South West-based FOLK2FOLK, the UK’s largest peer-to-peer business lending platform by cumulative lending, has announced that its investors earned £17.32m in interest payouts during the 2024/25 tax year, the highest total in the company’s 11-year history. This figure highlights the growing appeal of FOLK2FOLK’s fixed-rate investments (currently from 8.5%), which offer monthly income with capital […]
The average size of artificial intelligence (AI) deals was significantly higher than deals across the wider UK equity market in 2024, underlining the continued focus on the sector, reveals the British Business Bank’s annual Small Business Equity Tracker, published today. The average AI equity deal in the UK was £8.3m in 2024, more than 40% […]
As the new Small Business Commissioner starts her first day at work, a survey of SME business owners and managers has found that 3 in 4 (77%) businesses are owed money from their late paying customers. Emma Jones, CBE is set to take a leading role in tackling late payments and unfair payment practices. On average, […]
Allica Bank can today reveal that the gap in interest rates offered to SMEs by challenger banks and traditional high street banks has almost tripled compared with this time two years ago. Allica has been monitoring these savings rates across the market for the last two years, and a clear trend has emerged. SMEs banking […]
Responding to the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee’s vote to keep the base rate at 4.25%, Tina McKenzie, policy chair, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said: “Today’s decision on the base rate was not unexpected, given recent inflation readings being higher than the Bank of England’s target. “However, small firms will be hoping to see cuts later […]
Large businesses in the UK are increasingly exposed to cyberattacks, with fresh data showing a clear link between company size and breach frequency – but experts are warning that smaller firms may be dangerously underestimating the threat. According to the latest Azets Barometer, just 41% of large UK businesses avoided cybersecurity incidents in the past […]
DECTA, a leading end-to-end payment solution provider, has released its new whitepaper, “What SMEs Need From Their Payment Provider.” This comprehensive report offers insights into evolving consumer expectations and the pressing challenges confronting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the UK economy. Based on a survey of over 2,000 nationally representative consumers, the report reveals […]
More than 80% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland believe the viability of their business is at risk over the next 12 months, according to new research from Aberdein Considine. The survey, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of the legal firm, highlights the mounting economic pressures and uncertain market conditions faced by […]
Newcastle upon Tyne is ranked the best city to work for a small business in Britain, according to new research released today by iwoca, one of Europe’s largest SME lenders. iwoca’s ‘Top 25 Towns & Cities for SME Jobs’ list ranks areas using ONS data on average wage, commute, job density, house price and growth of […]
HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) regime is pointless, as the Treasury will receive no additional tax take, despite taxpayers reporting burden increasing, say leading audit, tax and business advisory firm, Blick Rothenberg. Fiona Fernie, a partner at the firm, said: “Under MTD self-employed people and businesses will have to report their taxes quarterly, not annually. […]
