A seeming reluctance among some small businesses to borrow money has extended to the equity finance world. We open our latest Bulletin with a review carried out by Beauhurst of equity finance transactions undertaken in the first quarter of 2018. The figures reveal a downturn in activity compared to the previous quarter.

Creditsafe, the credit agency, has reported that according to its research, company bad debts and the number of registered CCJs jumped in the first three months of this year. It appears that the pressure of unpaid invoices is beginning to show.

Cyber crime continues to grab the headlines, particularly with the forthcoming GDPR deadline. To ensure businesses are aware of the risks of being targeted by fraudsters, Barclays Bank has launched an awareness campaign with recommendations for businesses on how to keep safe.

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Despite the introduction of the Bank Referral Scheme, Nat West continues to develop its own panel of alternative finance partners via Capital Connections. In this Bulletin we look at the latest addition to the panel, equity crowdfunding platform, Seedrs.

As well as causing business finance distress, late payment can also cause personal stress for business owners. The extent of the problem is revealed in a recent survey carried out by The Prompt Payment Directory and we review the key findings.

Why would your bank say ‘no’ to a new loan when your business is profitable and your bank account operates with no problems? We close the Bulletin by sharing one reason why this would happen.

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In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at how the Business Loan Services team recently turned a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ for a client looking to raise money to purchase another business.

In the crowdfunding sector, news from Ratesetter on the record month they had in September in terms of loans granted; a look at how Funding Circle is powering ahead; and a new milestone set by Seedrs in raising £4m for Chapel Down, a company already publicly listed.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a clip from a seminar Rob presented for the ACCA in which he explains how crowdfunding works.

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