With alternative finance becoming an increasing source of finance we kick off this Bulletin with news of the launch of The Association of Alternative Business Finance. Formed by seven players on the alternative business finance scene, the Association is focused on delivering higher standards in the industry.

Time is moving closer to government action on late payment. To lessen the prevalence of late payment I take a look at the forthcoming Duty to Report regulations which places an obligation on large businesses to disclose details of their payment practices.

Are there signs that business appetite to borrow money from banks is beginning to wane? We examine the latest bank lending figures released by the Bank of England.

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In this week’s Business Finance Bulletin news from crowdlender Ratesetter on the formal launch of its small business loan product which, in the pilot stage, has already seen £250m distributed to UK SMEs.

Staying with alternative finance we look at results from Close Bros latest quarterly Business Barometer which reveals that a significant number of businesses believe that alternative finance can help grow their business.

Turning to traditional finance, we have news from Barclays Bank on a new fund to support lending to small businesses in Scotland.

To close we have insights from Max Woodman of Catalyst Finance on how their Selective Invoice Discounting service can help alleviate cashflow problems.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or 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.

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