NatWest Group has today announced a new partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). This official payments partnership, builds on the support the NatWest Group has given to FSB over the years as the UK’s biggest bank for businesses. In 2020, NatWest Group established the SME Taskforce with FSB to help SMEs to respond […]
Only three in 10 small business owners (30%) predict any form of growth in the next three months – the lowest it has been since the Covid lockdown of January 2021 (26%). After small business confidence enjoyed a slight peak after Covid restrictions finally fell away by Q2 2022 (37%) – the percentage of business […]
Recently named as the fastest-growing UK fintech ever by Deloitte*, Allica Bank today released its Annual Report for the year ending 31 December 2023, underlining a period of continued growth, strong financial metrics and watershed achievements. Since opening for lending in 2020, Allica is the UK’s only full-service digital bank built solely for established SME […]
Business activity among UK SMEs has expanded at a solid rate throughout the first quarter of the year with the NatWest SME PMI Business Activity Index recording 52.6 in March. NatWest’s index is a key indicator of the health of the UK SME economy. A PMI reading over 50.0 indicates growth or expansion, while a […]
Small and medium-sized enterprises will boost supply chain transparency and make trading across borders cheaper, faster, simpler and more sustainable by embracing a unified system of global “business fingerprints”, according to a report from the International Chamber of Commerce United Kingdom, the World Trade Board and the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF). Scaling the […]
Half of new hires either leave or need close support to be more productive according to the findings of a recent survey carried out by Project Brains, an AI-powered Fractional Work platform that helps businesses scale by matching people to specific roles and business needs. The survey, which explores the challenges and opportunities in hiring […]
More flexible finance options needed in the UK as 28% of SMEs are being turned down for funding A survey of 500 SMEs by invoice finance company Novuna Business Cash Flow, highlights the critical need for more accessible and flexible financing options for small and medium-sized enterprises if they are to survive. 34% of SMEs […]
Nearly six out of ten (58%) Irish SME businesses are confident they can meet all new mandatory wage hikes and supplementary business expenses linked to staff expenditures in 2024, according to the latest Linked Finance SME Confidence Index, based on research conducted by B&A. On 1 January 2024, businesses saw a 12% surge in the […]
Research from the Current Account Switch Service finds that many London based small and medium businesses are considering switching to banking providers that provide greater in-person services amid the tough economic climate. The data provides insights on banking behaviours the greatest concerns of London’s businesses. Regarding behaviours, 32% of London SME leaders worried about the […]
British Business Investments today announces that it is providing a £15m facility to Performance Finance Limited. The transaction will be structured as a block discounting agreement that will allow Performance Finance to provide funding support to smaller businesses looking to acquire business-critical assets to accelerate their growth. British Business Investments, a wholly owned commercial subsidiary […]
