Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
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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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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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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The British Retail Consortium (BRC) latest survey of retail CFOs (Chief Financial Officers) and Finance Directors reveals a sharp rise in anxiety about labour costs over the next year. These concerns have shot up the agenda since the start of the implementation of the Employment Rights Act, which became law in January. With weak wage…
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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is sounding a warning shot ahead of a looming cost crunch in April that could push many small firms to breaking point. In less than two months, rising energy bills, business rates hikes, spiralling employment costs and changes to Statutory Sick Pay will all rise at a record pace,…
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UK inflation fell to 3% in January, down from 3.4% in December, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was the lowest inflation figure since March last year. The change was partly driven by lower fuel prices, lower airfares and lower food prices. Core CPI (CPI excluding energy, food,…
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More than half (58%) of finance brokers cite increased running costs as small business owners’ biggest concern, according to iwoca’s latest SME Expert Index. This represents a 10-point increase from 48% in Q3 2025 and is the highest level recorded since iwoca’s SME Expert Index began tracking this question in Q4 2022, highlighting the intensifying…
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Latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that there was cautious optimism as footfall decline slows The data (covering the four weeks 4th-31st January) showed that total UK footfall decreased by 0.6% in January (YoY), up from -2.9% in December. High Street footfall decreased by 1.9% in January (YoY), down from -0.9% in…
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Listed companies in the FTSE Construction and Materials sector issued 18 profit warnings during 2025, more than three times the five warnings recorded in 2024 and the highest annual total since 2020 (33 warnings), according to an EY-Parthenon report. The data also reveals that a third (33%) of the sector’s listed firms issued at least…
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Small businesses across the UK are now operating under pressures comparable to and in some cases exceeding those experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a major new report published today by the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee. The Committee’s inquiry finds that while emergency support was rapidly mobilised during the pandemic, there…
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The UK economy grew by just 0.1% in the final quarter of 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), matching the rate recorded in Quarter 3 (Q3). Analysis of the data shows that Q4 marked the first time in over two years that the services sector showed no growth. Manufacturing provided a slight…
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