Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
More than half (55.8%) of failed payment transactions among UK SMEs are never recovered, according to new research by Access PaySuite. The survey of 250 UK SME finance and payments decision-makers found that 3.4% of transactions fail on average. Nearly 50% of SMEs experience checkout abandonment, with an average rate of 7.8%. Whilst almost one…
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Increasing numbers of businesses are seeking protection against bad debt as they navigate tough trading conditions, according to SME funder, Bibby Financial Services (BFS). BFS’s latest SME Confidence Tracker reveals that the average amount SMEs are owed in unpaid invoices is £66,770 – a 10 per cent increase year-on-year – and 30 per cent have…
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The ICAEW’s Business Confidence Monitor shows sentiment has fallen for a fifth consecutive quarter, reversing earlier signs of recovery. Before the conflict, businesses had reported improving domestic sales and easing inflation, but rising geopolitical tensions have sharply dented optimism. Labour costs and energy price volatility remain the biggest pressures on firms. Business confidence in the…
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Small business confidence is crawling back from historic lows, but without Government action, fresh cost pressures could drag it straight back down, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned. FSB’s Small Business Index (SBI), which tracks how optimistic small firms are feeling, registered at -53 in Q1 2026, 18 points up from Q4 2025’s…
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Rising energy costs, supply chain disruption and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict are already impacting the majority of UK businesses with two thirds (66 per cent) reporting experiencing energy and fuel cost pressures, while shipping and logistics costs (43 per cent) are also weighing on margins. According to the latest Barclays…
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Small businesses say that the hike in energy prices following the war in the Middle East will cost them an average of £2,273.90 extra a month, according to new research conducted by Novuna Business Finance. Whilst many consumers have noticed prices soaring at the pumps, small businesses need energy in various other ways. The national…
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New survey results from UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping and Hospitality Ulster reveal the damaging impact another year of significant cost increases will have on hospitality businesses. As a direct result of April cost increases, businesses will cut jobs (64%), cancel investment plans (51%) and reduce trading hours (42%). Around one in seven venues (15%)…
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Business confidence rose 11 points to 55% in March, driven mainly by smaller firms, according to the latest Lloyds Business Barometer. The survey, conducted from March 2nd-16th, showed that over 90% of responses came in the first week, before the potential impact of Middle Eastern conflict affected smaller businesses. Larger firms exhibited less optimism, reflecting…
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Business energy costs are set to soar, with electricity bills increasing by an average of 10% to 30% since late February, depending on the sector and the size of the organisation. Gas price rises are steeper still, with Cornwall Insight forecasts showing bill increases of between 25% and 80%, as the ongoing conflict in the…
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The Government has announced new legislation which is designed to protect small businesses and aims to ensure that companies pay suppliers within 60 days, with late payments potentially triggering fines. Boards must also detail payment terms in their audit reports. Under the new plans, the Small Business Commissioner will be given sweeping new powers to…
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Two in three UK small businesses (67%) are working on plans to strengthen and grow over the spring months, although plans to hire new staff (14%) have hit a new five-year low, according to new research from Novuna Business Finance Whilst 84% of small businesses started 2026 with hopes to grow their enterprises during the…
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The economy showed no growth in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ongoing Middle East crisis has driven up energy prices, raising inflation concerns and diminishing hopes for an interest rate cut from the Bank of England. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to outline Labour’s economic strategy amid calls for an…
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UK Finance’s latest Business Finance Review shows that gross business lending by the high street banks increased from £16.1 billion to £17.5 billion in 2025 compared to 2024. In the final quarter of 2025, gross lending was £4.6 billion, the eighth consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth. The increase in lending in 2025 was strongest amongst…
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