The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking has begun the process of building an SME Manifesto. This document aims to address the significant challenges facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the areas of finance and dispute resolution. Key Focus Areas The manifesto aims to target two main areas: Access to Finance: It will focus on the need for greater diversity in financial services to address the funding gap faced by SMEs, for support for alternative lenders, adjustments in capital requirements, and initiatives like the Green Finance for SMEs scheme. Dispute Resolution: It will address the need for improved

You can read the APPG’s reply to the FCA defence here.

The Business Banking Resolution Service (‘BBRS’) has suffered a crisis of leadership and confidence, with the resignation of the Chair of the SME Liaison Panel established to represent the interests of small businesses who allege mistreatment by banks, followed by the allegedly ultra vires announcement by the BBRS that it intends to abolish the Panel he led. Antony Townsend, who Chairs the advisory Panel, yesterday announced his intention to step down, citing the inflexibility of some members of the BBRS’ leadership team to support changes to the scheme that might have allowed more SMEs to have their unresolved banking complaints