By Daljeet Kaur, Chief Operating Officer at Valda Energy One in seven UK businesses doesn’t fully understand what makes up their energy bills. That’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a direct risk to profitability. According to Ofgem’s 2025 research, more than half of UK businesses (53%) have low energy literacy, and these owners with less understanding of energy are much more likely to struggle with payments. When you’re already handling rising National Insurance contributions, inflation pressures, and tight margins, the last thing you need is to overpay for power because you couldn’t decode your contract. But that’s exactly what’s happening. More than a third (37%) of micro businesses believe business energy has the same terms and…
Author: sme-admin
There has been a fair bit of uncertainty around the UK’s financial landscape of late, and UK businesses, especially SMEs, have had to navigate hikes in NI contributions, the national minimum wage, inflation, and volatile energy and supply chain costs. But amidst all this, this year’s autumn Budget has actually delivered something many business owners have been waiting a long time for, says Rory Crisp-Jones of Jones & Co Finance. After two years of economic hesitation, SMEs finally have a more predictable fiscal landscape and with it, a genuine incentive to invest. The combination of a steady corporation tax rate, improved…
Consultancy Intralink urges innovators to act now to steal march on competitors India, Vietnam and South Korea will be the most dynamic global growth markets for UK tech companies in 2026, according to a British business development specialist. Jonathan Cleave, Group Managing Director at international business development consultancy Intralink, says he expects significant commercial openings for UK firms across Asia next year and highlights India, Vietnam and Korea as the most promising markets. He says that UK tech has only “realised a fraction of the potential” of these markets so far and risks “losing ground to fast-moving rivals” unless companies accelerate…
By Richard de Meo, CEO and Founder of Attara For many small and medium-sized businesses, the annual budgeting cycle has long served as a financial anchor. It’s a structured exercise that sets expectations, allocates resources, and provides a reassuring sense of order for the year ahead. However, in today’s volatile economic climate, that reassurance can be deceptive. A static budget offers structure but not protection; relying on last year’s assumptions in a situation where input costs can shift overnight is flying dangerously close to the wind. The reality is that the role of the CFO is shifting, particularly within SMEs.…
Globally, manufacturers are facing rising expectations from regulators, customers and investors to reduce emissions, address supply chain impacts and demonstrate credible sustainability performance. To help address this, leading sustainability consultancy Tunley Environmental has released a new free Guide to Sustainable Manufacturing. Sustainable manufacturing has become a strategic priority across high-impact sectors, including engineering, automotive, medical devices and consumer goods. The latest guide from Tunley Environmental is designed to equip businesses with the tools needed to redesign processes, reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. It covers: How to identify environmental hotspots within manufacturing processes. Practical steps…
The recent European airports cyberattack illustrates the systemic danger of siloed IT systems for organisations of all sizes. Businesses are investing more in digital technology than ever before, yet many are managing their IT services as disconnected pieces rather than as a single integrated entity. Connectivity, cloud, communications, print and security are often handled by separate providers, creating hidden inefficiencies and increasing exposure to risk. The recent cyberattack that disabled check-in systems at major European airports, including Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin, offers a stark illustration of the consequences when critical IT systems operate in silos. “The airport incident is a wake-up…
A new study from Tink, a market-leading open banking and payments platform, reveals that many UK consumers feel anxious about making mistakes when paying by manual bank transfer. This lack of confidence is driving abandoned transactions and undermining trust in the small businesses they buy from – while simple human errors continue to cause failed payments. Tink refers to this consumer anxiety about some payment methods as the ‘Fear of Messing Up’ (FOMU). Meanwhile the ‘Cost of Messing Up’ (COMU) refers to the business impact of payment errors on sales, staff time and customer relationships. Confidence issues stalling payments Just…
By Vivek Savani, UK Country Manager, iBanFirst How do you prepare for a swing in a major currency and its impact on your profit margin? That’s the question that global small and medium-sized enterprises have been forced to face this year, as economic volatility – driven by tariff confusion, geopolitical conflict and market nerves – has caused currencies to become unpredictable. Earlier this year, traditional safe-havens like the Yen and Swiss franc jumped notably following the announcement of sweeping US tariffs, and so businesses have had to grapple with the result of this volatility on their supply chains, investments and…
Meta has announced a major shift in how content is ranked across Facebook and Instagram, introducing new measures designed to reduce the visibility of unoriginal or duplicated posts. According to Sussex-based marketing agency PMW, the update represents an opportunity for brands willing to invest in creativity and original storytelling. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is updating its policies to deprioritise content that is repeatedly re-uploaded, re-shared or minimally tweaked without offering new value or commentary. This move follows a similar strategy by YouTube, reflecting a broader industry push toward quality and trust. Ben Luff, senior social media…
The majority of finance leaders feel AI could eventually be a threat to senior finance roles, including their own. This is according to new research commissioned by cloud accounting provider iplicit, which surveyed 250 UK-based mid-market finance leaders on their AI readiness, usage and concerns. The survey found that over half (51%) feel AI is already a threat to entry-level finance jobs, with 52% claiming AI could eventually impact senior finance roles, too. This opinion was considerably stronger amongst day-to-day operational roles such as Financial Controllers (74%) vs. CFOs (48%) and VPs / FDs (45%). Personal and professional concerns The majority (92%) surveyed…