Independent SME lenders are navigating one of the most complex funding environments in a decade. Bank credit continues to tighten, government-backed schemes are evolving, and private credit, despite booming elsewhere, has yet to fully reach the SME ecosystem. Against this backdrop, the sustainability and diversity of wholesale funding is becoming a strategic priority for lenders […]
What the PEAC/Topi, PEAC/ABN AMRO UK Leasing, and Shawbrook/ThinCats deals signal Deal flow has returned to the asset and specialty finance market. Over just a few days, three headline transactions have crystallised the themes many in the sector have anticipated for months: scale, technology enablement, and bank carve-outs into specialist platforms. 27 August 2025: PEAC […]
March 2025 With the clocks about to change and warmer spring weather ahead, now is a time for activity and optimism, and there’s a lot going on. In this edition of Insight, we highlight the strengthening of our corporate finance proposition, the growing attraction of private capital, a comprehensive Scope 3 reporting solution, options for […]
October 2024 It’s early days … but M&A is back! In this edition of Insight, we highlight some of the reasons for this trend and their implications. We reflect on the recently released Basel 3.1 near-final rules and the remaining uncertainty for capital-constrained SME lenders. With budget rounds in full swing, we discuss the importance […]
After a long period of inactivity, the UK's mergers and acquisitions market is starting to show signs of life. Over recent years, deal-making slowed down significantly, affected by economic challenges and global uncertainties. But as we move into the latter half of 2024, the situation is changing. Portfolios are starting to appear on the market—often […]
March 2024 “Create new revenue streams, outflank competitors and redefine customer experiences” are just some of the potential benefits of generative AI. In this edition of Insight, Simon Potts’ article highlights areas for review and development and points towards our AI Readiness Assessment and creating your organisation’s own AI vision. Christian Roelofs pinpoints the challenges […]
I recently attended a session on global insolvencies and was confronted with a startling projection: the UK's SME debt refinancing requirements in 2024 tower over those of any other country, forming a seemingly insurmountable "Great Wall." This alarming visual underscores the immense challenges UK businesses face in the coming years as they navigate a landscape […]
January 2024 2024 – a new year and new opportunities. In this edition of Insight, we highlight the step-change performance potential in supply chain finance and BNPL. Following a successful engagement in Q4, we introduce a new product - 'Finativ Focus' – a high-speed, low-risk way to drive capacity and productivity gains, with costs aligned […]
The start of the new year is a time when people often think about the year ahead. This year, I decided to ask a few industry friends for their thoughts on major trends and events that will help shape SME lending in 2024. Below are our combined observations - my sincere thanks go to Ylva […]
Non-bank asset finance companies in the UK are almost entirely reliant on Block Funding (Block) for the liquidity they need to trade. Some see this as a strength in that Block is relatively simple, is not a banking product thrust upon us, and has been a staple source of funding for the last 10+ years. […]