More than a third (42 per cent) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are now using external finance, according to new research reported by our friends at P2P Finance News.
A survey of 4,500 small businesses by consultancy firm BVA BDRC also found that a further four per cent are currently searching for finance. With 5.7 million SMEs in the UK, that means there are around 225,000 small businesses seeking finance at the moment.
Of those seeking finance, around half are looking for growth finance, the BVA BDRC said in its SME Finance Monitor report for the year ending in the second quarter of 2019.
The report looks at the health of the SME economy and reflects the current trends in access to finance for SMEs.
Woodville, rated A, for £200,000 with an 8 per cent fixed yield, is just closed. A new tranche will be landing on site soon.
The loan funds will be used for an acquisition. See below an excerpt of the borrower’s representations as it seeks funds. As ever, we’ve done due diligence, but cannot warrant the accuracy of the statements. For more detail. CLICK HERE.
The performance of DK Tuning has been strong, with turnover doubling every year so far. Gross margins are stable at around 50%, and crucially we have enough staff and resources already to absorb the target business. The combined turnover of DK Tuning and the target company will be over 1.1 million on day one, and we predict that this will rise steadily as our better customer service model and improved rate of sales per sub-dealer take effect. There should be a slight uplift in gross margins because of the integration benefits.
Historical Performance And IFISA Process Guide
That figure is the result of over £17 million of loans facilitated on the site, as we bring individuals looking for a good return on capital together with carefully vetted small companies seeking funds for growth. Bear in mind that lenders’ capital is at risk. Read warnings on site before committing capital.
All loans on site are eligible to be held in a Money&Co. Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account (IFISA), up to the annual ISA limit of £20,000. Such loans offer lenders tax-free income. Our offering is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that can hold the peer-to-peer (P2P) business loans that Money&Co. facilitates. For the purposes of this article, the terms ISA and IFISA are interchangeable.
So here’s our guide to the process:
The ISA allowance for 2019/20 is unchanged from last tax year at £20,000, allowing a married couple to put £40,000 into a tax-free environment. Over three years, an investment of this scale in two Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISAs would generate £8,400 of income completely free of tax. We’re assuming a 7 per cent return, net of charges and free of tax here.
Once you have made your initial commitment, you might then consider diversifying – buying a spread of loans. To do this, you can go into the “loans for sale” market. All loans bought in this market also qualify for IFISA tax benefits.
Risk: Security, Access, Yield
Do consider not just the return, but the security and the ease of access to your investment. We write regularly about these three key factors. Here’s one of several earlier articles on security, access and yield.