Surge in smaller business equity investment
130%
surge to £14bn in the first three quarters of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020
Gross bank lending to smaller businesses returned to pre-pandemic levels
45%
decrease in gross bank lending from 2020
51%
of gross bank lending was provided by challenger and specialist banks, a record share
Geographic imbalances in access to finance persist
70%
of Q1-Q3 2021 equity investment value was attracted by London firms
973
investors involved in Venture Capital based in London – no other region or Nation has more than 80
Smaller businesses continue to prioritise growth over environmental concerns
71%
prioritise sales compared to 47% who prioritise reducing their environmental impact
37%
would use external finance to grow compared to 22% who would use it to help transition their business to net zero
Ethnic Minority-led businesses more willing to use but less likely to obtain finance
50%
would use external finance for growth compared to 32% of White-led businesses
18%
of applicants were turned down for external finance compared to 10% of White-led businesses (Q3 2020 - Q2 2021)
More female-led businesses willing to use external finance
31%
are open to using external finance, a significant increase from a year earlier