Total alternative finance in the UK grew by 43% to £4.6bn in 2016, the annual report from Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance confirms. Peer-to-peer business lending grew by 36% to reach £1.23 billion in 2016, while invoice trading grew 39% to £452m.

Major players in this space include Marketinvoice, Funding Circle, Platform Black, Growth Street and Thincats.

We work with alternative finance providers when appropriate for a business. For more information or to enquire about funding for your business, contact us today.
​

Statistics released today indicate that the invoice finance and asset backed lending industry are lending more to UK businesses than ever before.

Whilst the number of businesses using these facilities has remained stable over the long term (around 40,000 businesses), the amount being borrowed has increased 13% on last year to £22bn.

http://www.business-money.com/announcements/record-levels-of-invoice-finance-and-asset-based-lending-to-uk-businesses

The Times reports that companies face huge cashflow pressures over the festive period, largely due to the seasonal increase in demand that requires businesses to ramp up production. Temporary workers are often paid weekly rather than monthly, which in addition to huge orders and the closedown between Christmas and New Year, can cause businesses a cashflow headache.

There are many solutions, requiring little or no security that enable businesses to borrow upwards of £50'000 over the festive period to help ease those pressures. Liquidity Club can help install such a solution in a matter of days.

Contact us if we can help ease the cashflow pressures in your business here.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tis-the-season-that-can-make-or-break-a-companys-year-5jmc6z8qh

65% of SMEs predicting strong growth for 2018 said that they would have to put growth plans on hold if they were unable to secure appropriate funding. This comes at a time when traditional sources of finance such as bank overdrafts are more difficult to obtain.

If your business is reliant on funding for its future growth plans, speak to Liquidity Club to secure the right finance package for your requirement.

Contact us here


http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/news/access-to-funding-make-or-break-to-small-business-success-in-2018/

Only 40% of SMEs are able to secure funding from their chosen lender, while less than 14% are able to raise enough funding to support their investment plans. 

Adrian Sainsbury, banking division managing director at Close Brothers highlighted that “SMEs need access to the right finance and support to invest in training staff or adopting new technologies so increasing awareness of financial options is crucial.
“Bespoke funding solutions which align to specific needs and growth plans are always preferable to a one-size-fits-all approach.”

At Liquidity Club, we work with SMEs to find an appropriate funder for the business including its aspirations and growth plans. Our approach is different in that we tailor solutions based on market knowledge, rather than only working with off-the-shelf products. Contact us if your business has a funding requirement, or plans for growth.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/small-and-medium-sized-investment-productivity-a8106276.html

Birmingham and Leeds-based Liquidity Club has announced the expansion of its newly launched team with the appointment of Paul Varley as Sales Director.

The Liquidity Club is an alternative new business channel for business funders to assist SMEs looking to raise finance for growth and changing circumstances including acquisitions, MBO’s, trade and distressed scenarios.  It has two offices in Birmingham and Leeds and was launched last month by Finance 4 Business Group with the appointments of David Totney as Managing Director and Adam Simpson as Director.
Building on the successful launch of the Liquidity Club, Paul Varley joins from Positive Cashflow Finance where he was the founder and Regional Sales Director for the Midlands office. Paul will be based in the Liquidity Club’s office on Cornwall Street in Birmingham. He brings with him extensive experience boasting 15 years in the finance industry with expertise in asset based lending and invoice finance working in conjunction with the professional market. At the Liquidity Club Paul will be responsible for developing and driving new business.

​Paul Varley, Sales Director Liquidity Club said: “I am very excited to join the Liquidity Club and play a key role in helping to simplify the process that surrounds seeking funding. There are a variety of finance products available which can be confusing for businesses and we are here to help make the experience easier for both the client and the funder.
“Our team prides itself on taking the time to understand our clients funding requirements and with our knowledge of the Liquidity Club members we can present a tailored funding package that has been designed to suit their business rather than a ‘one size fits all approach.’ We are not simply a go-between that passes on contact details but act as an impartial manager who takes the time to understand each business, so we can present and review options with confidence. This gives the client a specific end solution that meets their business requirements and is a fresh and flexible approach that is backed by our industry knowledge and expertise. We have already been working with a number of clients across the Midlands and the North, in particular with manufacturers looking for growth funding.” 

David Totney, Managing Director of the Liquidity Club explains: “I am delighted to welcome Paul Varley to the team. Paul brings a wealth of experience and is extremely well connected across the region. He strengthens our recently launched team and we are all working hard to support businesses initially across the Midlands and the North to secure the right funding package to assist growth.”

The West Midlands is forecast to be the fastest growing region behind only London and the South East over the next 3 years. EY’s latest UK Regional Economic Forecast predicts growth of 1.8% in its Gross Value Added (GVA) each year until 2020. 

This year alone, Birmingham has seen an increase in employment of 3.7% including 20500 new jobs in the city.

http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidlands/news/2012934-west-midlands-set-fastest-growing-region-outside-london-south-east

Tax specialists Catax estimate that around 57% of SMEs are eligible to claim some sort of R&D tax relief, a £43,000 claim on average. However, only 1% of SMEs are actually claiming these reliefs. That suggests that an additional £84m of funding is available for SMEs in the form of tax relief on qualifying R&D expenditure.

Innovation 4 Business, part of the Finance 4 Business group, specialises in helping SMEs maximise their R&D tax relief, using industry aligned consultants. Contact us to set up a zero cost consultation to determine how much your business could be claiming in reliefs.

​

The Times reports that the government-backed bank referral scheme, designed to improve the journey for businesses seeking funding when banks decline their application, has not been as successful as desired. 

In its first 9 months, the scheme has only helped 230 business in raising around £4m of funds. The British Business Bank reported that nearly 35,000 loan applications were made in Q1 2017 alone. 

Liquidity Club can assist small businesses in raising finance, with expert knowledge of the market and the ability to source appropriate finance quickly. Contact us to discuss your business funding requirements, and we can tailor a solution to fit.

​
​https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/teach-yourself-to-deal-with-a-bank-loan-rejection-98xpg58cg
https://www.bba.org.uk/news/statistics/sme-statistics/bank-support-for-smes-1st-quarter-2017/#.WiVGZrSFiAx

Estimates from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are that the total number of SMEs has increased over 3%, with 200,000 more SMEs trading this year than last.

The total number has now reached 5.7m, and accounts for 99.9% of all businesses in the UK.

​http://economia.icaew.com/en/news/december-2017/sme-population-surges-to-57-million