eBay launches £3m AI programme for UK SMEs October 1, 2025 E-commerce giant eBay has unveiled a major initiative aimed at helping UK small businesses harness the power of AI and compete with larger enterprises. The company’s new programme, ‘AI activate’, is a £3m investment that will provide up to 10,000 small enterprises with fully funded access to OpenAI-powered tools and tailored training to boost productivity [...]
Michael Vaughan issues Autumn Budget plea to Rachel Reeves September 18, 2025 Cricket legend Michael Vaughan has issued a plea to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to help out start-ups and small-to-medium-sized (SMEs) businesses in her Autumn Budget on 26 November. Vaughan, who has recently invested in health and wellness supplement start-up Uthful, hit out at the employers’ National Insurance increase included in last year’s Autumn Budget for causing [...]
Can Peter Kyle deliver a Budget lifeline for UK’s SMEs? September 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her Autumn Budget on 26 November, nearly a month later than usual, and eyes are on what she will do for the SMEs. With borrowing costs hitting their highest levels since 1998, and servicing the national debt topping £100bn a year, the government has been urged to maintain fiscal [...]
High street banks’ SME lending comeback inches forward September 11, 2025 High street banks’ return to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) inched onwards in the second quarter. The big banks have turned back to the area as the government clamps down on smaller firms’ difficulty accessing finance. Top bosses were summoned earlier this year for talks with ministers covering how to improve lending to SMEs. In [...]
Clock ticking on Making Tax Digital as HMRC struggles to win over SMEs September 4, 2025 With six months until nearly 800,000 self-employed people and landlords join Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax, HMRC is intensifying efforts to get more taxpayers to test the system. But the numbers so far paint a sobering picture of the challenge ahead for the agency. Data revealed that 2,400 users have joined HMRC’s beta [...]
Employment Bill sparks SME fear over costs and red tape September 2, 2025 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have voiced growing concerns over the government’s sweeping Employment Rights Bill, warning that the reforms could place a disproportionate strain on firms already grappling with rising costs and a challenging economic climate. The legislation, billed as the most significant upgrade to workplace protections in a generation, is due for its third reading [...]
Mortgage approvals rise for third month in a row September 1, 2025 Mortgage approvals for house purchases edged up in July, the third month in a row that has seen a rise, official data has shown. Money and credit statistics published by the Bank of England showed the housing market remains intact despite fears it might slump ahead of the Autumn Budget. The rise in approvals came [...]
UK online SMEs confident despite economic headwinds August 21, 2025 A wave of online small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs are showing confidence in their future, despite wider economic pressures, a new report from eBay UK suggests. The study found that nearly four in five, or 78 per cent, of online small businesses expect to see growth over the next 12 months, with a third [...]
Starling Bank snaps up UK fintech firm in small business push August 19, 2025 Starling Bank has snapped up its UK fintech peer Ember in a bid to ramp up its services for small business customers. The London-based firm said as part of the takeover, Ember’s tax and bookkeeping software will be built into Starling’s app and online bank. The deal, which Starling did not disclose the price of, [...]
Training investment has dropped by £10.9bn since apprenticeship levy introduced August 14, 2025 Investment in training has dropped by £10.9bn since the apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, fresh analysis has shown, with calls growing for Labour to speed up its overhaul of skills programmes. In a new report by the Fabian Society, which is affiliated to the Labour Party, the government has been warned that the apprenticeship [...]