"There is a significant opportunity for fintechs to step up and provide alternative finance options that will prove critical to keeping many organisations afloat."
Two-thirds (65%) more businesses are experiencing difficulty in accessing finance from high-street banks than they were in 2022 as mainstream lenders pull away from the SME market, according to new research from Sonovate.
These challenges are now so acute that two in five (39%) UK businesses say that, due to funding being so hard to access, they are worried about the future of their organisation.
The findings come as a recent report from British Business Bank shows that equity finance for UK SMEs declined by 11% in 2022 to £16.7 billion. This was driven by a downturn in market conditions in the second half of the year which has continued into 2023.
It is a trend that looks set to continue, with half (50%) of businesses surveyed by Sonovate saying it has been harder to get the finance they need in comparison to the period before the cost of living crisis.
Furthermore, half (48%) of organisations say banks do not understand their business needs, compared to 38% in 2022, and more than half (54%) say banks’ lending policies haven’t kept pace with modern business needs, which compares to 41% in 2022.
40% of businesses agreed that it is easier to access finance from a fintech lender rather than mainstream banks, and seven in ten (70%) say their business wouldn’t have survived the current crisis if it weren't for alternative finance options.
But, with a significant proportion (46%) expressing uncertainty in knowing where to find alternative funding providers, it’s clear that more support is needed to signpost the options available to businesses.
Richard Prime, co-founder and co-CEO of Sonovate, commented: “The wider economic situation across the UK is putting businesses of all sizes under immense financial pressure, and the inability to access the cash flow they need is exacerbating the issue tenfold.
“With banks increasingly unable to offer the level of support that businesses need, there is a significant opportunity for fintechs to step up and provide alternative finance options that will prove critical to keeping many organisations afloat. We’ve seen this demand first hand - to date, we have already provided over £4 billion in funding, and expect the need for on-demand funding to continue to soar with reduced appetite from banks to provide finance to the UK’s innovative SMEs.”
