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A new survey has found that, despite a high performing year, many SMEs are still preparing themselves for a challenging start to 2016. As the year progresses, the single biggest uncertainty is the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union.

A survey of young entrepreneurs working in the UK has found that the continuing skills shortage and a lack of access to finance are major concerns. The IoD 99 Network, the Institute of Directors’ network of more than 650 entrepreneurs under the age of 35, warned that these are the issues that could undermine or derail the country’s ‘start-up revolution’.

The US Federal Reserve has announced it is raising interest rates for the first time in a decade. Rates were increased from the range of 0% to 0.25% that had held sway for the past ten years to a new range of 0.25% to 0.5%.

Adam Marshall, director of policy and external affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce, has called for the Government to cut tax administration red tape for businesses.

Representatives of ten so-called ‘challenger’ banks have met with Charles Roxburgh, the Treasury’s director of financial services. The meeting is the first of a new quarterly series of meetings and a number of issues, including the continuation of the Funding for Lending scheme, capital requirements and banking surcharges are all on the agenda.

The recent flooding events in Cumbria and elsewhere have caused a lot of personal hardship. TV screens were filled with images of families and individuals hit hard by damage to property and personal belongings, but many small businesses have felt the impact too.

The incomes of smaller UK businesses have risen steeply since 2010 but the growth rate has slowed this year, a new report shows.

A campaign group is calling for lenders to publish APRs in connection with their business loans. The Campaign for Regulation of Asset Based Finance has written to a number of major banks and is campaigning for APRs to be mandatory. A spokesman said that this would bring much needed clarity to the true price of asset-based finance and help clients compare the costs of different financial products.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has launched a new service aimed at helping small business owners to identify suitable and cost-effective energy tariffs for their businesses.

Many SMEs are facing potentially crippling waits for payments. A new study by Tungsten Network has found that just over one in ten (12%) of small and medium-sized businesses regularly have to wait for 90 days or more under their customers’ payment terms. 3% of SMEs are forced to wait for four months or 120 days.

The new National Living Wage (NLW) will come into effect starting on April 1 2016. With just four months left before the changes, the Government is warning businesses to prepare for the introduction. Tasks to take care of include ascertaining which staff, if any, will be affected by the changes, communicating the changes to staff and updating the payroll.

Greg Mulholland, Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, has tabled an early day motion calling for a review of changes that would make it more difficult for insolvency practitioners to secure returns for creditors from fraudulent directors.

A lack of access to up to date information could be preventing SMEs in the UK from investing properly in their businesses, new research has found.

Leading property insolvency and restructuring specialists Simon Thomas and Arron Kendall of Moorfields were appointed as joint administrators over a commercial property and land portfolio in North East England on 7 December 2016.

The Government’s Business Growth Service (BGS) is to close by April 2016. The popular service, which includes the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) and the Growth Accelerator programme has already closed its doors to new applicants. Businesses with existing contracts will, however, continue to receive support until the end of March next year.

A new survey has found that almost two thirds of small business owners make difficult decisions alone. This could lead to stress-related illnesses, among other issues, which could in turn have a negative impact on the business.

Nearly half of working-age adults in the UK want to start their own business, according to a new report. The study, by pan-European private equity managers Idinvest Partners, quizzed 7,000 adults in the UK, France and Germany.

Around a third of SMEs have no access to superfast broadband, a new study has found – a far higher proportion than domestic internet users.

Property specialists Simon Thomas and Arron Kendall of leading restructuring and insolvency firm, Moorfields were appointed Administrative Receivers over a Commercial Portfolio in Darlington on 1st December 2015.

The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England have announced that the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) is due to be extended once more.

In her first keynote speech as director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Caroline Fairbairn is set to address the issue of MSB’s (medium sized businesses) and their potential impact on the UK economy.