A year on from the launch of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), almost one in three (29%) small and medium-sized businesses who took out a loan are not aware of the Pay As You Grow (PAYG) options which provide more time and flexibility to make repayments, according to research by Lloyds Bank. Through the government’s PAYG scheme, borrowers can request an extension of their loan term to 10 years from the standard six years, reduce their monthly repayments for six months by paying interest only, or take a full repayment holiday for up to six months. All lenders are…
Author: sme-admin
Google are planning to update their search engine algorithm to include a factor called ‘Page Experience’, which is going to be an important element that has an impact on page rankings. As part of this initiative, they’ve launched Web Vitals, which are a series of benchmarks essential to measuring and enhancing the user experience on the web. This update was originally going to be released this month (May 2021) but has now been postponed until mid-June. ‘Page Experience’ includes all aspects of how users interact with a web page and how good or painful it is for them, including existing…
Have you ever stopped to think about diversity in the business you work for? Consider gender diversity, ethnic diversity, and racial diversity. Are different groups given representation and better still, equality? What is the average profile of an employee, of managers? Can you see all walks of life reflected in your employees, in your leadership? There are many benefits of diversity, but it’s less likely to be found in a company than you might expect. Diversity and inclusion is certainly a hot topic at the moment, so why is equal representation still proving so difficult to achieve? Adzooma looked into the business…
Nearly 1 in 7 new car sales in the UK so far in 2021 have a plug and half-a-million ultra low emission vehicles are now on UK roads. This comes as statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 13.6% of new cars sold in the past 4 months had a plug, with ultra low emission cars accounting for more than 1 in 10 sales last year, up from 1 in 30 the year before. The UK is at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution, with the government committing to end the sale of new petrol and diesel…
The 17th of May has been marked out in calendars across England ever since Boris Johnson announced his roadmap to easing lockdown restrictions earlier this year. This isn’t just great news for people across the country who can now sit inside the pub when it rains, plan a staycation or attend a gym class, it should also be a positive step for small businesses. In the first week of pubs, restaurants and non-essential retail being able to open their terraces and doors to the public, it was estimated that spending was above pre-pandemic levels. Over the course of the pandemic Britons’ have…
New VAT rules for e-commerce will be rolled out across the EU in July to simplify life for businesses that sell goods online while ensuring a more level playing field with online companies from outside the EU. These rules will be particularly significant for anyone selling goods online or running an online marketplace. The aim is to: ensure that VAT is paid where goods are consumed or the services paid for are provided; create a uniform VAT regime for cross-border supplies of goods and services; offer businesses a simple system to declare and pay their VAT in the EU, using…
Winners of awards, including Nobel Prizes, the Turing Award, Oscars and Golden Globes, will be able to live and work in the UK more easily under reforms being introduced by the Home Office. From May 5th individuals who have won prestigious awards from across the sciences, humanities, engineering, the arts and digital technology will be able to take advantage of changes to the Global Talent visa route. Currently, people on the Global Talent route have to successfully apply to one of six endorsing bodies. The new fast track route launching today would allow applicants who hold a qualifying prize to fast track…
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng yesterday (Wednesday 5 May 2021) announced the appointment of Indro Mukerjee as the new Chief Executive of Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. Indro Mukerjee is a highly experienced technology executive and business leader with a track record of leading innovation and technology commercialisation at businesses of all sizes across the world – from publicly listed and multinational corporations to new venture and private equity backed technology companies. Mukerjee will take up the post immediately and will be tasked with transitioning Innovate UK from a grant funding body to an agency focused on driving economic growth…
Consumer payments have come a long way in recent years to the point where we can now make payments and split bills in an instant by tapping phones, watches or even rings on card machines. At the heart of this transformation is a new wave of challenger banks that have created a smarter, more personalised banking experience. They go beyond traditional bank accounts and offer analytics which allow us to see a breakdown of where our money is going, and enable us to split our funds across multiple pots to save for specific things. They have sleek onboarding processes, beautiful…
A new salary-advance solution, borofree has launched in the UK offering employers the opportunity to provide staff with an interest free, charge free and cost-free method of borrowing against their next pay cheque. borofree works with employers to provide staff with access to a proportion of their salary ahead of payday to purchase products and services through retailer-specific gift cards. Inspired by the need for a customer-friendly financial solution, borofree was developed to enable employers to support hard working employees improve their financial wellbeing and confidence. From those budgeting for household goods at the start of each month, to professionals…