Director confidence hits records lows

The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, remained at a near record low of -73 in November in the run-up to the Budget – unchanged from October. In our snap poll directly after the Budget, the index rose one point to -72. Business leader confidence…

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Finance company shut down after investigators uncover fraud concerns

28th November 2025 Business Lending | #fraud

A company claiming to provide financial services, which received around £175,000 from a client but failed to deliver promised services, has been shut down. Basic Prime Limited claimed to provide trade finance guarantees and credit enhancement services but was suspected by Insolvency Service investigators of operating an advance fee fraud scheme. The company at no…

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GB Bank announces three promotions

28th November 2025 Appointments |

GB Bank has announced the promotion of three team members as part of the bank’s ongoing commitment to intermediary relationships and growing lending ambitions. Chris Chapman has been promoted to Head of Lending Operations, where he will oversee the full lending and operations teams. Jude Miranda has stepped into the role of Customer Onboarding &…

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Four in five business leaders react negatively to Budget

A snap poll of over 500 business leaders following the Chancellor’s Budget Statement by the Institute of Director has found that 80% feel negative about the Autumn Budget. A similar snap poll of business leaders following the 2024 Autumn Budget found that 67% felt negative. In terms of the individual policies announced by the Chancellor, those viewed…

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AUTUMN BUDGET 2025 – business and insolvency sectors reaction

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced the autumn budget for 2025. Commenting on the Budget, James Burgess, Head of Commercial and Insolvency expert at Atradius UK, said “Personal tax changes, including freezing all personal income tax thresholds until 2030-31, will potentially curb spending and weaken demand,  further pressuring business revenues at a time when businesses are…

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Retail confidence slumps to 17-year low 

Retail confidence has dropped sharply, reaching its lowest point since 2008, according to Confederation of British Industry (CBI) analysis. The CBI’s quarterly measure of business sentiment for the next three months fell to -35 from -10 in August. Retailers anticipate subdued demand as they prepare for a challenging December, with sales expected to decline further.…

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SMEs warn Government goodwill at risk without urgent Budget action

New research has revealed that while SME confidence in Government remains fairly lukewarm, this support is fragile in the face of mounting economic pressures and uncertainty – and may well turn sour without urgent action on tax and costs at the Autumn Budget. The survey of 1,000 SME leaders and decision makers, commissioned by FTSE…

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46% of SMEs not confident Government will drive a ‘pro-business’ agenda in the Budget

25th November 2025 Commercial Risk | #budget

Almost half (46%) of smaller SMEs say they’re not confident that the Government will drive a ‘pro-business’ agenda compared to only 22% of medium sized businesses according to new analysis from Simply Asset Finance. Notably, the research reveals that much of the goodwill that had been granted to the new Government early in its tenure…

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Government launches consultation to cut electricity bills for thousands of manufacturers

24th November 2025 Business Utilities | #business energy

The Government has launched a consultation to cut electricity bills by up to 25 percent for over 7,000 British businesses. Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle will set out an offer of enhanced support in a keynote speech to a room of bosses from some of the UK’s top firms at the CBI Conference in…

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38% of SME loans in October focused on working capital

New data from  Purbeck has shown that 38% of SME loans taken in October were purely for working capital, to sustain cash flow.  This is the highest proportion the business has recorded since the start of 2025. According to the latest Barclays Business Prosperity Index, 55% of SMEs have paused investment plans amid heightened economic…

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Call for Government action on late payments ahead of Budget

UK manufacturing firms are urging the Government to tackle the late payments crisis, as new research from Bibby Financial Services (BFS). According to the research, nearly six in ten (59%) manufacturers report that current measures to reduce late payments, including the Fair Payment Code, don’t go far enough to protect them. The sector remains the…

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Inflation falls slightly – industry reaction

Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has shown that inflation fell slightly in October to  3.6 per cent, from 3.8% in September. Core Inflation came in at 3.4% in the 12 months to October, down from the 3.5% in September and below the 3.7% forecast by the market Commenting on today’s inflation figures for October,…

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Fraudsters steal millions from businesses using remote access bank scam

17th November 2025 Commercial Credit Management | #fraud

Businesses, charities and other high-value bank account holders are being targeted by fraudsters using software to steal tens of thousands of pounds with the amount stolen from some individual accounts exceeding £1 million, according to new research from the Cyber Defence Alliance (CDA) and Cifas. The scam begins with a phone call and ends with…

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