Triodos Bank has announced that its UK lending has passed £300m, making it larger than the rest of the social finance market put together.

On top of these loans already paid out, it also has a further £160m of as yet unpaid commitments, and anticipates that the combined figure for loans both paid and pending will pass £0.5bn early next year.

Triodos, which only finances organisations which deliver social, environmental or cultural benefits, said that the £300m milestone had been passed thanks to gross new loans paid out in the year to date totalling £65m.

Dr Bevis Watts, head of business banking at the bank, said: At a time when mainstream banks are still being challenged to increase their lending to businesses, the Triodos banking model means that our lending growth is supporting real social and environmental change.”