Small firms grow at fastest rate since 2008 June 16, 2015 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are growing at their fastest rate since the economic crisis in 2008, according to a report out today. New research from the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) shows that the private sector added over 600,000 net new jobs last year, allowing SMEs to “regain the ground lost” in 2008. The ERC said [...]
Goldman Sachs is launching an online lending platform for small businesses June 16, 2015 Goldman Sachs is launching an online lending business for consumers and small businesses, according to an internal memo. It will allow the bank to provide loans more quickly via the internet, helping it to compete with the likes of the Lending Club, for which it was a lead underwriter only six months ago. The [...]
Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s three tips for small business owners June 11, 2015 If there's one person small business owners would want to learn from, the richest man of the world's second-largest economy who was also the guiding force behind the biggest IPO in history wouldn't be far down the last. Luckily, Jack Ma has shared his three tips for small business owners in a conversation with American [...]
Small firms want more red tape cut June 4, 2015 THE GOVERNMENT needs to cut more red tape, small businesses have said. Reducing the amount of bureaucracy and regulatory formalities – that can be a big burden to smaller firms – was listed as a top priority by 51 per cent of over 1500 surveyed small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to figures released today [...]
Banks have finally started lending to small and medium sized businesses May 28, 2015 Banks are finally starting to lend to Britain's small and medium sized businesses new data has shown, suggesting the widely criticised Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) could be beginning to work. Net lending to small and medium sized businesses in the first three months of this year rose by £635m, according to the Bank of England. [...]
Entreprise bill: Bigger steps needed to help small companies tackle late payments May 21, 2015 Sajid Javid’s new enterprise bill, announced this week in Bristol, is certainly well intentioned, but it's unlikely to have a significant impact on late payment. Late payments are a silent but significant killer of UK businesses. It is not yet clear what tools the government has to resolve this problem. The third party conciliation [...]
Sajid Javid to tackle late payments owed to small businesses in new enterprise bill May 18, 2015 The new business secretary will today promise to cut red tape and put at least £10bn back in the pockets of business owners over the next five years. Speaking at a business centre in Bristol, Sajid Javid will announce a new enterprise bill to be included in the Queen’s speech next week. He will say: “As [...]
HSBC creates £8bn UK small business fund May 11, 2015 HSBC has set aside £8bn to lend to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. The bank's small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) loan offering will reach 43 areas of the country, with Scotland, Birmingham and Manchester, receiving at least £400m each. Fees on qualifying business loans worth between £1,000 and £300,000 will be waived or [...]
General Election 2015: Tungsten Corp CEO Edmund Truell wants more help for small businesses and the privatisation of NHS care provision April 30, 2015 ELECTION COUNTDOWN: 6 DAYS TO GO Every day until the final week of the election campaign, we ask a business leader to say what policies would entice them to vote for a particular party. EDMUND TRUELL: CEO, TUNGSTEN CORP Next week’s General Election promises to be the closest we have seen for [...]
General Election 2015: At least six of the small business owners who signed the Conservative letter of support are also Tory candidates April 27, 2015 At least six of the names that appeared on the open letter purporting to be small businesses backing the Conservatives are in fact Tory candidates. For most of the day, critics have been poring over the list of names to establish whether they are in fact genuine small business owners. Pretty early on, it [...]