In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks at Amazon’s entry into the small business lending market by extending loans to businesses operating on its Marketplace.

In the latest figures from the Bank of England Rob looks at the level of support being given by banks to small business with continuing evidence that more finance is going out of the banks’ doors.

If you want to avoid the High Street banks Rob shares news of a new £40m SME fund launched by Enterprise Ventures in conjunction with Santander and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund. The fund seeks to provide loans to businesses across the UK, in all sectors and for a variety of purposes.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob talks with Rebecca Jones, the Red Shoe Biz Woman, on developing an entrepreneurial mindset amongst your staff.

If you would like to listen to the podcast version you can do so but clicking below. If you wish to download to your phone or PC, click the download image below or subscribe to our itunes channel.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks the forthcoming changes in ISA rules and a survey from Yorkshire Bank and attitude to risk amongst savers which could see a boost to the crowdfunding market.

Staying with crowdfunding Rob shares news of the launch of a new crowdfunding platform. Bricks Financial is based in the South West and will primarily focus on servicing the local market.

According to the latest survey from the Federation of Small Businesses confidence amongst small business owners is strong and they are focused on where they are investing their money.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob looks at reviewing and controlling your overheads to ensure you are making the best returns from your business.

If you would also like to listen to the podcast version then you can either listen below or directly download this episode from our Soundcloud page by clicking the download symbol below. Alternatively to can subscribe via our itunes channel.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow tackles the age-old problem of late payment. Rob looks at recent research from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) which reveals the extent of the problem and possible solutions.

Many businesses don’t realise that to help offset the costs of the impact of late payment they are allow to charge interest and Rob shares news from Lovetts, the debt recovery firm, on how awareness of this right is on the increase.

Unlike bank lending asset finance continues its growth as more businesses turn to this alternative source of finance. The latest statistics from the Asset Based Finance Association show just how popular it has become.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob looks at the benefits of planning ahead and getting ‘finance-ready’ well before you need to approach a lender.

You can also listen to the podcast version of this week’s Bulletin by clicking below or downloading via our Sounndcloud or itunes channels.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks at a survey from Bibbys Financial Services which reveals the sources of finance that business owners are tapping into.

The SME Finance Monitor Report is quarterly survey on the state of the small business finance market and Rob continues his look at its findings. The question posed is how successful are business owners in getting a ‘yes’ from their bank? The answer may surprise you.

In terms of raising money from banks Rob also shares a conversation he had with a business owner on why asking your bank for too little can work against you.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a clip from an interview in which Rob discusses why it’s important to know that banks are keen to understand exactly why you want to borrow and how the finance you are requesting will be used.

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In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks at how business owners are becoming more aware of alternative finance and willing to consider it as an option to obtain funding. Rob also shares news from Funding Circle of their new bridging loan product.

The Funding for Lending Scheme, launched by the government in 2012 to boost lending to small businesses, may not have been roaring success, but Rob looks at statistics which shows signs of improvement in usage by the banks involved in the scheme.

A clean Credit Report is one thing a lender will look for when assessing a finance request but such don’t necessarily provide a complete picture… until now. Rob shares news from Experian on how additional information now being shared will provider lenders with a better understanding of an applicant’s financial position.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with Gareth Pritchard of Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance in which talks about the key features of Invoice Discounting.

You can also listen to this week’s edition in a podcast version by clicking below to listen or download. You can also subscribe via our itunes channel.

As we know access to finance amongst businesses has been tough and over the last few years the media has been filled with horror stories… but what is the reality on the ground?

Since mid 2011 an external body, the SME Finance Monitor team, has been carrying out quarterly independent research in to dealings between banks and small businesses when it comes to raising finance. Over the years the SME Finance Monitor Report has provided insight into what is really going on.

And the team has now released its latest report for quarter 1 2015.

So what are the key findings?

First the good news… 79% of those surveyed said they are now operating profitably.

This is up from 69% in the same quarter of 2013 – a significant improvement.

What about use of external sources of finance?

In quarter 1 of 2015 36% of businesses said they used external sources of finance.. that leaves a large number which are self-financing

Of those businesses using external finance 29% are using ‘core finance’ products such as overdrafts, loans and credit cards. This is down from 40% in the first quarter of 2012. This shows how businesses are moving away from the traditional sources of finance.

We often hear the statement that businesses are being starved of credit… well here’s the killer statistic which consistently comes out of this survey.

In the first quarter of 2015 48% of SMEs define themselves as ‘permanent non-borrowers’… they are not interested in borrowing and haven’t done so over the five years and don’t intend to in the future.

This was 30% in quarter 1 2012 so an increasing number of businesses are opting out of borrowing.
But what about business’ appetite to borrow over a shorter term?

The SME Finance Monitor team ask businesses about borrowing over the previous 12 months and looking ahead.

Here, 79% of businesses put themselves in this category – referred to as ‘Happy non-seekers of finance’

That’s nearly 80% of those surveyed saying they don’t want to borrow!

Added to that 72% of businesses said that their aim is to pay down their debt… and not borrow again.

So perhaps all the fuss about helping businesses to borrow is not as a big a problem as we think.

I’ll be returning to sharing more findings from the latest SME Finance Monitor Report so watch out for a future video.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks at highlights from the most recent SME Finance Monitor Report which reveals a number of interesting findings on how businesses are dealing with the issue of raising finance.

In a report from Hitachi Capital Rob looks at how business confidence is on the rise with more businesses looking forward to growth.

Relative newcomer to the banking market Metro Bank is looking to shake up the Invoice Discounting industry with changes announced to its service.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with Nick Rowe from PricewaterhouseCoopers in which he shares their thoughts on the four levers of growth which small businesses need to be mindful of when planning ahead.

You can listen to this week’s edition as a podcast. To download to your phone, PC click below via our SoundCloud page or go to our itunes channel and subscribe.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks at proposals from the government as part of a new Enterprise Bill to reduce red tape and tackle late payment.

The issue of late payment and how it damages businesses is the focus of a new survey from the insolvency industry trade body R3 which reveals the impact late payment has on potential insolvencies.

Rob also looks at the collaboration between Metro Bank and peer-to-peer lender Zopa which is the first of its kind. Could we see more of this?

Oaknorth is the latest new bank on the block which has just recently launched. Rob takes a look at how it is going to support UK small businesses.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with angel investor and business speaker Steve Houghton-Burnett and he shares three tips on how to ensure success in a equity crowdfunding pitch.

If you wish to listen to the podcast version of this week’s Business Finance Bulletin click below or download to your phone below or via our itunes channel.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks at the latest statistics on bank lending to small businesses which show that banks are starting to provide more support.

Evidence of an increase in bank appetite to lend to small businesses is starting to show as Rob discusses news from HSBC of renewed focus it is giving to supporting UK small businesses.

You may not expect one of the Dragons Den panel to turn to crowdfunding to raise finance but that is exactly what Kelly Hoppen has done. Rob looks at a pitch Kelly has launched on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob looks at the short term finance market in a chat with Max Woodman from Catalyst Finance and how they are helping businesses fill short term cashflow gaps.

If you prefer to listen to this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin you can listen below or download to your PC or phone.

You can also listen via our itunes channel here.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow looks at the news of collaboration between crowdlender Funding Knight and short-term alternative lender Just-Cashflow to assist growing businesses.

Looking at the crowdfunding industry as a whole, Rob looks at statistics from the Peer to Peer Finance Association on finance raised by its members during the first quarter of this year which reveal a continued growth surge.

Rob also looks at evidence of a steady improvement in the economy with news that the overall number of company insolvencies is on the way down according to official government statistics.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with Santander’s Paul Brooks, Business Development Director, Wales about the bank’s Breakthrough Programme designed to help growing businesses with a variety of support schemes.

You can also listen to a podcast version of this Bulletin via either itunes or our SoundCloud page or simply listening in below.