Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Business lending growth is forecast to more than halve from 5.3% last year to 2.1% this year, then rise modestly to 2.8% in 2027, according to a new EY UK Bank Lending Outlook analysis. Higher costs and economic uncertainty weigh on investment demand. From 2027, stronger spending on AI and wider digital technology is expected…
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UK SMEs are facing growing cash flow pressure, with 40 per cent saying they have been forced to cut customer payment terms to protect their own finances, according to the latest SME Confidence Tracker by the UK’s largest independent invoice financier, Bibby Financial Services (BFS). With the Commercial Payments Bill yet to be passed, and…
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Business confidence fell 12 points to 41% in September, the lowest level since April 2025, according to the Lloyds Business Barometer. This decline follows August’s reading of 53%, the second highest recorded this year, and buoyant results since May. While confidence remained well above the survey’s long-term average of 30%, it was six points below…
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UK inflation accelerates to 3.1% per cent in July, up from 2.6 per cent in June, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Motor fuel was the biggest driver of the latest rise, with the energy shock feeding through to household costs. This figure sits above the Bank’s 2% target…
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HM Treasury, the UK’s economics and finance ministry, has recorded more than £62 million in invoices were paid late over the past three years, despite the announcement of the landmark reform to crack down on late payments earlier this year in May. The data obtained via a Freedom of Information request and analysed by the…
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UK business activity reached its highest level since January 2025 in August, according to the latest report from accountancy and advisory firm BDO. BDO’s Output Index rose to 98.37 as resilient services activity continued to support growth despite ongoing geopolitical and inflationary pressures. Business optimism also improved markedly in August to 94.22, marking the highest…
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New research by Sidetrade has found that US businesses wait an average of 25 days beyond agreed terms to be paid, whilst UK businesses wait 22 days. Across more than US$3.6 trillion in US B2B transactions, businesses are paid in 54 days on average against 29-day terms. Across more than $930 billion in the UK,…
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Robust safeguards will be needed if plans to automate the recovery of lower-value tax debts from taxpayers who have persistently not engaged with HMRC go ahead, chartered accountancy body ICAEW has warned. The government has proposed the extension of its enforcement powers to recover lower-value debts from the bank accounts of some individuals and businesses who…
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Latest data from Enterprise Nation has shown that 42% of small firms have been paid late during the past 12 months, compared with a range of 24% to 34% through 2023 and 2024. Among businesses employing staff, the incidence of late payment has more than doubled since summer 2024. The report also cites Small Business…
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The latest British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Economic Forecast suggests the outlook for the UK will remain uncertain. While the economy was more resilient in Q2 than expected, higher energy and business costs are likely to keep growth weak this year and next. GDP is anticipated to grow by 1% in 2026, which is only…
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Shop price inflation accelerated to 1.5% in August from 0.9% in July, reaching its highest level in two years, according to British Retail Consortium figures. The data shoed that food inflation rose to 2.8% from 2.2%, with ambient food prices climbing 2.5% as higher energy, commodity and input costs increasingly filtered through supply chains. Fresh…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leaders’ optimism about the UK economy’s prospects, rose to -49 in August, from -63 in July 2026. Conversely, business leaders became slightly less optimistic about the prospects for their own organisations, with confidence falling to -5, from -2 in July. Most of the survey’s underlying indicators…
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Flexible finance, including small business credit cards, remains the most frequently used type of borrowing among UK SMEs, according to the British Business Bank however, research by Purbeck has warned that most directors sign up for this everyday form of finance without realising it carries the same personal risk as a six-figure business loan. The…
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