Whilst you may have ambitions to grow your business there are often barriers put in your way. What are the barriers which businesses face? That’s a question asked by Hitachi Capital in their latest Business Barometer survey series. Do you experience any of these barriers?

Becoming a more sustainable business is increasingly appearing on business radars. However, financing environmentally friendly projects can prevent change. We look at a new range of Green-focused finance packages launched by HSBC.

To close this Bulletin, our monthly look at activity levels in the asset finance sector from the Finance & Leasing Association. As a gauge of how confident businesses are in terms of investment spend, how are businesses feeling?

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.

Smaller property developers can find it a challenge when it comes to raising finance. To kickstart the latest Bulletin we look at the initial announcement from the British Business Bank on its ENABLE Build Guarantee which will focus on assisting smaller property developers access finance.

Credit4 is a niche lender supporting small businesses in need of flexible finance solutions. To allow them to back their increasing number of clients, Credit4 has announced it has secured additional funding. Could they fund your growth plans?

To close, our regular review of how the Asset Finance sector is performing. Once again, growth in volumes of HP and Leasing arrangements is beating expectations against the background of flat small business confidence levels.

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 term Open Banking may still be a mystery to many people, but more lenders are beginning to adopt the technology and benefits it brings. We open our latest Bulletin with news that Boost Capital, the short term business finance provider, has embraced Open Banking to speed up the processing of finance applications.

New research from Experian, the credit reference agency, reveals that a high proportion of people have never checked their personal credit score. We look at why it’s important to do so, especially prior to applying for business finance. In the Bulletin we mentioned a longer video with tips on how to improve your business credit score.

To close, our regular look at activity in the asset finance sector. The latest figures from the Finance and Leasing Association show that in January, usage of asset finance bucked the trend in terms of appetite to invest.

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.

We open our latest Bulletin with the announcement from Lloyds as to how much lending it will be committing to UK businesses in 2019. The funding pot will be available to all businesses but with an emphasis on those businesses looking to export for the first time.

The Finance and Leasing Association has released up to date figures on the volume of business written by its members. The level of asset finance transactions is always a good indicator of how business owners are feeling, and the recent figures are a mix of good and bad news.

To close, we look at the call from the FSB for a review of the Prompt Payment Code. This voluntary code is designed to curb late payment, but 12 months on from the Carillion collapse the FSB wants to see it strengthened.

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.

Whilst larger housebuilding firms tend to have easier access to finance, smaller housebuilders have greater challenges in getting the finance they need to develop sites. To open this Bulletin, news of a guide released by UK Finance and the Federation of Master Builders designed to help SME housebuilders source finance.

Where are businesses turning to when they apply for finance? We continue our look at findings from the latest SME Finance Monitor Report and reveal where businesses in need of finance are turning to. Despite strained relationships between banks and small businesses, the High Street banks remain the first port of call.

As an alternative source of finance, the Asset Finance sector continues to be an important avenue of funding for growing businesses. The latest figures from the Finance and Leasing Association show a busy August in terms of volume of business written. How does it look over 12 months though?

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.

When searching for finance many business owners don’t know where to start looking. To help bridge the information gap the British Business Bank has launched a finance knowledge website. We open our Bulletin by looking at how the portal can help guide business owners to the right source of finance.

Iwoca has been known as a short-term loan provider but they have now announced a new 5 year loan product designed to provide medium term finance to growing businesses. Could you make use of a cash injection?

In recent Bulletins we have mentioned that the first few months of this year saw a decline in the use of Asset Finance. To close this episode, we review the latest statistics from the Finance and Leasing Association which reveal an increase in Asset Finance deals to purchase business machinery, equipment and vehicles.

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.

Despite many reasons for small businesses to feel uncertain about prospects, we open this Bulletin with a review of the latest Business Barometer Report from Hitachi Capital which reveals that business confidence has remained steady over the last 12 months.

One source of finance which continues to see growth is Asset Finance. Figures released by the Finance and Leasing Association shows strong growth in the use of Asset Finance in 2017 with certain types of asset purchases leading the way.

To close the Bulletin, we share news that Marketinvoice, the online invoice discounter, has announced a tie-up with trade credit insurance provider Euler Hermes. The partnership will benefit those Marketinvoice clients who wish to protect themselves against non-payment of discounted invoices.

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.

Some businesses when looking for finance can get overwhelmed by the choices and process of applying for funding. If you are an FSB member, then help is at hand with the launch of the FSB Funding Platform which is designed to help its members efficiently search for finance.

Despite the prevailing uncertainty about consumer demand and the state of the economy, a report from R3, the business turnaround and insolvency specialists, reveals that the number of zombie businesses is in decline. What are zombie businesses and why are their numbers falling?

Asset Finance as a way of funding the purchase of equipment has seen a boom over recent years. However, the latest statistics from the Finance and Leasing Association show that use of Asset Finance is leveling off. We look at why that is.

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.

Regular feedback we have from Business Loan Services clients is how difficult it can sometimes be to arrange an overdraft limit. Iwoca, the short-term loan provider, recently undertook a mystery shopping expedition to see how challenging it can be! In this Bulletin we see how they got on and share 3 tips if you’re looking for an overdraft.

Staying with the subject of overdrafts, Lloyds Bank has announced a revision of its overdraft charging structure. We look at the changes and how it’s decision to simplify the cost of running an overdraft will make the charge more transparent and easier to understand.

To close, we look at the latest asset finance statistics from the Finance and Leasing Association. The most recent figures show usage of asset finance increased in October, but year-on-year, the growth is less than stellar suggesting that business owners are holding back on investment.

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.

Here is the Iwoca mystery shopping video demonstrating how difficult it can be in getting an overdraft facility.