Investec Comment: How cheap oil is boosting small businesses April 12, 2015 THE extraordinary decline in the price of oil has been one of the most important economic stories of the past year. Brent Crude fell from over $110 per barrel in June 2014 to below $50 in January 2015, slumping to multi-year lows. Prices have increased marginally since then, but with factors like the interim deal [...]
Brexit: 61pc of small business owners agree with Tony Blair and would vote to stay in the EU April 7, 2015 Tony Blair delivered a strong attack on David Cameron's EU referendum promise this morning at his old Sedgefield constituency. The former Labour leader and three-time General Election winner warned voters that the possibility of Brexit would leave "unpredictability hanging over the British economy". Whether Blair's intervention will serve to sway voters in favour of the [...]
Small businesses need big help from the next UK government March 23, 2015 This week, the chancellor answered our members’ calls for a stricter crackdown against multinational companies that avoid tax in Britain. We welcomed George Osborne’s decision to use taxation as a way to influence more ethical business practices in the UK. The chancellor’s ‘Google tax’ crackdown is a positive step towards creating a fairer system where [...]
Brexit will damage the UK economy, say 54pc of small businesses March 18, 2015 The majority of Britain's small businesses think Brexit would damage the UK economy. The Zurich SME Risk Index showed on Wednesday that 54 per cent of small businesses believes British withdrawal from the EU would be bad for the country compared with 33 per cent who want to see Britain leave Europe. The polls continue [...]
New bank for small businesses has imminent UK launch plans March 9, 2015 ANOTHER challenger bank has joined the scene alongside a growing number of upstarts trying to unseat the dominant high street banking institutions in the UK. Civilised Bank, a new online-only bank aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, is the latest to reveal its plans and expects to open its doors – albeit virtual ones – [...]
Silicon Roundabout costs are on the rise: East end property tech bubble pricing out small businesses March 4, 2015 The property tech bubble in London’s east end is pricing small businesses out of the market. Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, Aldgate and Whitechapel: over the last decade these places have become the breeding ground for media and tech start-ups, as well as larger blue-chip companies looking to grow their digital operations. However, East London’s success at [...]
General Election 2015: What the parties are offering small business March 1, 2015 Before the 2010 General Election, Britain’s small business community was a rather uncoordinated mass, largely invisible to the political elite. This time around, the UK’s 5m small firms can’t and won’t be overlooked. This newly-drawn constituency has legs, and we know how to use them. In a brave small business world, the party that can [...]
Smart Pension is a startup that wants to make auto enrollment a cinch for small businesses February 26, 2015 Auto-enrollment might be good for employees, but getting the paperwork done in time for the deadline (which, fact fans, is 1 March for businesses with 54-57 employees) is creating a headache for entrepreneurs. Step forward Smart Pension, a startup which has just closed a £1.5m funding round, with backers including the likes of Zoopla investor William [...]
City watchdog FCA accused of letting down small businesses mistreated by banks February 10, 2015 Small businesses who were mis-sold complex products by banks have been let down a second time by regulators, MPs claimed yesterday. The bosses of the Financial Conduct Authority told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee (TSC) that the victims are receiving fair compensation. “There have been complaints, some SMEs felt the process was unbalanced against them. [...]
Lloyds chief Antonio Horta Osorio warns breaking up banks will hurt small businesses February 10, 2015 Splitting off new high street banks from Lloyds and RBS has not helped boost competition for small businesses, Lloyds’ chief claimed yesterday. In a carefully worded warning to Ed Miliband – who wants to break up the big banks – Antonio Horta Osorio said other solutions are needed to help SMEs shop around. “Many things [...]