Monthly Archives: July 2014

Alternative Finance is SME Future – Nicola Horlick In Business First

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 […]

SME Credit Debate Rolls On

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 […]

SMEs: Part Of Their Own Credit Problem?

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 […]

Crowdfunding Kudos Chronicled

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 […]

Alternative Finance Market Monitors Minibonds

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 […]

Banks Still Failing SMEs, Lending Figures Show

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 […]

UK’s SME-Led Recovery Needs Our Support

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 […]

FCA Warns Equity Crowdfunders

Equity deals – especially start-ups – concern the FCA Financial trade press outlet Money Marketing reports that the Financial Conduct Authority is “concerned potential investors do not fully understand the risks of crowdfunding”. Money&Co. shares that concern. When you lend money, your capital – despite the rigorous credit analysis to which all our borrowing companies […]