Two-thirds of businesses experiencing difficulty in accessing finance

Two-thirds (65%) more businesses are experiencing difficulty in accessing finance from high-street banks than they were in 2022* as mainstream lenders pull away from the SME market, according to new data from Sonovate. These challenges are now so acute that two in five (39%) UK businesses say that, due to funding being so hard to access,…

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Female business owners more likely than men to suffer cashflow challenges

Research from Bibby Financial Services (BFS) has found that women SME owners are more likely than men to suffer cashflow challenges, undermining their growth and ambitions. Only half (49%) of women business owners report that their cashflow is stable and meets their needs, compared to a significantly higher two thirds (66%) of male respondents. In…

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Finance shortage has caused two in five businesses to stop or pause

Two in five (40%) small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have had to stop or pause an area of their business because of a lack of finance over the last couple of years – a significant increase from 27% of SMEs recorded in last year according to new research commissioned by Manx Financial Group.  The…

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Securing finance key to half of SMEs growth plans

Access to finance is becoming a critical issue for UK small businesses, with new research finding that more than half (53%) would have to put plans on hold if they were unable to secure finance. The research from Novuna Business Finance underlines how important access to finance is for the small business sector at a…

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SME fintech raises £7m to provide small businesses with instant access to finance

SME fintech, Triver has announced it has raised £7 million equity from investors with an aim to revolutionise how small businesses can access finance. Leveraging Open Banking data and sophisticated AI, Triver funds SMEs’ short-term working capital needs, underwriting the risk of small business borrowing instantly and automatically. Faster and more easily than high street…

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Loxbear Advisory appoints new Director

19th April 2023 Alternative Business Lending |

Invoice finance and ABL advisory firm, Loxbear Advisory, has strengthened its team with the appointment of Director, Tansy Cunningham. Cunningham has more than 20 years’ experience within the invoice and trade finance industry, gained from past positions in leadership, operations, risk and relationship management at Bibby Financial Services, Time Finance and Metro Bank. In those…

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Change to bank capital rules could result in £44bn drop in SME lending

A report by Oxera commissioned by SME lender Allica has found that proposed changes to UK bank capital rules could result in a £44 billion drop in lending to SMEs. The research suggests that the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) could put up to £44 billion of SME lending at risk. In November 2022, the PRA…

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Loss of confidence resulted in decrease in SME borrowing

UK Finance has reported that a loss of confidence resulted in lower SME borrowing in Quarter 4 (Q4) 2022. The report showed that gross lending by the main high street banks totalled £18.4bn over 2022.  Due to economic uncertainty and rising interest rates, SMEs were more cautious in the latter half of the year with…

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Business investment grew 5.2% last year

Business investment grew a projected 5.2% in 2022 – leaving it 7% below pre-pandemic levels latest EY ITEM Club research has found. EY ITEM Club now expects business investment to fall of 0.8% this year although weaker business investment is one of the factors likely to slow the recovery from recession. It is predicted that…

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Half of small businesses looking to secure finance to grow their businesses

More than half of small businesses are looking to use finance to achieve growth in the coming year (53%) according to new research from Novuna Business Finance. The figures indicate that this is up from 49% this time last year, with hiring new staff found to be the activity most likely to be reliant on…

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Asset finance grows by 12%

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that total asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) grew in November 2022 by 12% compared with the same month in 2021. In the eleven months to November 2022, new business was 5% higher than in the same period in 2021. The…

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Allianz Trade, Santander CIB and Two launch B2B BNPL solution

9th January 2023 Alternative Business Lending | #BNPL

Trade credit insurance specialist Allianz Trade, business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce payments platform, Two and Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), have partnered to provide the first global business-to-business (B2B) Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solution for large multinational corporates. This is the first partnership of its kind. The result is a game changer product for global online…

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Businesses say bank borrowing is less attractive

Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) at the UK’s biggest businesses say they are less keen to borrow money from banks now than at any point since the financial crisis, according to a new survey by Deloitte. The research found that CFOs rate borrowing as less attractive now than at any time since the financial crisis, with…

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