The majority of commercial mortgage brokers are seeing growing demand for external funding from their commercial clients, despite the ongoing economic uncertainty, the latest SME Pulse survey from Atom bank has revealed. The SME Pulse is a quarterly poll of commercial brokers, covering their insights and expectations for the market, carried out by Atom bank, the […]
Despite an uncertain economy, applications for Personal Guarantee backed business loans rose by 9% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025. This is according to the Q1 2025 Personal Guarantee Insurance (PGI) Monitor from Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance, the UK’s only provider of PGI to SMEs. The 9% rise suggests that the appetite for finance remains […]
FOLK2FOLK, the UK’s largest peer-to-peer business lending platform by cumulative lending, has announced unaudited results for the financial year ending 31 January 2025, achieving its highest-ever turnover and a sixth consecutive year of profitability. The platform reported record turnover of £6.16m, an increase of 17% on the previous year (£5.28m), and pre-tax profit of £1.84m, […]
The British Business Bank today announces the accreditation of Creative Growth Finance as a delivery partner under the Growth Guarantee Scheme. Creative Growth Finance (CGF) is Creative UK’s specialist £35m debt fund, which provides growth capital to high-potential smaller businesses in the UK’s creative sector. The Growth Guarantee Scheme will enhance CGF’s ability to support […]
Luxury care home provider Country Court is set to continue its growth proposition, and refinance two of its current homes, thanks to a £36m five-year investment loan from Cynergy Bank. Founded in Peterborough in 1983, Country Court provides luxury residential care and nursing homes. The first home opened in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, with the company now […]
Responding to the latest ONS Retail Sales Index figures, which showed sales 3.8% by value, and up 3.3% by volume, Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Sales continued to grow in March as the sunshine and warm weather encouraged people to spend more. Clothing and footwear performed well as consumers sought to […]
In March 2025, the number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 1,992, 2% lower than in February 2025 (2,032) but 9% higher than March 2024 (1,826). The construction industry experienced the highest number of insolvencies in the 12 months to February 2025 at 4,046, making up 17% of all industry cases. Commenting […]
A new report from the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) reveals a 62% increase in income from university-business collaboration over the past two decades—demonstrating the growing strength of the UK’s innovation ecosystem and the central role of universities in supporting business growth. Based on two decades of Higher Education – Business and Community […]
The UK’s SME lending market needs a full reboot, according to new research by the UK’s fastest growing fintech Allica Bank. With the UK having the lowest business investment rate in the G7, the report highlights how small businesses invest at only a third of the level of large corporate businesses, with a clear link […]
The automotive sector can be intrinsic to UK economic growth, to decarbonisation and our trade balance but we need the right conditions and a framework for competitiveness. Achieving that growth will not be easy as the global challenges before us are significant and, as a trade intensive industry, the rise in protectionism – retaliatory or […]
