Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Optimism among businesses has declined sharply over the last month according to latest analysis by Lloyds Bank. After four months of elevated confidence, September saw a return to levels seen in the first part of the year. The latest Lloyds Business Barometer saw a reduction of 12 points in September, with confidence remaining above the…
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New analysis by Barclays has shown that, if UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were to invest at rates in line with larger companies, £60 billion of new investment could be unleashed per year into the UK economy. In 2024, UK business investment reached a record level, and in the first half of 2025, business…
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A third (32%) of UK SMEs that do not currently trade internationally plan to do so this year, according to research from Shawbrook. While 38% of SMEs are already trading outside of the UK, a further third now plan to begin doing so within the next year. Only 28% do not currently trade internationally nor…
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New research by challenger business, Allica Bank, has shown a sharp rise in broker confidence for the months ahead. Though just over 18% expressed concern for the next six months, over half (51.2%) of brokers said they had a positive outlook, a significant increase on Quarter 4, when confidence was just 24%. A further 30%…
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Credit Connect Media hosted its second Commercial Credit & Collections Conference of the year last week in Tower Hill in London, which saw over 35 trade credit and insolvency professionals from various industry sectors meet to discuss the latest industry challenges. The Commercial Credit & Collections Conference hosted three themed round tables following an economic…
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A new survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggests growing concerns about the cost of living in the year ahead. The survey of 2,000 people, conducted by Opinium, found people’s biggest concern was ‘prices rising faster than wages’, with 57% of respondents agreeing (61% among working people). This was higher than concerns around tax…
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The UK economy is projected to experience only modest growth over the next two years, according to a report by KPMG. The firm forecasts a rise of only 1.2% this year and 1.1% in 2026, significantly lower than the Office for Budget Responsibility’s earlier estimate of 1.9% driven by lower interest rates and infrastructure investment,…
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Latest research by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has shown that high inflation is weighing on consumer confidence. The data showed that state of the economy worsened to -36 in September, down from -32 in August with the personal financial situation worsened to -7 in September, down from -6 in August. Personal spending on retail rose…
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The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to hold interest rates at 4.0%. The MPC voted 7 to 2 in favour of the hold, with two dissenting member preferring to cut rates by 0.25% to 3.75%. Commenting on the MPC’s decision not to change the Bank Rate from 4.00%, George Lagarias, Chief Economist at…
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Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has shown that inflation held at 3.8 per cent in the year to August. Core Inflation came in at 3.6% in the 12 months to August, down from the 3.8% in July and in line with forecasts. Commenting on today’s inflation figures for August, ONS Chief Economist Grant Fitzner…
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New analysis by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows that 400 large-format stores are at risk of closure, if they are included in the Government’s new business rates surtax on premises with a rateable value over £500,000. The retail industry accounts for 5% of the economy yet pays over 20% of all business rates bills.…
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Latest ONS data has shown that GDP showed no growth in July 2025, following growth of 0.4% in June Real GDP grew by 0.2% in the three months to July 2025 compared with the three months to April 2025, down from three-month-on-three-month growths of 0.3% in June 2025 and 0.6% in May 2025. Services output…
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Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK are increasingly pivoting to focus on internal talent during a tough labour market, latest research from Shawbrook reveals. When asked about their plans for the rest of 2025, just under half (48%) of SMEs leaders revealed they are looking to upskill their current team, by far the…
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