Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Small businesses across the UK are now operating under pressures comparable to and in some cases exceeding those experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a major new report published today by the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee. The Committee’s inquiry finds that while emergency support was rapidly mobilised during the pandemic, there…
Read more
New global payment data analysis from Sidetrade is showing that late payments now account for 37% of the payment cycle. The data shows that businesses took an average of 51 days to get paid in 2025, composed of 32 days of contractual payment terms and 19 days of payment delay.The data indicates that short commercial…
Read more
New research by Allica Bank shows that the market remains active and resilient, with brokers continuing to see meaningful demand across key sectors and reporting strong improvements in lending speed and efficiency. Despite a more challenging economic backdrop, 29% of brokers saw an increase in asset finance applications in the second half of the year…
Read more
Retail sales rose by 2.7% in January, according to the British Retail Consortium and KPMG, as consumers responded to heavy post-Christmas discounting. Personal electronics and children’s items led the recovery after a weak December. Despite the uplift, the Office for National Statistics reports sales remain 1.5% below pre-pandemic levels, highlighting an uneven recovery. Food sales increased…
Read more
A forecast by EY ITEM Club expects UK GDP to grow by 0.9% in 2026 a marginal upgrade on the 0.8% predicted in November’s Autumn Forecast. The data predicts the economy will accelerate growth to 1.3% in 2027 and will settle at 1.4% from 2028 onwards. Global uncertainty and tariff disruption are expected to be…
Read more
Rising tax and cost pressures forced more than one in five (21%) SME bosses to lay off staff last year, according to a survey commissioned by Rathbones. A targeted poll of more than 1,000 SME founders, owners and senior executives reveals a challenging landscape for business leaders, with cost pressures – including business rates and national…
Read more
New data from Novuna Business Finance has revealed the first green shoots of a potentially new upward trend in small business growth forecasts. Following a worrying 18-month period since mid-2024, when the percentage of small businesses predicting growth fell for five-consecutive quarters, to a five-year low of 25%, January 2026 sees an upturn, with 27%…
Read more
Latest Red Flag Alert research from Begbies Traynor has revealed a considerable 43.8% year-on-year increase in ‘critical’ financial distress in Q4 2025. Throughout 2025, UK businesses continued to grapple with a prolonged period of economic uncertainty, rising operating costs driven by inflation and higher wages, increased tax burdens, elevated interest rates, and weakened consumer demand. The persistence…
Read more
The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, jumped to -48 in January 2026, from -66 in December 2025. Business leader confidence in their own organisations also jumped, to +14 in January from -4 in December. The underlying indicators, particularly revenue and export expectations, also saw…
Read more
Business confidence weakened this month over concerns about the global economic outlook, according to the latest Lloyds’ business barometer. The survey reported a net balance of 44% in January, down from 47 per cent in December, driven by a 14-point drop in businesses’ net economic optimism. However, businesses’ expectations for their own activity rose by…
Read more
Trade credit insurer Atradius has issued a red flag to the motor industry as new data reveals a sharp rise in claims for unpaid and late invoices. Failed and late payment claims against automotive businesses, including OEMs, original equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers and dealerships, have risen 78% year-on-year (Nov 2025). Claims across the wider transport sector,…
Read more
Pubs and music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years. It comes after a backlash against November’s Budget, which left many facing major increases in their business rates bills, and led to more than a thousand pubs banning…
Read more
Confidence in the future of the UK economy remains mixed among commercial finance brokers, according to new research from SME funding provider Asset Advantage. The survey of commercial brokers across the UK found that nearly half (49%) remain neutral on the outlook of the economy in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, more than a quarter…
Read more