UK farmers get a funding boost: £138m given to rural communities to help them grow October 16, 2015 In an attempt to help UK farmers grow and diversify their business, the government is giving them access to £138m of funding. Under a scheme dubbed LEADER, rural communities will be able to use the money to support projects in their local area, such as the creation of farm shops and ice cream parlours, or the [...]
The UK’s small companies are set to raise more than ever to fund growth October 15, 2015 The UK's emerging companies are on track to raise record levels of capital funding this year, with the total for the last nine months at £851m, catching up with the full year total for 2014 of £930m. Over the three months to the end of September, £330m was raised to grow smaller business, up £110m [...]
BDO partner Gary Hanson how best to tighten up the crowdfunding sector October 14, 2015 What is it like to be in professional services and working with an incredibly fast-growth sector? In 2014, UK peer-to-peer and crowdfunding platforms made £1.74bn available to firms and individuals, with growth of 168 per cent in Britain and 144 per cent across Europe. This year, those volumes will likely have doubled. Accountancy [...]
Crowd2Fund launches Exchange, a secondary market for trading crowdfunding investments October 14, 2015 City investors are getting an exchange to trade crowdfunded investments, as a crowdfunding marketplace launches today. Crowdfunding platform Crowd2Fund is opening “The Exchange”, where investors will be able to sell off debt and equity investments and access their capital. It'll join the likes of InvestDen, which has also opened a secondary market for investments made [...]
How to make smarter crowdfunding investments? Crowdrating wants to solve that puzzle October 14, 2015 Crowdfunding is booming. But for investors, choosing where to place your money can feel like a minefield. A so-called agency is launching today, with the aim of helping investors make decisions hopes to change that, by giving all crowdfunding campaigns a rating of “gold”, “silver” or “bronze”. Crowdfunding campaigns grew by a staggering 420 per [...]
Why public sector pensions need a radical overhaul October 14, 2015 A fortnight ago, I delivered a call to arms to the Government, detailing the need for immediate action to address the parlous state of UK public pensions. The estimated total shortfall is a staggering £1.7 trillion, across funded and unfunded public sector schemes. This exceeds UK GDP. On the basis of a 2012 ONS study, [...]
Pension freedoms: Six months on, savers still held up by four-week wait to access lump sums October 13, 2015 Retirees hoping to make use of the new pensions freedoms are being held up for weeks by admin hurdles, research has found. Since April this year, anyone over the age of 55 has been able to take some – or even all – of their pension as a lump sum. The new rules wiped [...]
Jupiter Fund Management draws in new assets despite difficult market conditions October 12, 2015 Jupiter Fund Management reported that its assets under management (AUM) were up five per cent in the last nine months, despite AUM falling by over £800m during the previous quarter. The FTSE 250-listed financial services sector firm saw net inflows slow from £498m in the second quarter to £77m in the third, combining with a [...]
Lack of funding for small businesses could cost the UK up to £2.9bn October 12, 2015 The UK’s small businesses are being stymied by a lack of funding, which is holding the UK's economy back. A lack of funding from high street banks since the recession, has slowed small business growth and could have cost the UK economy as much as £2.9bn of potential turnover in the last five years from SMEs, according [...]
“Top-up” pension scheme to start tomorrow October 11, 2015 Applications for the new "top-up" pension state pension scheme will start tomorrow, which allows pensioners to boost their retirement income by up to £25 per week for a one-off payment. Existing pensioners and those who reach retirement age before 6 April 2015, who are entitled to the state pension are eligible for the scheme. Pensioners can [...]