every tier simultaneously rather than moving down the chain from contractor to subcontractor, project funds reach a smaller firm several layers below the main contractor without it having to wait for each company above to pass the money on.
Public-sector pilots with the Environment Agency and BAM Nuttall are designed to test Saible's payment-control model on live, government-backed construction projects. The first is expected to be a £1.5m-£2m footbridge replacement, due to commence in summer 2026 with a programme duration of 12-16 months, and followed work by a Cabinet Office-sponsored group examining payment problems in construction. Alongside the angel round, a limited £50,000 Crowdcube-hosted allocation is open from 15 July to 31 July, intended to allow smaller construction businesses and industry participants to invest alongside Saible's angel backers.
Late payment in construction goes beyond the balance sheet. It creates pressure that runs through businesses, workers and families. When firms are waiting months beyond agreed terms, people are left worrying about whether they can pay staff, suppliers, and themselves. Payment in construction is dysfunctional and is in desperate need of better control. This funding allows us to expand our platform, support our regulatory work, and take Saible into more live projects with project funders that need clearer control over how money moves through the supply chain.
Project Bank Accounts recognised the right problem, but they were never built to protect payment all the way down the supply chain. Saible is different because it gives clients and contractors a practical way to make sure money reaches the firms doing the work, not just the businesses at the top of the chain.
