Venture capital trusts fundraised £685m last year in bid to support small businesses April 8, 2021 Venture capital trusts (VCTs) managed to bolster fundraising by 11 per cent last year, raising £685m in funds for small businesses. The fundraising, only six per cent below pre-pandemic levels, is set to give some companies some breathing room after a fiscally tough year. “It’s really positive that during the pandemic 11 per cent more [...]
HSBC launches £15bn lending fund for British SMEs March 10, 2021 HSBC has today launched a new £15bn fund to help UK SMEs through the economic recovery. The fund, which includes over £10bn of regionally focussed allocations, seeks to move away from the “traditional” London focus and drive growth in regions across the country. “The past 12 months have highlighted the challenges many small businesses face. [...]
Google launches $2m fund to help bridge funding gap for Black tech founders March 2, 2021 Google For Start Ups launches fund to tackle lack of black talent in tech
UK small businesses donated £6bn in cash and gifts during the Covid pandemic March 2, 2021 UK small businesses donated £18bn during the Covid pandemic
Speedy vaccinations give more UK SMEs hope of a revenue rebound in 2021 February 19, 2021 Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK have been offered a glimpse of hope this morning, as nearly a quarter have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels of output.
Proposals to help self-employed and directors backed by cross-party MPs February 16, 2021 The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) chairman has said the government needs to act to help the businesses that fell through the gaps in business support requirements. In response to the Treasury Committee’s Economic Impact of Coronavirus inquiry update this morning, FSB chairman Mike Cherry said: “The government urgently needs to come forward with a [...]
Pubs left in the dark again as government fails to deliver thousands of lifeline grants January 19, 2021 The British Beer and Pub Association has today revealed that 3 in 4 wet-led pubs have still not received the Christmas grant promised to them by Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister personally announced the £1,000 one-off payment at the start of December to help drink-driven pubs that were forced to close during Christmas. However, as [...]
UK tightens rules on big businesses to get £23bn in late payments owed under control January 18, 2021 UK tightens rules on big businesses to get £23bn in late payments owed under control
250,000 UK small businesses may fail in 2021 unless they get help to survive lockdown January 11, 2021 With the new year starting in lockdown, at least 250,000 UK small businesses could fail in 2021 without further help, a new study warns. The Small Business Index (SBI) from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows confidence is at its second lowest ebb in the report’s ten-year history. The London Small Business Index stands [...]
Investments climb back to pre-pandemic levels with cash reserves playing key role January 5, 2021 Despite economic pressures and a recession looming, nearly half of corporates and large SMEs expect business investment to return to pre-crisis levels by the end of this year as business gets back to normal. According to a new survey shared exclusively with City A.M. today, just 16 per cent expect to take three years or [...]