Computer says no: Frustrated businesses screaming for fresh cash struggle to get bank loans November 14, 2022 Three-fifths of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) said that they currently need funding to ease day-to-day cashflow issues, according to research by asset manager Channel Capital out this morning. However, those businesses increasingly struggling to get loans from high-street banks, the survey found. And more than two thirds of SMEs reported that they need funding [...]
Funding struggles see UK’s small firms resort to personal loans for financing October 24, 2022 UK small business owners are increasingly taking out personal loans to fund their firms due to the troubles they face in securing external capital. More than half (55 per cent) of UK small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners have taken out a personal loan to fund their business, research by tech firm Codat shows. The [...]
MPs call for crackdown on advisors enabling tax avoidance schemes October 24, 2022 A group of cross-party MPs have called on the UK government to begin cracking down on the accountants and financial advisors that facilitate tax avoidance schemes. In a new report, the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on anti-corruption and responsible tax called for the UK’s tax system to be overhauled, to boost growth, increase tax revenues, [...]
UK net zero ambition needs “huge engagement” from SMEs October 6, 2022 Small businesses are keen to play their part in the UK’s journey to reach net zero by 2050 but decarbonising is complicated and expensive. It will be impossible to reach the UK’s net zero by 2050 goal without “huge engagement” from the UK’s 5.7 million Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), says Chris Hocknell, director of Eight Versa, [...]
Economic headwinds risk leaving UK’s small businesses underinsured September 29, 2022 The headwinds facing the UK economy risk leaving small businesses underinsured, Aviva has warned. Inflation, supply chain disruption, and labour shortages could leave UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at risk of facing huge bills, if the insurance policies they have fail to cover the actual costs repairing buildings or replacing assets, the insurance giant [...]
Desperate small businesses beg government for immediate help as bills spiral out of control September 14, 2022 A range of small businesses said this morning that their energy bills have more than doubled in the past three months alone. Firms are therefore eagerly looking to next week’s expected mini budget for help with soaring bills despite the slight easing in inflation. Lesley So, founder of Derby-based eco-friendly drinks manufacturer So Good Kombucha, [...]
Supermarket shelves could be bare of certain food and drink items during ‘really difficult winter’ September 6, 2022 Supermarket shelves could be left lacking certain food and drink items this winter if smaller companies go bust amid high energy bills, a food industry leader has warned MPs. It will be a “really difficult winter,” Karen Betts, chief executive, Food and Drink Federation (FDF) told MPs at the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee [...]
The Sage Group snaps up Seattle software developer Lockstep August 16, 2022 THE SAGE Group, the UK’s largest tech company, has acquired Seattle software developer Lockstep as part of its ongoing efforts to capitalise on the fast-paced growth of cloud computing. The takeover deal will see Sage – a major developer of accounting, HR, and payroll technology – snap up accounting software company Lockstep for an undisclosed sum. [...]
Insolvencies surge to highest rates since financial crash as voluntary bankruptcies hit record levels August 2, 2022 The UK government’s Insolvency Service today said it recorded a higher number of insolvencies over the past three months than at any other point in more than a decade, after the numbers of companies declaring voluntary bankruptcies hit their highest levels since records began. The past three months saw a total of 5,629 English and [...]
Chief Financial Officers should step up and take a more active role in leading their businesses, new report says July 26, 2022 Company Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) should take a more active role in guiding the businesses they run through times of uncertainty, according a new report Big Four accounting firm Deloitte and cloud computing company Anaplan. The report warns that CFOs perception of themselves and their own roles fails to match the perceptions of others, as [...]