You will have a secure account by the time you finish, but you do not need to set one up as a separate first step. The application creates your account as you go, and once you are through you manage everything from your signed-in portal.
How the account fits in
As you apply, you set up secure sign-in so that your details, your offer and — later — your loan all live in one protected place. That is your portal, reached by signing in at the client login. Nothing sensitive sits in an email; it lives behind your login.
If you have borrowed before, you already have an account — sign in rather than starting cold. See whether returning customers repeat the whole application.
Why an account matters
It keeps your data safe, lets you check your application status, and is where you accept an offer and manage repayments. Security is covered in is my data safe when i apply.
Ready to begin — the account comes with it? Apply.
We lend only to UK limited companies and LLPs, the loan is to the company with no director personal guarantee, and this is business finance outside the consumer-credit regime — as an exempt lender under Article 60B of the Regulated Activities Order we sit outside FCA consumer-credit regulation, so the Financial Ombudsman Service and FSCS do not apply.
See also: I am a returning customer do i need to do the whole application again, How to check the status of your application?, Is my data safe when i apply.