Asset-based lender Ultimate Finance is today announcing an increase to its maximum invoice finance facility size from £7m to £10m as it targets growth. The increase follows recent investment in pricing and an improved cashflow loan size, both of which have been well received. This latest enhancement in its working capital offering, will allow them […]
Derren Nathan, head of equity research, Hargreaves Lansdown: “When it comes to global trade right now the only certainty is uncertainty. Just a day after US courts halted the lion’s share of Trump’s recent tariff increases, judges have temporarily reinstated the new border taxes. Little wonder markets are struggling for direction. The Footsie is trying to lift its […]
Business confidence bounced back in May, rising by 11 points to 50%, according to the latest Lloyds Business Barometer. The increase in confidence more than offset April’s 10-point decline and marked the highest score in nine months, matching the level in August 2024. The increase was driven by a boost in economic optimism which rose 16 […]
The British Business Bank has made a commitment of £30m to Atempo Growth’s second fund, Atempo Growth II. The fund has held its first close with commitments exceeding €300m, bringing Atempo Growth’s total assets under management to over €700m. Founded in 2021 by Luca Colciago, Jack Diamond, and Matteo Avramov Giulivi, Atempo Growth is a growth […]
Despite a complex global landscape, angel investors are planning to invest more in startups in 2025 than last year, with cautious optimism the prevailing mood. This is the key finding from the latest global survey of investors from Angel Investment Network (AIN), the world’s largest online angel investment network. An impressive 40% of respondents said they will […]
For months, UK businesses had been fearing the impact of April’s staffing cost rises. However, the latest ONS survey reveals transportation & storage sector companies kept their calm in the face of employer National Insurance and National Living Wage increases. Nor do they appear to have been ruffled by Trump’s new tariffs, says the international […]
On 28 May 2025, the government has announced a package of proposals to directly help small and medium sized builders (SMEs), including a ‘Medium’ sized site definition to enable more proportionate planning requirements, streamlined planning for ‘Minor’ sized sites and more targeted support for access to land and finance. Richard Beresford, chief executive of the […]
Sentiment amongst retailers fell at the sharpest rate in five years in May, with the net balance of firms expecting their business situation to deteriorate over the coming quarter, according to the CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades Survey. Year-on-year retail sales volumes fell in May, a decline expected to accelerate next month. However, online sales fared better, […]
An award-winning specialist business bank has re-assessed its commercial lending proposition to boost the affordability of its commercial mortgages for experienced professional landlords and SMEs (owner occupiers). These changes have been made following consultations with leading brokers and reflect the continued higher interest rate environment that has placed pressure on the leverage some firms can […]
Markets may be dismissing President Trump’s tariff threats—but investors should brace for a far more dangerous development: a looming US yield crisis as the national debt spirals out of control. This is the assessment from deVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and asset management organizations, following a federal court ruling that blocks […]
