Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
New research by Everflow has shown that 96% of hospitality SMEs say rising water, waste or telecoms costs have put their financial viability at risk, with seven in ten reporting a significant impact. Some have frozen pay, paused recruitment or cut services as a result. The findings highlight the growing pressure on hospitality businesses, with…
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Britain’s mid-sized businesses continue to feel overlooked ahead of the Autumn Budget, with more than seven in ten (71%) saying it is hard to find support tailored to their scale. The research, published as part of specialist lender Shawbrook’s M Agenda insight series, shows the proportion of firms struggling to access tailored backing has risen…
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Bibby Financial Services’ (BFS) latest SME Confidence Tracker reveals that small businesses’ greatest wish for Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey’s first Autumn Budget is to reduce the cost of doing business. SMEs’ wish-list for the Budget shows that reducing the cost burden is a number one priority. The data showed that a…
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has entered a new management era, with organisations shifting their focus from whether AI works to how it is governed, secured and managed at scale, according to KPMG’s latest Global AI Pulse survey. The quarterly global survey of C-suite and senior business leaders, including 100 in the UK, found that organisations are…
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Instability arising from US trade tariffs has fractured the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and US trading partners, according to new research from international SME funder, Bibby Financial Services (BFS). BFS’s report finds that UK SMEs have suffered average losses of £59,000 in the past 12-months due to US tariffs, leading many to reprioritise trade…
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Mid-market businesses are feeling overwhelmingly optimistic when it comes to their near-term investment in artificial intelligence (AI), according to new research from BDO, the accountancy and business advisory firm. The bi-monthly survey of 500 mid-market businesses revealed that the majority (97%) said they expect to see a return on their investment in AI within the…
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Small businesses say that the hike in energy prices following the war in the Middle East will cost them an average of £2,273.90 extra a month, according to new research conducted by Novuna Business Finance. Whilst many consumers have noticed prices soaring at the pumps, small businesses need energy in various other ways. The national…
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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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Optimism in the UK’s economic future among small businesses has tumbled heading into 2026, according to new research from iwoca. The research found that less than two-fifths (38%) of small businesses were optimistic about the UK economy, down from 51% last year. When asked about their main concerns for their business this year, nearly half…
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As many as seven in ten (71%) high-value decisions made by UK businesses are based on incomplete or partial data, according to a new study from EY. The research surveyed 250 leaders of UK companies with revenues above £100 million. In the last year, of these companies’ high-value business decisions – defined as decisions involving…
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Business volumes in the financial services (FS) sector fell at the quickest rate since June 2020 in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest CBI data. Despite the sharp deterioration in activity, sentiment was broadly flat in the three months to September, marking an improvement compared with the previous quarter’s steep drop. The…
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The percentage of small business owners predicting growth has fallen for the fourth consecutive Quarter to a new five-year low (25%) – and in every industry sector, the percentage of enterprises predicting growth is down on the start of the year, according to new tracking research from Novuna Business Finance. Following last summer’s General Election…
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More than eight in ten small business owners (83%) cite barriers holding their businesses back from growing – and in the Manufacturing (96%) sector the figures have hit a 10-year high – according to new research from Novuna Business Finance. The findings come at a time when the Government is grappling with delivering on its…
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