UK businesses have been hit by a number of financial shocks this year which can have an impact on sales, profitability and cashflow. To open this Bulletin, we look at the level off support being offered by banks to ease the burden.

To improve its position in the market we review changes Nat West has made to their business account to make it more competitive in an ever increasingly crowded market.

To close this Bulletin, an announcement by small and micro business lender AskIf on its approval from the British Business Bank to offer loans under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

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

The Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has been a successful programme to help businesses access finance when they have no security. To open our latest Bulletin, news that ethical lender Robert Owen Community Banking Fund has joined the list of lenders offering access to business finance via EFG.

Following the government’s bailout of RBS in the aftermath of the credit crunch, the first recipients of an RBS-financed £775m fund has been announced. The fund is designed to promote and improve competition in the small business finance market. We look at the first three banks to benefit and their plans.

With Brexit looming, we close with the announcement from UK Finance of a new initiative, ‘Let’s Talk Business’. The campaign is focused on encouraging businesses to engage early with their banks if they are likely to need finance.

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.

With the traditional year-end slowdown fast approaching, if you haven’t done so already, now is the time to start assessing the impact on your cashflow. How can you avoid hitting a cash crunch?

The British Business Bank has announced support to another niche lender providing Asset Finance facilities to growing businesses. We look at how Compass Business Finance will benefit from being granted access to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

To close, our monthly review of how the Asset Finance sector is performing in terms of finance provided to small businesses. The latest figures from the Finance and Leasing Association reveal a continuing reluctance among businesses to embark upon any significant investment spend.

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.

To start our latest Business Finance Bulletin, news from Revolut Bank, an internet and mobile-only bank which we have not featured before. Revolut has announced forthcoming enhancements to its service offering which will provide wider benefits to its 16,000 business customers.

The British Business Bank, the government’s home for its finance programmes, has supported two more challenger lenders in their aim to broaden access to finance. Aldermore and 1pm will be using the finance schemes to widen the reach of their asset finance products.

Business confidence appears to be strengthening. That’s the message coming out from two surveys undertaken by the FSB and Lloyds Bank. However, there are still a number of factors holding businesses back when it comes to pursuing growth.

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.

With one of the busiest online shopping periods looming it can be easy to get caught out by online fraudsters. What can you do to ensure you and your business doesn’t lose out financially and give confidence to people visiting your website?

In previous Bulletins we have looked at the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme. New research from London Economics has revealed how businesses accessing this loan scheme have grown more than those which haven’t. Could you use this Scheme if you want to grow your business but struggling to access finance?

Whilst many business owners want to avoid getting in to more debt, there are some entrepreneurs who have ambitions to borrow significant sums. Who are these ambitious tycoons and how big are their borrowing plans?

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.

Not unexpectedly, after 10 years the Bank of England has increased the cost of borrowing. In our latest Bulletin we look at how this increase will affect both business borrowers and savers.

Marketinvoice, the online invoice discounter, has launched an unsecured business loan product bringing another option to those businesses in need of a short term loan. We review how it works and which businesses are eligible to apply.

The Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, a little known finance product offered by the High Street banks, has hit a new milestone. The scheme, overseen by the British Business Bank, can help those businesses with a viable proposition but lacking in security. Could it help you?

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 this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin we start off with findings from a recent survey carried out by Wesleyan Bank which reveals that a large proportion of small businesses now have an aversion to debt. The report also lists the common sources of finance businesses are turning to.

The Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has been around for a number of years and following a review we look at suggestions made by the British Business Bank on how the scheme can be improved.

Late payment is a big barrier to growth, particularly for small businesses and this fact is highlighted in a new report from the Asset Based Finance Association. The report reveals a significant gap in experiences between small and large businesses.

We also take a look at a new app launched by Nat West designed to help its small businesses gain a better understanding of borrowing options.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a question you should ask yourself before you go looking for finance.

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 this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin a look at the announcements in this week’s Budget focusing on small business finance issues. There’s news of a fund for growing businesses, Help to Grow, an extension of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee programme and a further step forward in the launch of the Bank Referral Scheme.

When comes to dealing with finances time is also short and that’s why clients of alternative lender Just Cashflow can now benefit from the launch of a new mobile app. We take a look at how it can help time-stretched business owners.

Concluding our look at the findings from the latest SME Finance Monitor report we review small businesses attitude to debt and awareness levels of alternative funding sources such as crowdfunding.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week a signpost to a video on how to calculate and use the Stock Turnover Ratio to improve your stock management and boost your cash position.

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.

Posted on 01.12.2013, by Rob Warlow

In the latest weekly Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at how business owners are using personal resources to fund growth, and the increasing use by banks of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

In the business finance tip of the week Rob shares 5 tips on crowdfunding issued by the FSB and UK Crowdfunding Association.

Posted on 06.11.2013, by Rob Warlow

I often hear business owners say there is little help for them to get finance and yet there are a number of schemes out there. So why is it that the existing of the various schemes are not widely known?

This is one finding highlighted in a review on government finance support carried out by the Nation Audit Office (NAO). The NAO has concluded that despite a renewed focus by the government on the challenges facing SMEs in raising finance, there is scope for the range of initiatives to work towards a more unified offering.

The NAO found that schemes such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Start-Up Loans provided direct support to around 5,900 firms in 2012-13, and whilst the schemes are generally performing positively it is felt the profile of the schemes needs to be raised.

The new Business Bank, which is due to be launched in 2014, will be the organisation to bring the schemes together but in the meantime more needs to be done to improve awareness.

The NAO also report found that, at present, although the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and HM Treasury both have teams dealing with ‘enterprise’ policy, there is no formal research programme joining the Departments with other departments, such as HMRC, all of which have an interest in SMEs.

In past blogs we have shared information on lending to SME from sources such as the Bank of England, British Bankers Association, the SME business barometer and yet there is no one single point of source.

It’s as in all things in life… you have to know where to hunt out the right information and of course BLS is one of those sources of information so keep reading our blog!