Innovative and high growth firms can find obtaining finance from High Street banks challenging. Ahead of exiting the EU, and to ensure smooth access to finance, the British Business Bank has announced a new fund to help high growth businesses.

A new survey from Barclays Bank has revealed that consumers are searching out firms with eco credentials as part of their buying decision-making. To help businesses being more eco-friendly and take advantage of this change in behaviour, we look at a Green loan product launched by Barclays.

To close this Bulletin, we review the latest quarterly SME Confidence Tracker from Bibby Financial Services. Perhaps not unexpectedly, the figures make gloomy reading but there is a spark of enthusiasm around expectations on sales growth.

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It has taken a while since the formation of the Small Business Commissioner office for them to name and shame a late payment offender, but the Commissioner has finally called out a well-known name. With the Commissioner’s focus on tackling late payment, will naming and shaming have an impact on other offenders?

Administrative tasks are not the favoured part of running a business. We look at the announcement from mobile-only bank Starling of its link up with cloud-based accounting package provider FreeAgent, which will reduce admin time and help with speedy production of Management Accounts.

To wrap up, our monthly look at activity in the Asset Finance sector with a mixed bag of results reflecting the degree of uncertainty which many business owners are currently feeling.

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Despite an increase in the level of uncertainty among small business owners, primarily caused by Brexit, there are some who are feeling more positive about the future. We open this Bulletin with findings from a survey of fast growth businesses which reveals the opportunities they feel Brexit will bring.

The start of April 2019 heralds the introduction of Making Tax Digital. Whilst some businesses see it as a distraction and additional administrative costs, there are benefits to embracing this new way of engaging with HMRC.

To close this Bulletin, a look at findings from Growth Street, a Peer to Peer lender, of how many entrepreneurs are still unaware of the sources of finance outside the main High Street banks.

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After featuring the rise in occurrences of invoice fraud only two Bulletins ago, we open our latest episode with findings from a new survey which demonstrates how this fraud is now grabbing headlines. The UK Finance survey reveals a high lack of awareness of this fraud and how it works. Could you spot whether your money is potentially at risk?

As the uncertainty around Brexit continues, we look at news from Barclays Bank of the launch of its Brexit fund. Designed to provide financial stability, the fund is focused on supporting businesses in all stages of development.

To round off this week’s Bulletin, a new commercial mortgage product has been released by peer-to-peer lender Assetz Capital. The mortgage has been crafted to address the need of commercial property owners and investors who need to move quickly to secure a deal.

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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.

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To start this week’s Business Finance Bulletin, we look at findings from a Barclays Bank survey which reveals that more small businesses are falling victim to invoice scams. With this type of fraud on the rise, what can you do to protect yourself?

In his Spring Statement, Chancellor Philip Hammond has listened to calls from small businesses to act in tackling late payment. The government has laid out the steps it plans to take in order to reduce the cashflow burden caused by larger firms delaying payment.

To round off this week’s Bulletin, with banks closing increasing numbers of branches, it’s rare to hear of new ones being opened. Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest though have announced the pilot launch of shared Business Banking Hubs. Could this collaborative approach be the way forward?

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We open our latest Bulletin with news of another tranche of money released as part of the RBS bailout package. Designed to improve competition in the small business banking market, eleven banks have the opportunity to incentivise small business owners to switch from RBS.

Paypal may not immediately jump to mind as being an alternative lender but since 2014 their Working Capital loan product has been a life line for small businesses in need of finance. Available only to Paypal clients, we look at how loan usage has jumped over the last 12 months.

Despite everything going on politically and economically, a new survey from Hitachi Capital reveals that many small businesses are planning growth. What are their top three growth priorities?

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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.

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To start our latest Bulletin, a call from the FSB for the Chancellor to take a tough stance on late payment. With the annual Spring Statement a few weeks away, the FSB is seeking three commitments from the government to tackle late payment.

To support small businesses in need of finance, we have news from the British Business Bank that its subsidiary, British Business Investments, has made £20m available to alternative lender Thin Cats. Could you use a slice of that funding?

No Bulletin would be the same without the mention of that ‘B’ word! To close, an announcement from Barclays that is it to hold a series of Brexit Workshops across the UK in March to help business owners plan ahead.

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We open our latest Bulletin with a look at findings from the annual Small Business Finance Markets survey carried out by the British Business Bank. The report confirms recent reports that small businesses seem reluctant to borrow with all types of finance options seeing flat or slower growth.

Good news for business owners from mobile-only bank Monzo with the launch of a business account later in the year. Find out how you could be one of 100 business who have a say in shaping the new account.

Finding finance can be a time-consuming task. To help speed up the process the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers has announced a service to assist businesses source a finance broker in their locality.

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