Drop by drop, alternative finance is set to take a bigger market share of SME loans Money&Co. CEO Nicola Horlick issues a rallying cry to the alternative finance sector in her latest blog. Money&Co. facilitated the first crowdfunded non-property-backed loan of £1 million in the UK in its first weeks of trading, but the Money&Co. […]
Nicola speaking at a drinks reception for investors in Glentham Capital It’s always interesting to compare the UK to other markets, especially America. It gives us a better idea of how we’re doing now, and, often, where we might go next. The United States is the land of the free, a land where anyone can […]
Lush and plush, Business First will reach an elite readership Congratulations to the brand-new Business First magazine. Its launch issue features an exclusive interview with Sir Martin Sorrel and an extensive, exclusive feature on crowdfunding, penned by Money&Co. chief executive, Nicola Horlick. Here are some highlights from Nicola’s article: “What we’re doing is addressing a […]
Banking competition inquiry is coming The debate continues, following the recent announcement by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to recommend a full competition inquiry into banks. The CMA undertook its preliminary report in collaboration with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The two agencies said the barriers to entry and expansion for newer and smaller […]
CMA is set to inquire into banks’ SME services The lack of lending to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) is partly a problem of the SMEs’ own making, says The Independent. Reporting on the Competition and Markets’ Authority’s decision to refer the banking sector for a full competition enquiry, the newspaper accuses SMEs of being […]
Persons talking to (in our opinion, at least) businesses… Investors Chronicle (IC) trumpets the benefits of crowdfunding. Good news – but, at least to us – not new news. “With prevailing low interest rates, investors have been forced to look to higher-risk sources of income such as equity income and property, but in recent years […]
Sweet success? Minibinds are next up for crowdfunding Trade news organisation Alternative Finance is on the track of future developments in the exapanding crowdfunding market after a recent post regarding Hotel Chocolat and its successful minbond issue. Nicola, the “acclaimed fund manager and Founder of Money & Co., confirmed that the platform’s first mini-bonds are […]
The banks’ convoluted financial mechanism continues to fail SMEs Lending to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) fell in the first quarter of this year, according to figures just released by the Bank of England. Net lending, a measure that counts repaid loans, fell by £2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2014, with SMEs seeing lending […]
Crwodfunding is not just for the rich – and not a banker in sight One way of looking at crowdfunding is to see it as finacial democracy in action: crowdfunders aim to bring people and businesses together. Crowdfunding isn’t meant to be for the rich, for the elite. And it’s not meant to be exclusively […]
SMEs, many of which are biotechnology companies, need our support When I say that I am trying to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK by providing an alternative source of finance to the banks, people often ask why that’s important. There are just over 24 million people working for private businesses in […]