Profit triples at SME lender Iwoca as loans near £1bn June 26, 2025 Profit has almost tripled at business lender Iwoca as its revenue jumped by nearly £100m in 2024, it has been revealed. The London-based firm, which provides credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has posted a pre-tax profit of £59.1m for its latest financial year. The total comes after the business reported a pre-tax profit of £21.7m [...]
BGF: Profit almost doubles at major UK investor June 25, 2025 Profit at the Business Growth Fund (BGF) has almost doubled thanks to a series of successful exits in 2024, it has been revealed. The organisation, which is one of the UK’s most prominent equity investors, has reported a pre-tax profit of £131.1m for its latest financial year, up from the £67.9m it achieved in 2023. [...]
Simply: Fintech SME lender expands loan book as firms turn to debt finance June 17, 2025 Simply Asset Finance notched a record loan total in the last year as firms turned to debt financing to fuel their expansion plans. The UK lender to small- and medium-sized enterprises topped £1.75bn in the total cumulative value of all loans they’ve approved and funded after the firm’s loan book expanded by £505m over 2024. [...]
High street banks ramp up SME lending to highest since 2022 June 16, 2025 High street banks are scaling up their lending to small businesses, with the first quarter of 2022 hitting the highest amount since 2022. Lenders issued £4.6bn worth of loans in the first three months of the year marking a 14 per cent year-on-year jump. The rise was driven by a surge of lending to agriculture, [...]
Just started a business? How to pick the right business account May 12, 2025 So you’ve decided to take the leap and set up your own business. Once you’ve fine-tuned your idea, it’s time to think about logistics – how do you pick the right business bank account for you? Do I need a business bank account? Business bank accounts are legally required for those looking to set up [...]
Now is not the time for Labour’s rushed Employment Rights Bill May 8, 2025 Labour's Employment Rights Bill is being rushed through parliament at the cost of small businesses, writes Lord Howard Leigh.
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 [...]
MintStars: ‘Ethical’ OnlyFans rival more than doubles in value March 25, 2025 MintStars, a start-up launched as an ‘ethical alternative’ to OnlyFans, more than doubled in value during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The challenger was established by Jessica Van Meir and Daniel Sargent, who serves as its chief executive, in 2022. In an interview with City AM last year, Van Meir said the [...]
Are you an SME looking to export? Here’s what you need to know March 14, 2025 As Paul Lindley is appointed advisor to the newly announced Board of Trade, he explains why there’s never been a better tome for SMEs to start exporting The UK’s trading landscape has been transformed in recent years, with Brexit reshaping relationships with the EU, new trade agreements emerging and a notable rise in global economic [...]