In this Business Finance Bulletin, we kick off looking at Trade Credit Insurance with news from the Association of British Insurers on how the sector performed in 2015 in respect of the amounts paid out.

The Small Business Enterprise Bill has now been given Royal Assent and we look at what we can expected in terms of tackling late payment.

A survey from Amicus Finance has looked at demand amongst business owners for sources of alternative finance. The findings reinforce the trend that alternative finance is going mainstream

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week three tips on how to choose the right Accountant for you and your business.

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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.

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In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin a look at the latest statistics from the Bank of England on how much money UK businesses are borrowing from banks. Once again it’s small businesses which are coming out on top.

There’s news of a partnership between Barclays Bank and the UK Business Angels Association with the announcement of mentorship and growth advice service for High Growth businesses based in Birmingham.

Efforts to tackle late payment have been high on the UK government’s agenda but in an ironic twist of fate the government is now late in launching a ‘name and shame’ programme promised as part of the Small Business Enterprise Act.

With HMRC looking for every penny it can lay its hands on we share a warning from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young that small businesses are vulnerable to coming under HMRC scrutiny.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a question you should ask your bank manager if they have said ‘no’ to your finance request.

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In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin we review the most recent quarterly survey from the Federation of Small Businesses. The report reveals falling confidence levels amongst SMEs but there’s good news in terms of access to finance with more businesses getting the finance they need.

We have news of another alternative lender, merchant cash advance provider Liberis, which has benefited from the British Business Bank ENABLE programme via a £5m fund to on-lend to growing SMEs.

Businesses in the Greater Manchester area which are exporters or have ambitions to export can now take advantage of a new £9.5m fund. We take a look at how the Greater Manchester Export Fund works.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week a chat with Steve White of Thornbury Collections in which he shares the strangest late payment excuse he’s ever heard and general tips on managing late payment.

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In this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin a look at the latest statistics from the Bank of England which reveals the current level of borrowing by UK SMEs.

Also a review of the key findings from the recent SME Finance Monitor Report which includes how many businesses are using external sources of finance, the type of SMEs accessing such finance and the number of businesses who are not borrowing at all.

Marketinvoice, the online invoice discounter, has taken a look at late payment experiences across 80 countries and the results indicate that we have a lot of work to do in the UK to speed up payment.

Are you planning to grow or change your business within the next three months? That’s the question posed to 1,021 businesses by Hitachi Capital as part of its regular British Business Barometer Report and the answer reveals that SMEs are now more cautious than before.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a signpost to a recently posted video which shows you how to calculate and use the Creditor Payment Ratio.

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This episode of the Business Finance Bulletin is a late payment and cashflow fest. Poor cashflow and management of late payment is one of the biggest barriers facing small business owners when it comes to planning for growth.

In this episode Rob Warlow looks at the latest research from Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance which uncovers the extent of the amount of cash trapped in overdue payments.

But what’s the solution to this problem?

The first way out Rob looks at is a new crowdfunding invoice discounter which can unlock cash so releasing much needed working capital to fund growth.

The second service is a new innovative support platform launched by a business owner who suffered from the effects of late payment. The service provides guidance and tools designed to ensure prompt payment by your suppliers. Could this work for you?

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob gives some tips on writing a one-page Business Plan.

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In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow from Business Loan Services discusses more emerging evidence from Bibby Financial Services and the Federation of Small Businesses of a dip in confidence amongst SMEs. Are we in for a rough ride in 2016?

If you’re a heavy user of fuel and may be struggling to get a commercial credit card because of a poor credit record then Rob shares a new solution which can also reduce your administration burden.

More news about the on-going problem with late payment. Rob shares a recent survey which highlights how much money is trapped in late payment and so holding back growth in the economy.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week… when it comes to the production of Management Accounts, delegate but don’t abdicate.

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In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at an alternative to the traditional bank overdraft. With banks providing less support in the form of overdraft facilities a new service has been launched by Growth Street to fill the gap.

There is news of a possible rival to PayPal which could be marketed by Apple in 2016, so one to watch.
Turning to challenger banks Rob looks at the results from Shawbrook Bank which shows strong growth in profits and increased support to SMEs.

Late payment continues to be a problem for growing businesses and in a new survey Rob shares findings that many businesses are reluctant to chase for payment or even charge interest as is their statutory right.

One way to alleviate the impact of late payment is to look at Invoice Discounting. To see how this works Rob chats with Kelvin Thomas from ABN Amro Commercial Finance on how it helps growing SMEs.

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In this week’s episode of the Business Finance Bulletin finally some good news on late payment with the announcement from Tescos of a revision in its payment terms with their small suppliers. Could this be a start of a trend of big businesses listening to concerns around late payment?

Turning to the alternative finance scene news from single invoice discounter Platform Black on reaching a new milestone in terms of finance raised for growing businesses.

Have you ever had a Notice to Close your bank account? It can happen and Rob explains what you can do about it.
With the government keen to ensure finance companies are lending there’s news of a line of funding being granted by the British Business Bank to leasing and asset finance provider Hitachi Capital.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a clip from a live seminar in which Rob shares his thoughts on the importance of knowing what your credit report reveals about you.

You can also listen to and download the podcast version of this Bulletin via our Soundcloud and itunes channel or listen in now by clicking below

In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at a report from Liberis, a finance provider, on the issues growing businesses face particularly in terms of late payment and how you can avoid it.

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme is a little known scheme devised to help both start ups and investors make use of attractive tax breaks. Rob shares findings from a review as to how popular the scheme is and looks at the SEIS eligibility criteria.

Turning to crowdfunding, Rob has news from the Centre for Economics and Business Research which predicts that the amount of money accessed through crowdfunding will grow to a significant sum by 2020.

If you’re a VAT registered business you are probably familiar with the challenges of meeting the quarterly demand! Recent figures from finance provider LDF show a large amount of overdue VAT is outstanding to HMRC and in the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with Liz Maher from Centurion VAT in which she shares tips on managing your VAT risk.

If you prefer to listen via a podcast version you can download via our Soundcloud or itunes channel or listen in below.