Zempler Bank grows profit on the back of high interest rates August 6, 2025 Zempler Bank has recorded its third consecutive year of profitability after a cheering jump in customer deposits and a strong performance in interest income. The UK fintech – formerly known as Cashplus – recorded a 58 per cent leap in pre-tax profit to £5.2m for the year ending March 31 2025. It comes as deposits [...]
UK SMEs paralysed by fear despite ‘sitting on piles of cash’ July 17, 2025 Small-to-medium sized companies in the UK (SMEs) are “paralysed by fear” because of geopolitical uncertainty and a lack of clear economic policy, according to new research. Accounting and advisory group Azets said a large number of SMEs are “sitting on significant piles of cash” but are nevertheless holding back on investment. The warning, issued by [...]
Rachel Reeves warned against piling on small business tax pain July 8, 2025 As Rachel Reeves circles new avenues to boost tax receipts, the Chancellor has faced a fresh warning to ease the pain for small businesses. Businesses have called for Reeves to reverse her Autumn Budget tax hikes and ease the burden for firms as they suffer the crunch of economic uncertainty. One in five small- and [...]
Financial advisers sound alarm on lack of support for SMEs July 2, 2025 Financial advisers have raised concern about the lack of support for small businesses in government policy as firms feel the pinch of economic pressures. Over half of advisers surveyed by alternative lender Thincats branded government policy as unsupportive of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) whilst just six per cent said it was supportive. Small businesses [...]
Profit triples at SME lender Iwoca as loans near £1bn June 26, 2025 Profit has almost tripled at business lender Iwoca as its revenue jumped by nearly £100m in 2024, it has been revealed. The London-based firm, which provides credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has posted a pre-tax profit of £59.1m for its latest financial year. The total comes after the business reported a pre-tax profit of £21.7m [...]
BGF: Profit almost doubles at major UK investor June 25, 2025 Profit at the Business Growth Fund (BGF) has almost doubled thanks to a series of successful exits in 2024, it has been revealed. The organisation, which is one of the UK’s most prominent equity investors, has reported a pre-tax profit of £131.1m for its latest financial year, up from the £67.9m it achieved in 2023. [...]
Co-op boss urges Miliband to support small firms June 19, 2025 The boss of the Co-op has urged Ed Miliband to rectify the host of “far-reaching challenges” impeding small businesses’ net zero efforts, warning that a paucity of cheap finance and planning red tape were getting in the way of firms’ ambitions. In a letter seen by City PM Shirine Khoury-Haq said Britain was at a [...]
Ministers call in HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds bosses for small business lending talks May 6, 2025 Top bank bosses were summoned for talks with ministers on Tuesday after a government report revealed that small businesses were having difficulty securing loans. Senior executives from HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds will be in attendance for the meeting, which will be chaired by minister for small business Gareth Thomas. A report from the Department of [...]
Iniesta face of FedEx-backed Champions of Business list April 22, 2025 Former Barcelona great Andres Iniesta has thrown himself into the corporate world, as face of the FedEx-backed Champions of Business list. Spaniard Iniesta, who played for Barcelona over 400 times and is an international centurion, is part of the campaign which aims to thrust SMEs into the spotlight. The complete FedEx list includes grassroots football [...]
Net zero no longer a priority for SMEs April 8, 2025 The majority of small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) have sidelined net zero practices, according to a survey of around 500 business owners, in signs that net zero policies are increasingly falling out of fashion. President Donald Trump’s abandonment of Biden-era green policies has driven a global trend that is seeing firms and governments move away [...]
