After weeks of turmoil Wonga, the payday lender that came to symbolise Britain’s household debt crisis, collapsed into administration recently. Many people in or supportive of the responsible finance industry have welcomed its demise (with much… Continue reading
Category: Opinion
Cashing in on campaign momentum: the need to ensure access to cash is protected
Cashing in on campaign momentum: the need to ensure access to cash is protected. Many ATM operators and consumers breathed a deep sigh of relief this month when LINK, the U. K’s primary ATM network, announced… Continue reading
CIC Blog: Reclaiming financial services
In rural areas of the UK, 13% of adults aged 55 and over, or who are younger and have a physical or mental health condition, have difficulty getting to a bank. 3% of UK adults are unbanked.… Continue reading
Taking stock together: a new dawn for Euro Credit Reporting
I was delighted to speak at the Association of Consumer Credit Information Suppliers annual conference last week (8th June 2018). In 2017 responsible finance providers lent £235 million to nearly 62,000 customers across the UK (business,… Continue reading
Responsible Finance co-host transatlantic webinar on small business lending in the U.K and U.S
17.04.2018 In an effort to uncover better solutions to the capital access challenges facing American and UK small businesses and entrepreneurs, Responsible Finance partnered with US-based CDFA to examine the financing strategies pursued by public and… Continue reading
The cost of an unregulated business lending market
Amongst firms with a viable business plan, external finance is often a key requirement for business creation, survival and growth, particularly where personal and family-based resources are insufficient and a business cannot generate sufficient surplus… Continue reading
Do several buses equal a sustainable funding regime for enterprise lending responsible finance providers?
Last week I was kindly invited to the launch of Richard Roberts and Steve Walker’s report on the future of responsible finance business lending. For me, there are four key messages that I take away from… Continue reading
Spring Statement: A springboard for an inclusive economy?
Philip Hammond’s brief, twenty-minute Spring Statement scheduled for Tuesday is not expected to hold any substantial policy announcements. Nonetheless, the Chancellor should set out some thinking about longer term economic priorities. There is a growing sense… Continue reading
Responsible Finance – a track record in supporting female entrepreneurs
In 2016, Virgin Money launched a report on ‘Women in Finance – fairness, equality and inclusion for men and women’. The report found that ‘more women than men start out in financial services but, as they… Continue reading
Blog: Credit Reference Agencies must start taking financial inclusion seriously
Inclusive credit scoring 28.02.2018 A known barrier to financial inclusion is the credit scoring approaches utilised by both mainstream and affordable lenders. Because of them, UK households could be paying £1,770 extra per year for basic… Continue reading