Work is underway to set up and test a simple and practical community finance partnership to deliver wide-ranging finance and support services in Bristol. The pilot project is being led by the South West Investment Group (SWIG), a community development finance institution (CDFI) that will partner with other services to present a viable and integrated alternative solution to fragmented mainstream finance and support services. Continue reading
Tag: community finance
Getting to scale: lessons from the US
Bob Annibale, Citi Global Director of Community Development and Inclusive Finance, considers how the innovative UK CDFI sector could learn four key lessons from the US experience in order to achieve greater scale and impact. Continue reading
Change the message…
Ben Hughes examines how we can cut through the froth of the party conferences by spelling out how CDFIs are making a difference, and their £1.125bn contribution to GDP. Continue reading
Bank lending disclosure is good news for poor communities
Local lenders are celebrating a breakthrough in their campaign for fair access to finance across the UK, following the government’s announcement that banks will publish lending data from January. Continue reading
Put your money on the high street
Our high streets don’t look like they once did. They’re now full of bookmakers, pawn shops and payday lenders. Continue reading
Ethical lending on the rise as bank lending falls
New research from the CDFA shows that demand for CDFI loans has doubled in the last two years and has now hit almost £1 billion. Continue reading
Demand for non-bank business loans increases
Non-bank community lenders saw an increase in demand from businesses of 36% in the first quarter of 2013, according to the Community Finance Monitor survey. This bucks the trend reported in today’s Bank of England Trends in Lending report, which says demand for bank credit remained weak in quarter one, and that demand from small businesses fell. Continue reading
‘Mind the Finance Gap’ – We Need to Work Together to Fill It
Guest blog by Dr Steve Walker
With access to finance for small businesses remaining a hot topic, it is good to see the publication of a bank-supported, comprehensive, study of the marketplace.
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£6billion gap in finance for individuals and organisations outside mainstream finance
Unmet demand for finance amongst individuals and organisations that do not qualify for traditional bank funding has reached more than £6billion, according to new research published today by the Community Development Finance Association (CDFA), supported by RBS Group. Continue reading