Overall business confidence fell by 17 percentage points to 6% in March, the lowest level since October 2019, reflecting a drop in both trading prospects and economic optimism, according to the Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Business Barometer. This decline illustrates the impact that the COVID-19 outbreak was having on business confidence before many initiatives launched […]
The term “digital bank” may sound familiar, although at present time there is no entity that has established itself as a fully digital banking operation. All banks employ a form of digital information handling, storage, and even automation. But digital banking is not equivalent to online banking, and goes beyond the tasks of an online […]
A month ago, the European P2P platform Robo.cash announced that the number of its investors reached 10,000. In March, it achieved a new milestone – the volume of loans financed through the platform increased to €150m in total. The achievement of this milestone was accelerated by the recent introduction of new loan originators on the […]
A family-run hotelier has secured jobs and is helping to support its local community during the coronavirus shutdown, thanks to the support of a five-figure finance package from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Walker & Williams will use the funding to support cashflow and help secure jobs for all of its 50 team members, based at […]
A suite of insolvency reforms is ‘ready to go’ on to the statute books, says Andrew Tate, former president of R3, the restructuring trade body, and head of restructuring at accountants and business advisers Kreston Reeves. The proposals were first proposed and consulted on in 2016 when Andrew Tate was president of R3 and mothballed […]
The Lakes Distillery, a whisky maker with an artistic ethos, has received a £3.5 million asset-based lending facility from Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance to help it triple the number of litres of alcohol it produces per annum. Founded in 2011, the distillery is housed in a renovated 1850’s Victorian farmstead. Nestled on the shore […]
Aldermore has today confirmed it will be decreasing variable mortgage rates by 0.65% following the Bank of England’s decision to decrease the Bank Base Rate by 0.75% to 0.25% on 11 March, and then to 0.10% on 19 March. Customers with mortgages linked to the Bank of England Base Rate (BBR) will decrease by 0.50% […]
In the coming months, sectors severely affected by the Covid-19 crisis will understandably be looking for as much support as possible to get back on their feet. Whilst a lot of government support has already been made available, another avenue companies may choose to explore is securing funding through foreign direct investment (FDI). To showcase […]
Landlords across the UK are experiencing substantial rental yields as scarcity of properties on the market continues to push up rents, according to property website Home.co.uk. Its figures show that the lettings market has 15% less stock than a year ago. The lack of available homes for renters is particularly pronounced in London, where the […]
NatWest has today announced that it is waiving monthly hire fees for point-of-sale terminals from its payments product Tyl until the end of 2020, adding to the range of support that the bank has launched for its SME customers during the current crisis, allowing businesses to offer a variety of payment options to their customers […]
