SME Business News

The Financial Times reports that chancellor Alistair Darling is set to introduce new measures aimed at helping small businesses secure finance during the economic downturn.
The report suggests that Darling is preparing measures that will underwrite  new loans to small business and by extending tax payer guarantees to the banks that lend money to SMEs.
Increased funding  [...]

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It seems that common sense has prevailed in the Post Office Card Account fiasco, with the government Works & Pensions minister James Purnell seemingly bowing to pressure from all corners and confirming that the current contract with the Post Office will be renewed.
The decision comes two weeks earlier than expected, following criticism that delays were [...]

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The Small Business Finance Forum has been set up by the governments business secretary Peter Mandelson, in a bid to monitor how high street banks treat SME business lending.
Following the first meeting of the Forum it has emerged that the UK’s high street banks have agreed to furnish the business secretary with data determining the [...]

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An increase in funds available to small business has been announced by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB aim to increase the funds available by £4bn over the next four years.
Despite funds already being available for the UK’s small business owners, British banks must first apply to the EIB to access the finance. This [...]

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Groups representing small retailers have attacked Mastercard over plans to increase membership charges and the introduction of a new ‘development’ fee.
Lobby groups including the British Shops And Stores Association (bssa) and British Retail Consortium (BRC) have taken on the fight for their members, calling for the increases to be withdrawn.
In a climate where high street [...]

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The Federation Of Small Businesses (FSB) have issued the following release of their proposal for a new £1bn Small Business Survival Fund To Save The UK Economy.
The FSB is calling on the Government to take emergency measures to save the millions of small businesses that drive the UK economy in the next two weeks as [...]

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Labours new Business Secretary Peter Mandelson has put all other issues and future legislation on hold and issued a brief to his department to focus on helping the survival of small business through the financial crisis.
The postponement of new legislation, that may further burden small business with more red tape, job cuts, reduced investment or bankruptcy, [...]

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Conservative leader David Cameron has continued the barrage of attacks mounted by the Tories over the way that Gordon Brown’s Labour Party have handled the current credit crisis.
In an article in the Observer, Cameron has called upon the government to offer help to small businesses by deferring payment of VAT for six months. The VAT [...]

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Gordon Brown has led the cavalry charge to help out Britain’s cash strapped banks, on behalf of the country and the tax payer of course, helping out high street banks Royal Bank Of Scotland, HBOS and LLoyds TSB to ease the financial crisis.
Brown seems to have taken notice of recent polls that showed the nation [...]

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In the midst of the doom and gloom of recession it is refreshing to hear that Barclays Bank are predicting a brighter short term future for SMEs in the UK.
Nic Bayley head of product for Barclays Local Business made the startlingly optimistic claim at the annual conference of the National Federation Of Enterprise Agencies.
“We believe [...]

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