James Downing

The British Business Bank has agreed an ENABLE Guarantee transaction of up to £300m with Close Brothers Asset Finance, unlocking fresh lending capacity for smaller UK businesses. Find out more at: https://lnkd.in/e8a_CPzz #CloseBrothers #AssetFinance #BritishBusinessBank #ENABLEGuarantee #SMEFinance

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📢 Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies was quoted in The Times yesterday about how a few smart regulatory tweaks could unlock £500 million more in SME lending this year 🚀   He covered:   🏦 Why high street banks are pulling back from SME lending 💰 How UK businesses think about debt, and how to build confidence ⏩ Why speed of decision-making matters more than ever   We’re proud to back the UK’s established SMEs that make up the beating heart of the UK economy – and too often get overlooked.   With over £3 billion already lent, we’re transforming relationship banking with great rates, smart people and powerful technology. And with the right support from regulators, we could do even more.   Let’s make it easier for established SMEs to get the money they need to thrive 💼   👉 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/e8bbt8S2   #SMEs #businessbanking #fintech #regulation #growth

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Jack Henry acquires Victor Technologies to boost PaaS offering Victor was created by Jack Henry client MVB Bank in 2021, and enables banks to offer embedded payment services to fintechs and commercial customers. https://lnkd.in/ebHfjvJH

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🚀 Accelerating the ambitions of UK smaller businesses Our Growth Guarantee Scheme has reached £2.5bn in total lending, enabling smaller businesses across the UK to invest, expand and thrive. 📍 69% of this lending has reached businesses outside London and the South East 📍 £270m+ has supported businesses in the North West alone 📍 Over £633m has been provided to companies under five years old Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Rachel Reeves said: "The Growth Guarantee Scheme has made a huge impact on our regional economies, helping smaller businesses across the UK to invest and grow, creating jobs and putting more money in people’s pockets." Launched in July 2024, Growth Guarantee Scheme can be accessed via accredited lenders and provides crucial financing through term loans, overdrafts, asset and invoice finance, supporting up to £2m per facility. 👉 Click through for the key highlights of this milestone. 

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Open banking was covered widely at this week's Labour Party Conference, with widespread recognition of its critical role in powering UK economic growth and innovation. A standout moment was our Policy Director, Luke Ryder joining a fintech panel alongside Luke Charters MP, TrueLayer’s Megan Coulson, Financial Conduct Authority's Sacha Sadan, and Startup Coalition’s Charlie Mercer. The discussion explored: ✅ The journey OBL is supporting with industry and regulators to secure a long-term framework for open banking; ✅ How we can accelerate progress towards Open Finance to unlock benefits for consumers, businesses and the wider economy; ✅ The growing collaboration across the ecosystem to make this vision a reality. We were also pleased to participate in Innovate Finance and EY’s roundtable on Tech’s Plan for Change, where open banking was highlighted as a prime example of UK-led innovation. Attendees welcomed the move towards a sustainable, long-term model that supports the full ecosystem and enables continued growth. OBL remains committed to working with industry, policymakers, regulators, and consumer and business representatives to support this flourishing UK sector and ensure open banking continues to play a pivotal role in driving inclusive economic growth. #OpenBanking #OpenFinance #Innovation #FinTech #FutureOfFinance #Innovation #DigitalInnovation #TechInnovation The Labour Party

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Allica Bank is on the move to capture 10% of the UK SME Market 📣 We sat down with Niv Subramanian, deputy CEO at Allica Bank, to discuss how the bank is using #AI innovation and a human-first approach to reshape #SME lending. In this exclusive interview, Niv shares: 🔹 How Allica is racing toward gaining 10% of the UK SME market 🔹 Why lenders must adapt to new technologies to stay relevant 🔹 How AI and human touch creates the perfect balance for customer trust 👉 Don’t miss Niv’s insights on the future of lending, growth, and what sets Allica apart. Catch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/e-yQNSPD #SMEs #AI #Lending #Fintech #BankingInnovation #Leadership

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We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve secured £45 million in debt financing, our first dedicated funding arrangement to power more SME business loans across the UK. 💜 This milestone package includes: - £35m Revolving Credit Facility (RCF) from FTSE 250 specialist lender Paragon Banking Group PLC - £10m junior Medium-Term Note (MTN) programme from LGB Capital Markets “Securing our first debt financing is a major milestone for Love Finance. This funding brings us closer to our goal of being the UK’s most trusted SME lender,” says Jack Smith, Founder & CEO.   Grateful for the support and trust that allows us to scale our own book lending, make faster decisions, and help more UK SMEs access fast, flexible loans. 💡✨   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eEdWjdDb

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Big news 🥁🥁 Sending money just got even better 🚀 We’re excited to announce our partnership with Clear Junction to power faster, easier cross-border payments for enterprise businesses, now available through Swap, our currency exchange platform built in partnership with Wema Bank Plc. and Kadavra BDC. What does this mean for your business? ✅ Faster local and international transfers ✅ More competitive exchange rates ✅ Simplified USD, EUR, and GBP collections ✅ Seamless payments from Africa to the UK and Europe For enterprises that need speed, scale, and reliability, this partnership is transforming how money moves so you get better value, every single time. Visit www.flutterwave.com to get started today!

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