Three quarters (76%) of IFAs believe that their use of Business Relief propositions will increase over the next two years, 

Innovate Finance, the industry body representing UK FinTech, today publishes details of the record-breaking investment secured across the UK FinTech sector during the first six months of 2021.

The UK FinTech sector raised a total of $5.7bn in H1 2021, outstripping the total investment secured in 2020 ($4.3bn) by 34% and breaking the record year set in 2019 ($4.6bn) by 26%.

BGF and the ScaleUp Institute have released a seven-point plan based on key outcomes from the inaugural Scaleup Week: The Business Plan event which took place in May. 

The report analyses some of the key trends that will affect growing businesses in the next 10 years and that were a topic of discussion during the week. It outlines a series of proposals to ensure scaleups are well-prepared to overcome challenges and benefit from the opportunities that are ahead. 

It has been a record first half of the year for VC investment into London’s fintech sector, with new research from Dealroom.co and London & Partners revealing London-based fintech firms have already raised more VC investment than any other year, in only six months.

London’s strong performance has also helped to drive record levels of investment into Europe’s fintech sector, with European fintech firms raising $13.9bn, up 51% on full year 2020 investment levels. London was at the heart of this growth, with its fintech firms accounting for over a third of all European fintech funding.

The British Business Bank has published data that gives a final comprehensive picture of how the Future Fund has supported businesses during the pandemic. 

Invest Europe, the association representing Europe’s private equity, venture capital and infrastructure sectors, as well as their investors, has published ‘The Performance of European Private Equity Benchmark Report 2020’, a transparent study of private equity returns.

Private equity firms invested in a record 566 companies in Central and Eastern Europe in 2020, as the industry supported dynamic SMEs and start-ups that will fuel the recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and underpin long-term economic and social development across the region.

The UK tech sector reaches new heights with 100 UK tech companies valued at $1bn or more, according to new data from Dealroom and Tech Nation.

The UK’s 100th tech unicorn, Tractable, an AI startup building computer vision tools, and a member of Tech Nation’s late-stage Future Fifty programme, has today announced a $60 million Series D raise, that takes the company's valuation to $1 billion. 

State Street Corporation has released new research, which reveals that with increasing pressures and demands on returns and reporting, alternative asset managers have work to do to meet the growing needs of institutional investors.

British Patient Capital comments on the British Business Bank’s Small Business Equity Tracker which reveals the average pre-money valuation of a growth stage private company reached over £100m.

New research from investment holding company MBH Corporation shows SME bosses are worried that access to finance will become harder over the next three years as they continue to grapple with the late payment of invoices.

Polaris has intensified its sustainability work and published its first annual sustainability report, outlining the efforts in 2020 across the investment process, its portfolio companies and Polaris Management. The work will continue in the coming years based on dialogue with investors, portfolio companies, employees and other stakeholders.