SMEs in UK pessimistic about economy
Nearly three quarters of small businesses believe the UK economy will re-enter recession in 2012, according to new research from credit reference agency Graydon UK. In a sign that business confidence...
View ArticleLate payments to SMEs reach all-time high at GBP33.6 billion
The worst offenders for paying late are large companies which are behind 48 per cent of SME late payment debt, research finds. The amount owed to UK small and medium-sized businesses in late payments...
View ArticleSantander launches £200m SME fund
Santander UK has launched a £200m fund targeted at fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The programme will be delivered regionally and includes a £50m contribution from the...
View Article2012 sees drop in insolvencies
The numbers of companies failing have fallen at the start of this year, according to new figures. Corporate insolvencies are down by 3.7% in the first quarter of 2012 compared with Q1 2011 and the...
View ArticleEuropean bankers fear imminent recession
Risk managers from Europe’s biggest banks believe a recession is imminent in Spain and Portugal, while many in the UK and Ireland think local downturns are looming, according to a study. More than 100...
View ArticleNearly one in four of businesses call late payment a “serious problem”
A summit in central London today (24 April) discussed the options for business on late payments after new research showed the damage it is causing to the economy. Research, from commercial credit...
View ArticleFinancial health of UK firms improves across all areas
New figures have revealed that 1,564 businesses failed during April 2012, representing 0.08 per cent of the business population. In comparison, 1,808 firms failed in April last year, representing 0.10...
View ArticleManufacturing suffers most from late payments
UK manufacturing firms are waiting longer to get paid by their buyers than any other industry sector, according to trade credit insurer Atradius. The manufacturing sector waited on average 32.4 days...
View ArticleCreditworthiness “crisis” for business
Firms carrying a credit rating which could hit their ability to get finance and good credit terms from suppliers has climbed further during the last three years, new research shows. According to work...
View ArticleSMEs running on reserves
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are reliant on cash reserves to fund their growth, according to new research. Challenger bank Aldermore has revealed that 38% of businesses are depending on...
View Article16% of SMEs at risk of going out of business
Sixteen per cent of British small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) surveyed consider themselves at high risk of going out of business within the next year due to financial pressures. This is...
View ArticleOnly two per cent of SME’s have funds available to invest in business
The number of small and medium-sized businesses with cash available to invest in future growth has drastically fallen since 2009 due to an increase in customer late payments, according to a new study....
View ArticleParliamentary inquiry finds UK SMEs owed £36bn in late payments
Politicians are trying to force large corporations to publish how long they take to pay small firms after an inquiry found that British small-to-medium enterprises were owed more than £36bn in late...
View ArticleLate payments burden on SMEs reaches £40bn
Small and medium-sized companies are owed nearly £40bn due to late payments that are potentially threatening their future, research has found. The debt burden on SMEs has grown to £39.4bn, up from...
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