The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has delivered her Spring Statement outlining the Government’s economic plans. The data showed public sector net borrowing set to fall from 4.3% this year, decreasing to 1.8% in 2029–30. The Office for Budget Responsibility lowers growth forecasts to 1.1% for 2026 but upgrades the outlook in 2027 and 2028 to 1.6%.…
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A director of a construction company has narrowly avoided jail after admitting to exaggerating his company’s turnover to claim £150,000 via three Covid Bounce Back Loans. An Insolvency Service investigation found that Adebanjo Adebayo Talabi was the director of Bebo Construction Limited when he applied for three loans, between August and November 2020, from three…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leaders’ optimism about prospects for the UK economy, dropped back to -63 in February 2026, from -48 in January. Business leaders’ confidence in their own organisations also fell, to +1 in February from +14 in January. There were also declines in many of the underlying indicators,…
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Late payments are forcing an estimated 14,000 businesses to close every year, equivalent to 38 closures every single day, as cash-strapped firms struggle to survive unpaid invoices, according to new analysis from Funding Circle. Construction is the sector most exposed, with over 2,100 firms estimated to have closed in 2024 due to delayed payments, driven by…
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Barclays has published new policy recommendations urging the UK government to take further action to support the nation’s exporters, particularly smaller businesses. The analysis draws on proprietary data covering current and potential future exporters, alongside the bank’s own in‑house expertise and long-standing experience supporting UK firms trading internationally. This work comes at a time when…
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Late payments are increasingly undermining the stability of UK SMEs, threatening payroll, job security and growth potential, according to new research by Bibby Financial Services (BFS), with the data showing that late payments from customers prevented more than two-fifths (42%) of SMEs from paying staff salaries on time in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, nearly…
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More than three in four small business owners (78%) say business worries keep them awake at night – as concerns over economic volatility and geopolitical uncertainty reach a record high (52%) – according to new research from Novuna Business Finance. Compared to the position two-years ago, the biggest rises in business owner concerns related to…
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Wesleyan Group has announced it has made two appointments to the board to support its ambitious growth strategy, with Ian Gladman joining as Chair and Marco Groot Wassink as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Gladmen will formally succeed Nathan Moss in April, following the completion of the outgoing Chair’s nine-year term. He brings more than 30…
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A fraudster who illegally secured a Covid loan after a friend coached him on how to make a false application has been jailed. Fahad Sheikh applied for a maximum-value £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in 2020, falsely stating that his Garage Cars 4U business had a turnover of £220,000. His business was in fact not trading…
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The National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB) originated £33 billion in SME lending in 2025, a 25% year-on-year increase. NACFB analysis indicates that its Members account for nearly two-thirds of broker-facilitated SME lending in the UK, placing the total broker-led market at approximately £50 billion annually. The data shows that during 2025, the NACFB’s broker Members arranged 180,000 loans for UK…
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Latest data from Barclays has revealed diverging behaviour, with larger firms increasing longer-term lending and smaller firms relying more on shorter-term liquidity financing in the last quarter of 2025. While economic uncertainty remains the greatest challenge businesses are facing, confidence in the UK is resilient. Six in ten (58 per cent) back the home market…
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Digital bank, OakNorth, has announced that it has appointed Gergely Zaborszky as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), subject to regulatory approval, effective from July 2026. Gergely succeeds Rajesh Gupta, who will retire this year after more than five years with the company. Gergely joins OakNorth’s Board and Executive Leadership Team from Virgin Money, where…
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Following growth of 6.9% (net) in 2025, bank-to-business lending is forecast to slow to 3.5% (net growth) this year, as global and economic headwinds impact business confidence and reduce investment demand, according to the latest EY ITEM Club Bank Lending Forecast. While falling interest rates helped boost business lending last year to the highest level since…
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