Investec Comment: Why the future is bright for SME finance May 10, 2015 NO ONE needs to be told that it’s been a difficult few years for small businesses seeking finance, and economic recovery has done little to change this picture. The Bank of England’s latest Trends in Lending report found that the annual rate of growth in the stock of lending to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) [...]
Joanne Moore: The lady blazing a trail as the only female master gin distiller in the world May 10, 2015 Distilling alcohol has remained largely a male affair, which is odd, since women have a greater number of tastebuds than men and are better at discerning flavour. But Joanne Moore has risen through a 20-year career in ginmaking to become the only female master distiller in the world. Moore had no intention of becoming a [...]
Ask the crowdfunding industry: Founders James Codling and Dillen Iyavoo on inflated valuations May 6, 2015 The growth rate of equity-based crowdfunding has been impressive. Research by Judge Business School and EY has shown that, between 2012 and 2014, volumes grew from €5m to €111m in the UK, rising four-fold last year. But while more and more individuals are considering both equity and debt-based crowdfunding as a novel but viable investment [...]
Uber teams up with peer-to-peer lender Zopa to help drivers buy their own cars May 6, 2015 Uber is aiming to make it easier for its drivers to buy their own cars by teaming up with peer-to-peer (P2P) lender Zopa. The taxi-hailing app's partnership with the world's first P2P marketplace will give drivers renting a licensed vehicle access to a loan agreement with one of Zopa's institutional lenders, allowing them to swap [...]
Tech sector job creation climbs to new high but skills focus needed May 5, 2015 UK technology companies’ hiring has reached a record high despite the industry reporting slower growth in business. The tech sector UK business activity index published today by consultants KPMG and financial information firm Markit scored 55.7 for the first three months of the year. Any figure above 50 represents growth with higher scores marking faster [...]
Razor sharp: Will King talks moving on from King of Shaves, politics, a plan for Tesco and why we need Tinder for voting May 4, 2015 I came, I saw, I shaved, I died’ isn’t how I want to be remembered,” quips Will King. In 1993, he founded King of Shaves, the popular men’s toiletries brand. In frustration over the poor quality of his own products, he turned to his then-girlfriend’s bath oil for a smoother finish. The resulting businesses, including [...]
Investec Comment: What the election could mean for SMEs May 4, 2015 THE RISE of smaller parties across the UK has made this the most difficult General Election to forecast in at least a generation. We know that the SNP is likely to make major gains across Scotland, winning upwards of 40 seats, mostly from Labour. An increased Ukip vote will likely hit the Conservatives harder than [...]
How to crack the UAE May 4, 2015 Nicole Green finds out why relationships are so important when trading with one of Britain’s leading export markets EVEN for ambitious businesses, breaking into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may seem like a challenging prospect. It’s a complex economy, with its own cultural quirks and peculiarities. But it’s also one of the UK’s leading export [...]
A better understanding of risk can unlock finance May 4, 2015 For British manufacturing firms seeking finance, a return to the lending practices of 30 years ago, when decisions were based less on financials and more around “common sense”, may be welcome news. This is according to Mike Hartley, head of commercial credit north at Santander, who says that lenders are now looking more holistically at [...]
Interview: City A.M. talks economics with Santander UK chief economist Barry Naisbitt May 4, 2015 GDP growth slowed to 0.3 per cent in the first quarter. Is the UK economy losing momentum? Growth at 0.3 per cent was a surprise relative to expectations, particularly expectations based on purchasing managers index surveys, retail sales and the like. We do know that GDP figures get revised, however. It seems to me that, [...]
