The British Business Bank has published final data on the COVID relief programs that saw £79.3 billion in government-backed loans distributed to 1.67 million businesses. The UK government created multiple lending schemes designed to support businesses impacted by the Coronavirus. Both traditional financial services firms,… Read More
London-based digital lender White Oak has facilitated loans worth £400 million to SMEs impacted by the pandemic under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). Talking about the adverse impact of the pandemic on small businesses across the UK, Andy Davies, Managing Director of White… Read More
European Fintech firm iwoca has released a new index on the SME lending landscape. As noted in a blog post by iwoca, the company’s “SME Expert Index” is described as “an exclusive” index that includes UK brokers which “gives specialist insight on the health of… Read More
Last week, the British Business Bank updated on progress pertaining to loans given to UK firms impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. Originated under several government programs designed to support businesses during a difficult time, the Bank said that 1,630,155 government-guaranteed loans worth £75.1… Read More
UK-based MarketFinance, one of the world’s largest peer-to-peer (P2P) invoice finance platforms, has reported reaching profitability as it returns a record start to the year. The Fintech business lender has reportedly started the year off with a considerable increase in lending volumes. MarketFinance has disbursed… Read More
The British Business Bank reports a surge in SME lending with 89% of businesses seeking funding in 2020 because of Covid-19. The Bank’s Small Business Finance Markets report states that 45% of SMEs surveyed applied for financing in 2020 in contrast to just 13% in… Read More
White Oak, an alternative lender serving UK businesses, says it has surpassed £270 million in CBILS lending while receiving an increased allocation of by the British Business Bank. CBILS, or Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, is one of a series of government programs designed to… Read More
Online lender Funding Circle (LSE:FCH) recently noted in blog to its small business customers what the roadmap out of the COVID-19 lockdown means for small businesses. On February 22, 2021, the UK government announced its “highly anticipated” four-phase roadmap out of the Coronavirus-related lockdown —… Read More
OakNorth Bank has completed a £4.4 million Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) loan to complete the development of Beulah Vista Caring Home in London. OakNorth Bank says that the number of care home beds per 100 people over the age of 85 has fallen… Read More
An article from Global Capital notes that more securitizations of United Kingdom government-backed SME loans are being carried out in private. Last month, Funding Circle had reportedly finalized a deal with Sixth Street and Barclays. Since the UK’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) was… Read More
Chris Macklin, Chief Risk Officer at Assetz Capital, a peer-to-peer lender that originates secured loans, has provided a loan book update. As noted in a blog post by Assetz Capital, Macklin explained how the platform managed the loan book during the COVID-19 pandemic and shared… Read More
Online balance sheet lender, Nucleus Commercial Finance, reports that it has secured a £200 million funding line, which should help with increasing the platform’s capacity or ability to support more UK-based businesses. The new funding line should help ensure that the lender is well-positioned to… Read More
Ireland-based Linked Finance, a peer to peer lending platform, has reportedly received record levels of interest from SMEs that are looking for government-backed loans. After recently being approved to serve as a Coronavirus Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) provider, Linked Finance claims it has received a… Read More
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has extended the government-guaranteed Covid-19 business loan schemes until the end of March. The announcement was joined by confirmation that the furlough scheme has been extended until the end of April 2021. The Chancellor said: “Our package of… Read More
Lee Birkett, founder of UK-based peer-to-peer (P2P) lender JustUs, has noted that he doesn’t think demand for his platform’s Small Business Interruption Loan Service (SBILS) will increase to greater levels until the UK government support schemes have ended. JustUs had introduced SBILS to offer financing… Read More
SoftBank-backed Fintech firm OakNorth claims that it has been issuing loans at record levels following the COVID-19 outbreak. Established in 2015, OakNorth was recently valued at $2.8 billion and has managed to achieve profitability. This is not too common for many of the firms or… Read More
The HM Treasury has stated that it’s ultimately the responsibility of lenders, and not necessarily the nation’s government, to recover debts under the different COVID-19 loan schemes and packages. The UK government’s four main business support schemes, which includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme… Read More
iwoca, a European alternative lender for small businesses, is reportedly planning to lend more than £200 million to small businesses before the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) applications close in January 2021. iwoca recently surpassed £100 million in CBILS lending. The platform now plans… Read More
Funding Circle (LSE: FCH) has emerged as the 5th largest Coronavirus Business Interruption Lending Scheme (CBILS) originator, according to the company Funding Circle is a top Fintech lender serving the SME market in the UK and several other countries. During its most recent earnings release, Funding… Read More
SME lender White Oak says it has hit a loan book of £250,000,000 for the first time in its history. White Oak says this is a significant milestone for the Loans & Leases business with the lender distributing over £120 million of loans to SMEs… Read More
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