Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
New global payment data analysis from Sidetrade is showing that late payments now account for 37% of the payment cycle. The data shows that businesses took an average of 51 days to get paid in 2025, composed of 32 days of contractual payment terms and 19 days of payment delay.The data indicates that short commercial…
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New research by Allica Bank shows that the market remains active and resilient, with brokers continuing to see meaningful demand across key sectors and reporting strong improvements in lending speed and efficiency. Despite a more challenging economic backdrop, 29% of brokers saw an increase in asset finance applications in the second half of the year…
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Retail sales rose by 2.7% in January, according to the British Retail Consortium and KPMG, as consumers responded to heavy post-Christmas discounting. Personal electronics and children’s items led the recovery after a weak December. Despite the uplift, the Office for National Statistics reports sales remain 1.5% below pre-pandemic levels, highlighting an uneven recovery. Food sales increased…
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A forecast by EY ITEM Club expects UK GDP to grow by 0.9% in 2026 a marginal upgrade on the 0.8% predicted in November’s Autumn Forecast. The data predicts the economy will accelerate growth to 1.3% in 2027 and will settle at 1.4% from 2028 onwards. Global uncertainty and tariff disruption are expected to be…
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Rising tax and cost pressures forced more than one in five (21%) SME bosses to lay off staff last year, according to a survey commissioned by Rathbones. A targeted poll of more than 1,000 SME founders, owners and senior executives reveals a challenging landscape for business leaders, with cost pressures – including business rates and national…
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New data from Novuna Business Finance has revealed the first green shoots of a potentially new upward trend in small business growth forecasts. Following a worrying 18-month period since mid-2024, when the percentage of small businesses predicting growth fell for five-consecutive quarters, to a five-year low of 25%, January 2026 sees an upturn, with 27%…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, jumped to -48 in January 2026, from -66 in December 2025. Business leader confidence in their own organisations also jumped, to +14 in January from -4 in December. The underlying indicators, particularly revenue and export expectations, also saw…
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Trade credit insurer Atradius has issued a red flag to the motor industry as new data reveals a sharp rise in claims for unpaid and late invoices. Failed and late payment claims against automotive businesses, including OEMs, original equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers and dealerships, have risen 78% year-on-year (Nov 2025). Claims across the wider transport sector,…
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Pubs and music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years. It comes after a backlash against November’s Budget, which left many facing major increases in their business rates bills, and led to more than a thousand pubs banning…
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Confidence in the future of the UK economy remains mixed among commercial finance brokers, according to new research from SME funding provider Asset Advantage. The survey of commercial brokers across the UK found that nearly half (49%) remain neutral on the outlook of the economy in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, more than a quarter…
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More than two in five (42%) profit warnings issued by UK-listed companies in 2025 cited policy change and geopolitical uncertainty as leading factors, according to EY-Parthenon’s latest Profit Warnings report. This marked a significant increase from 12% during 2024, and the highest annual proportion recorded for this cause in more than 25 years of EY’s…
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Research by Capital on Tap has compared average wages across major UK cities to track how the cost of everyday goods and services changes over time. The analysis shows where real earnings are falling furthest behind and which regions are under the greatest financial strain. The data showed that Reading tops the list of where…
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More than one in five SMEs say international trade tariff disputes remain the biggest challenge facing their business, according to new research from FTSE 250 lender Paragon Bank. Nearly a year since Donald Trump set out a range of global tariffs and as geopolitical tensions continue over Greenland, the study of 1,000 small and medium-sized…
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