Disrupters prepare banking for 4th industrial revolution

摘要

As the Government seeks to boostindustry with a shiny new Industrial Strategy, it is worth remembering the basics. Among the bunding blocks for the engineering sector is access to finance, especially for smaller firms. During and immediately after thefinancial crisis of 2007-9 was a dire time for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as liquidity dried up, and when it returned, most credit was less risky residential mortgages, not business loans.An improvingeconomy and market innovation has helped recapitalise British industry and, 10 years on, the situation is much healthier.The body UK Finance finds that eight out of 10 business loan applications by SMEs are successful and its latest SME Finance Monitor, a survey of around 4,500 SMEs, found an increase in demand for finance in the final quarter of 2017. Liquidity is back and today access to finance is characterised by innovation and choice.