SMEs currently find themselves in the midst of a perfect storm. At one end, more stringent capitalisation requirements in the wake of the Basel III Accord and the generally uncertain economic outlook has seen banks reign in their lending to small and medium sized businesses. A recent BBA study found that last year, lending by banks to SMEs fell in 80% of UK postcodes. At the same time, large corporations are taking longer to pay their suppliers, taking advantage of the hugely dominant position they hold in a relationship that, even in the times of plenty, was never one of equals. The unfortunate result is that at a time when our economy desperately needs SMEs to breathe life into it, their ambition and desire to drive the recovery is being stifled, with many of them left gasping for air as they suffer from a squeeze in all directions.
