Metro Bank shares soar as lender’s turnaround gathers pace May 8, 2025 Metro Bank said there was a “significant increase” in quarter one profit against the second half of 2024 during a trading update on Thursday. Shares in the bank jumped nearly four per cent during early trading. The London-based firm said it was “confident” it would meet full-year targets after a “structurally higher” net interest margin, [...]
Ministers call in HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds bosses for small business lending talks May 6, 2025 Top bank bosses were summoned for talks with ministers on Tuesday after a government report revealed that small businesses were having difficulty securing loans. Senior executives from HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds will be in attendance for the meeting, which will be chaired by minister for small business Gareth Thomas. A report from the Department of [...]
The UK’s fastest growing fintech Allica Bank delivers another record year April 16, 2025 Allica Bank, the UK’s fastest growing fintch, nearly doubled its profit in the last year after another period of rapid growth. The digital bank, which caters towards small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), increased pre-tax profits 86 per cent to £29.9m. Lending activity grew over £1bn in 2024 and revenue shot up 68 per cent to [...]
Iwoca: Fintech lender secures £200m debt to support larger SMEs November 11, 2024 Small business lender Iwoca has secured £200m of debt funding as the fintech looks to grow its market share through bigger loans.
Optimism among UK SMEs rises for third straight year September 23, 2024 Optimism among the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses has grown for a third consecutive year in a positive sign for the domestic economy, according to fresh data. Around seven in ten SMEs said they felt confident about the future of their company, rising from 67 per cent in 2023 and 65 per cent in 2022, [...]
Bad data holding back lending to UK’s small businesses, fintech chief warns September 6, 2024 High street banks are keen to lend more to small businesses but being held back by poor data sharing, the head of of a government-backed fintech hub has said, hailing the sector's potential to boost UK economic growth.
Signs of ‘recovery and stability’ surface for Britain’s SMEs August 29, 2024 Signs of 'recovery and stability' for Britain's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have surfaced amid an increase in broker optimism.
Jagjit Chadha: Why investment is necessary to stop the economy from ‘withering’ July 4, 2024 Report after report has found that the UK invests too little as a share of national income, often lagging behind other rich economies.
SME lender Simply Asset Finance posts record revenue as small firms shun big banks May 13, 2024 Specialist lender Simply Asset Finance has posted a record annual revenue as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) turn away from big banks for funding.
What is a grant? Here’s how to get money to start a new business April 20, 2024 How can you start a business if you have no money?