Facilitating SMEs

Social investment. Diversity, inclusion. Hands linked, ethnicity

Inclusive investment plan for under-represented groups

BIG ISSUE Invest, UnLtd, and Shift have jointly announced a growth fund “to level the social investment playing field”. The social investment fund offers flexible...
ILO SCORE

SCORE-ing big! How a cooperative approach to improved work conditions in...

Improving SMEs workplace practices can help them achieve better productivity. The ILO’s SCORE Training programme is helping companies in China improve work conditions, and...
Glasgow Clydeport

I belong tae Glasgae… as do top honours for SME growth

GLASGOW has emerged as the best city to work for a small business in Britain. Research by small business lender iwoca ranked areas using ONS...
Global Trade Finance

Seven international banks sign-up for global digital network for SME finance

CHEAPER and easier funding for corporates via a global digital network in trade finance: this is the goal of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)...
Rishi Sunak, UK Chancellor

Second helping of aid for the UK’s self-employed

SELF-EMPLOYED people whose income has been hit by coronavirus can apply for a second support grant from the UK government. The first was launched in...
Sessions Market food selection (Photo: Justin DeSouza)

Sessions Market cooks up an incentive to beat chef shortage

SESSIONS Market has launched a chef incentive and recruitment scheme to boost an industry hard-hit by the Covid pandemic. Founder Dan Warne, previously MD at...
zambia-makes-steady-progress-in-financial-inclusion-but-many-women-still-excluded

Zambia Makes Steady Progress in Financial Inclusion but Many Women Still...

Mary Banda runs a small restaurant in Kamwala market, one of Lusaka’s oldest markets. She uses the proceeds from her business to feed her...
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Autumn Statement

Sunak’s Budget brings relief to many – with a few misgivings

By HAL WILLIAMS THE BRITISH chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the 2021 Budget, with pledges to help recovery from the Covid pandemic. The support package for...
Oil Palm Fruit

Balance Between the Need For Palm Oil and Environmental Concerns is...

South east Asia’s palm oil industry is facing tough criticism as many producers refuse to comply with sustainability targets, but are the farmers getting...
Carpenter, woodwork, saw, apprenticeship

SMEs hamstrung by Apprenticeship Levy limitations

AS THE UK celebrates National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2022, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) urges levy-paying recruitment firms and SMEs to make...