Asset finance falls by 2%

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that total asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) fell in February 2022 by 2% compared with the same month in 2021. In the first two months of 2022, new business was 5% higher than in the same period in 2021. The…

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Small business lending back to pre-pandemic levels

New research by the British Business Bank has indicated that lending to small businesses has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The Small Business Finance Markets Report 2022  found that 2021 was a year of contrast between debt and equity smaller business finance markets. Bank lending returned to pre-pandemic levels while equity investment in smaller businesses reached…

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Two thirds of SMEs unable to secure funding due to limited access to business lending

More than two thirds (67%) of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) globally have been unable to secure sufficient, or any, funding on at least one or more occasions, according to a new report from cloud banking platform Mambu. The ‘Small business, big growth’ report surveyed over 1,000 SME owners globally, who set up their…

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UK business borrowing on course to fall sharply

UK net business borrowing is on course to fall sharply over 2021 as firms pay down existing debt far faster than predicted, according to the latest EY ITEM Club for Financial Services Forecast. The forecast estimates that net bank lending to UK businesses will fall to minus £1.6bn over 2021, following £35.5bn net being lent in 2020,…

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Business lending stabilises

10th December 2021 Business Lending | #business lending

UK Finance’s Business Finance Review for Quarter 3 2021 has shown that gross lending to SMEs was around £5.2 billion in Q3 2021, indicating that business lending figures broadly unchanged from the previous quarter. The report Applications for new loans and overdrafts continued to trend down over the quarter – consistent across sectors and regions.…

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Access to finance jeopardising job creation

Almost half of small businesses across the UK (49%) are relying on securing finance to help them fulfil their growth plans for the year ahead. After three consecutive quarters when small business outlook has remained unchanged (with 34% of business owners predicting growth), the new Business Barometer study from Hitachi Capital Business Finance suggests access…

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Danske Bank reprimanded over Bounce Back loans

15th November 2021 Business Lending | #business lending

Danske Bank has been reprimanded by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over the treatment of some small businesses applying for Coronavirus Bounce Back loans, having required up to 205 firms to open business accounts to access a loan. The CMA said this meant the firms faced new fees, warning that the practice restricts customer…

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SMEs turn to Recovery Loan Scheme as they focus on growth

New research by iwoca’s has found that SMEs are turning to the Recovery Loan Scheme as they focus on company growth. The company’s Index reveals that over a third (35%) of brokers reported the top motivator for applying for unsecured finance was to ‘grow the business’ – a 12 percentage point increase from the previous…

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