71% of UK business decisions are made without complete data.
Following a survey of 250 leaders at UK companies with revenues above £100 million, new research from EY found that only 29% of high-value decisions (spend ≥ £50,000 with measurable financial, risk, operational or reputational impact) were made with complete, reliable data. Nearly 1 in 10 (8%) were taken using very limited or poor-quality information. […]
Business insolvencies are on the rise in three out of five countries in 2025.
Allianz Trade’s latest Insolvency Report notes that export-driven economies are most affected by President Trump’s tariffs on global insolvencies. In the worst-case scenario, Canada could see an additional 1,900 insolvent companies, France 6,000, Spain up to 2,900, and the Netherlands 700. In contrast, Allianz Trade forecasts a negligible impact in Germany, the UK, Italy, and […]
Allianz Trade sees US insolvencies rising into 2026.
As reported by Insurance Business, Allianz Trade’s latest Insolvency Report found that, although US tariffs have altered trade flows, they have not led to a surge in US insolvencies. Instead, large firms benefited as exporters moderated prices and goods were rerouted through countries such as India and Vietnam, while tariffs provided protection for US domestic firms […]
Growing disparity between the experience of the UK’s largest and smallest exporters.
New data from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Insights Unit shows a widening divide between the fortunes of different-sized UK exporters. Only 16% of micro-exporters (businesses with fewer than 10 employees) increased export orders in Q3 (18% in Q2), 27% reported a fall, and 57% reported no change. In contrast, 42% of large exporters, […]
UK finance leaders report rising cost pressures.
Deloitte’s latest survey of UK Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) shows that CFO expectations for operating costs have risen to the highest level in more than four years. A net 84% of finance leaders expect operating costs to increase over the next 12 months. Geopolitics has been rated as a top concern for CFOs in all […]
The UK economy has lost momentum.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research’s (NIESR) latest Economic Outlook predicts that, after a strong start to 2025, the UK economy has lost momentum. GDP grew by 0.7% in the first quarter, boosted by activity brought forward ahead of higher National Insurance Contributions and the National Living Wage rise. But growth slowed to […]
One in six trading businesses in the UK have no cash reserves.
New data from the Insolvency Service shows that corporate insolvencies in England and Wales decreased by 2% in September 2025 (to 2,000) compared with August 2025 (2,046). This was an increase of 2% compared to the September 2024 figure of 1,967, but a 6% decrease from September 2023’s figure (2,128). Tom Russell, President of R3, […]
Nearly a third of UK small businesses are considering shrinking, selling, or closing down.
According to the latest research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), more small UK firms expect to shrink than to grow over the next year. New figures reveal that the proportion of small firms bracing for contraction (downsizing, closure, or a sale) in the next 12 months has risen to an unprecedented 30%. Within […]
Nearly a fifth of UK-listed businesses have issued at least one warning in the last 12 months.
According to EY-Parthenon’s latest Profit Warnings report, 1 in 5 of the 64 profit warnings issued by UK-listed companies during Q3 2025 cited the impact of weaker consumer confidence, the highest proportion recorded for this cause since 2022 and up from 6% during the same period last year. While 19% of all profit warnings referenced […]
Critical financial distress soars ahead of the UK budget.
The latest “Red Flag Alert” report from Begbies Traynor has revealed a 78.0% year-on-year increase in ‘critical’ financial distress. As of 30 September 2025, 55,530 companies were in ‘critical’ financial distress, a 12.6% rise on the previous quarter. Notably, this rise in ‘critical’ distress was widespread, with 21 of the 22 sectors monitored by Red […]
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 […]