The UK private sector expects activity to fall through the fourth quarter of 2025.
According to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator, UK firms across the private sector expect activity to fall in the next three months (weighted balance of -20%), extending a run of negative predictions that began in late 2024. The downturn is expected to be broad-based, with business volumes in the services sector set to decline (-18%), […]
UK growth cooled in the second quarter.
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate that UK GDP rose an unrevised 0.3% in Q2 2025, following a 0.7% increase in Q1 (which was partially driven by frontloaded exports ahead of tariff change). A 1.0% surge in construction and a 0.4% increase in services helped keep the economy expanding, offsetting a […]
Unsecured creditors of sixty Carillion won’t get any money back.
Construction News has reported that, more than seven years after the construction giant collapsed, sixty Carillion companies have still not paid unsecured creditors any money. PwC, appointed as a special manager to assist liquidators in winding up the tier one contractor, has published an anticipated distribution schedule that lists sixty of its businesses as having “no […]
Headline numbers remain broadly unchanged, but insolvencies continue to be significantly above the pre-pandemic average.
New data from Creditsafe has revealed that September’s insolvency figures indicate that 2,068 businesses across the UK and Northern Ireland entered insolvency, representing an 11% decrease from August 2025 and 6% lower than at the same time last year. However, despite this drop, overall volumes remained significantly above the pre-pandemic average. Construction was the UK’s […]
Payment delays are a systemic issue for businesses in the UK.
Coface has published the first edition of its survey on the payment behaviour of UK companies, highlighting that UK businesses are facing an extortionately high level of late payments compared to other countries. 90% of UK companies experienced late payments in the past year, with 44% stating that delays are more frequent than before. In […]
UK firms hit record levels of late invoice payments, leaving SMEs £109 billion out of pocket.
Business Matters reported that an analysis of government filings by Good Business Pays shows that a record number of large firms admitted to paying more than half of their invoices late this year. On average, suppliers were left waiting more than fifty days for payment, while 127 firms reported taking more than eighty days. In total, […]
Nearly 90% of French companies are experiencing late payments.
According to the latest Coface Payment Survey, in 2025, 97% of French companies grant payment terms to their customers, confirming that this practice remains deeply rooted in the economy. The average payment term is 49.7 days, higher than in Germany (32 days) or Poland (46 days). However, 86% of French companies report having experienced delays […]
The UK agrifood sector is facing a period of significant disruption and is at high risk for insolvency and non-payment.
Coface has published an article assessing the agrifood sector in its Western European region, which includes the UK, as high risk for insolvency and non-payment. Insolvency rates remain elevated, particularly among SMEs, while confidence across the sector is low, with many producers citing uncertainty around trade agreements, weather volatility, and input prices. Outcomes vary by […]
‘Stagflation light’ is gripping the global economy.
Insurance Business has reported that Allianz Trade’s latest economic outlook warns that the global economy has entered a period of “stagflation light” marked by sluggish growth and persistently elevated inflation. Allianz Trade notes that, while current conditions are less severe than the 2022 Ukraine war shock, major economies are experiencing their lowest growth levels since 2008, […]
Payment delays are a systemic issue for businesses in the UK
Coface has published the first edition of its survey on the payment behaviour of UK companies, highlighting that UK businesses are facing an extortionately high level of late payments compared to other countries. 90% of UK companies experienced late payments in the past year, with 44% stating that delays are more frequent than before. In […]
Tariffs and uncertainty keep global growth subdued.
Atradius’ latest Economic Outlook forecasts that global growth will remain subdued at 2.4% in both 2025 and 2026, representing a downward growth revision for all major markets. Advanced economies are expected to grow at a modest pace of 1.3% in both 2025 and 2026, while the outlook for emerging market economies (3.8% growth across EMEs […]
UK manufacturing output volumes fall in the three months to August.
According to the CBI’s latest Industrial Trends Survey, UK manufacturing output volumes fell at a sharp pace in the quarter to August, after being broadly flat in July. Manufacturers also expect output to fall again over the next three months to November. Output decreased in fourteen out of seventeen sub-sectors in the three months to […]
The outlook for the UK economy is “tepid” with increased risk of non-payment.
Allianz Trade’s Mid-Year Economic Outlook projects only modest GDP growth of 0.9% in 2025, edging up to 1.2% in 2026. Headwinds include the spillover from US trade policy, alongside domestic pressures such as potential tax rises, persistent inflation and elevated borrowing costs. Although insolvencies have eased this year, they remain above pre-pandemic levels, and payment […]
UK growth continues to flatline.
The latest British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) economic forecast predicts that the UK economy will grow by 1.3% in 2025, revised up from the previous forecast of 1.1%. However, GDP is expected to slow slightly in 2026 to 1.2%, before rising to 1.5% in 2027 – unchanged from the previous forecast. The growth picture varies […]
Insolvency numbers in most sectors in England and Wales were similar to, or lower than, those in the preceding twelve months.
New data from The Insolvency Service shows that 1 in 190 companies in England and Wales on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 52.5 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. This was a decrease from the 56.6 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the […]
In H1 2025, UK-listed construction companies issued the most profit warnings since the pandemic.
According to EY-Parthenon’s latest Profit Warnings report, UK-listed companies in the FTSE Construction and Materials sector issued eight profit warnings during H1 2025, four times the number issued during the same period last year and the highest total since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Listed firms in the sector issued three profit warnings in Q2, […]
Nearly 50,000 UK businesses are now in ‘critical’ financial distress.
Research by Begbies Traynor has found that, as of June 30, 2025, 49,309 UK businesses were in ‘critical’ financial distress, representing a 21.4% increase from Q2 2024 and an 8.6% increase from Q1 2025. All sectors covered by Red Flag Alert experienced an increase over the last 12 months. Begbies Traynor also noted that some […]
Food & drink sector failures were down in 2024, but are stagnating in 2025.
Tokio Marine HCC has published a report by Arwel Roberts on the UK food & drinks sector, which notes that most food-related sub-sectors saw a reduction in insolvencies in 2024. Notable declines included the manufacture of drinks (down 11%), the manufacture of food products (down 18%), the retail sale of food and beverages (down 22%), […]
The outlook for the UK economy is “tepid” with increased risk of non-payment.
Allianz Trade’s Mid-Year Economic Outlook projects only modest GDP growth of 0.9% in 2025, edging up to 1.2% in 2026. Headwinds include the spillover from US trade policy, alongside domestic pressures such as potential tax rises, persistent inflation and elevated borrowing costs. Although insolvencies have eased this year, they remain above pre-pandemic levels, and payment […]
UK economy: Falling behind the EU with rising insolvencies.
Coface’s latest Economic Outlook forecasts that the UK economy will grow by 1% in both 2025 and 2026. While this places the UK in line with other advanced economies in 2025, it is expected to fall behind in 2026 (the EU is projected to grow by 1.5%). Inflationary pressures remain a key concern. Coface expects […]
Insolvencies normalise, but a trade war brings new risks.
Analysis from Atradius (published one day after President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’) suggests that while the ongoing trade war and higher tariffs will negatively affect growth, the impact on insolvencies may be limited, with global insolvencies remaining stable in 2025 before declining by 5% in 2026. Atradius’ baseline scenario indicates that the Asia-Pacific region could see […]
Data indicates a rise in corporate distress in Europe.
The latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI) suggests an increase in corporate distress across Europe, which, as of February 2025, reached its highest level in six months. Germany and the UK (see paragraph above) have experienced particularly sharp increases, with German corporate surging to its highest level since July 2020, the height of the pandemic. […]
62% of UK firms with trade exposure to the USA say US tariffs will negatively impact them.
A snap poll of more than 600 businesses by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has revealed that 62% of UK firms with trade exposure to the US expect to take a hit from the tariffs. Looking at the breakdown, 20% report a significant negative impact, 42% report some negative impact, 16% report no impact, […]
UK compulsory liquidations in February were at their highest level in over five years.
The latest UK insolvency data has shown that corporate insolvencies increased by 2.9% in February 2025 to a total of 2,035 compared to January 2025’s total, and decreased by 7% compared to February 2024’s figure of 2,188. Tom Russell, Vice President of R3, commented: “The monthly increase in corporate insolvencies is driven by a rise […]
11.2% of UK companies are in distress.
The latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI) indicates that business distress levels in the UK have seen particularly sharp increases compared to most of Europe, with levels at their highest since September 2023. The latest data shows that 11.2% of UK companies are in distress, compared to 9.8% the previous year, and the proportion of […]
Six in 10 UK small businesses say late payments prevent them from reaching their full potential.
A new GoCardless report, commissioned by the Federation of Small Businesses, highlights the growing issue of late payments for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the UK. A survey of over 2,000 SMBs found that 45% have experienced more late payments than last year, with 50% expecting the problem to worsen over the next 12 […]
China: Extended payment terms ease the impact of rising payment delays.
Coface’s latest survey on Chinese corporate payment behaviour reveals that the average payment terms for Chinese companies increased from 70 days in 2023 to 76 days in 2024. Although payment delays remained largely stable, rising slightly from 64 days to 65 days, Coface calculated that this indicates that the overall waiting time between product delivery and […]
Trade tensions and Eurozone weakness cloud the UK’s economic outlook.
A new UK Economic Conditions report by Tokio Marine HCC notes that the UK’s 2025 growth outlook remains disappointing, as trade tensions with the US escalate and the eurozone’s weak performance, especially in Germany, impacts UK trade. In January, the OECD and the IMF projected real GDP growth in the UK at 1.7% and 1.6%, […]
Insolvencies normalise, but a trade war brings new risks.
Analysis from Atradius (published one day after President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’) suggests that, while the ongoing trade war and higher tariffs will negatively affect growth, the impact on insolvencies may be limited, with global insolvencies remaining stable in 2025 before declining by 5% in 2026. Atradius’ baseline scenario indicates that the Asia-Pacific region could see […]
2022–2026: Five successive years of increasing insolvencies.
Allianz Trade’s latest Global Insolvency Report predicts that global business insolvencies will continue to rise over the next two years. After a 10% increase in 2024, insolvencies are projected to grow by 6% in 2025 and 3% in 2026—resulting in five consecutive years of rising insolvencies from 2022 to 2026. However, the possibility of a […]