Bank referral scheme: Difference between revisions
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Concerns have centred around the high-[[interest rate]]s that are charged by alternative finance providers,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/speeches/2015/851.aspx|title=UK business finance since the crisis – moving to a new normal? - speech by Ian McCafferty {{!}} Bank of England|website=www.bankofengland.co.uk|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref> how [[confidential information]] will be treated by the designated platforms who are small [[Startup company|start-up]] businesses and the possibility of being contacted by a number of unknown companies who have had access to confidential business and financial information.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://uk.businessinsider.com/fintech-could-cause-bankers-to-lose-jobs-2015-9|title=Fintech could trigger a tsunami of banking layoffs|newspaper=Business Insider|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref> Web sites such as DesignatedPlatforms.com<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://designatedplatforms.com/|title=Designated Platforms|website=Designated Platforms|language=en-US|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref> have been set up to track, rank and discuss how each of the platforms performs to address such concerns. |
Concerns have centred around the high-[[interest rate]]s that are charged by alternative finance providers,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/speeches/2015/851.aspx|title=UK business finance since the crisis – moving to a new normal? - speech by Ian McCafferty {{!}} Bank of England|website=www.bankofengland.co.uk|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref> how [[confidential information]] will be treated by the designated platforms who are small [[Startup company|start-up]] businesses and the possibility of being contacted by a number of unknown companies who have had access to confidential business and financial information.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://uk.businessinsider.com/fintech-could-cause-bankers-to-lose-jobs-2015-9|title=Fintech could trigger a tsunami of banking layoffs|newspaper=Business Insider|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref> Web sites such as DesignatedPlatforms.com<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://designatedplatforms.com/|title=Designated Platforms|website=Designated Platforms|language=en-US|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref> have been set up to track, rank and discuss how each of the platforms performs to address such concerns. |
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Of the businesses which have been |
Of the businesses which have been declined by the high street banks, less than 24 percent had been referred to the Designated Platforms from March 2017. <ref name=":2" /> |
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Some of the Alternative Lenders reported they had not seen a referral from the Designated Platforms at all which indicated that the banks did not have trust in the Designated Platforms. <ref name=":3" /> |
Some of the Alternative Lenders reported they had not seen a referral from the Designated Platforms at all which indicated that the banks did not have trust in the Designated Platforms. <ref name=":3" /> |
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Barry James, the esteemed author and expert on fintech described the Bank Referral Scheme as ‘frankly pathetic’. |
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In an [[open letter]] to the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], [[Philip Hammond]] in November 2016, Barry James wrote that he believed the Bank Referral Scheme is ‘misleading’ as it is not a reform which supports small businesses due to the Designated Platforms only ‘rehash and rewarming loan application’. |
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Barry James called on the Chancellor to offer real radical human support for small businesses than just Designated Platforms passing them onto high-interest rate alternative finance providers <ref>{{Cite news|title=An open letter to chancellor Philip Hammond – Real Business|last=|first=|date=2016-11-08|work=Real Business|access-date=2017-03-08|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|language=en-US}}</ref>. |
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== Background == |
== Background == |
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Revision as of 10:39, 8 March 2017
The UK government-mandated bank referral scheme (Designated Platforms) was created by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015[1] to allow the UK government to track businesses and their requests for business finance.[2] The scheme was launched in November 2016 after more than two years of delays.[3]
Businesses who have been unsuccessful in a credit application process with a bank will be asked for their permission to have their financial information passed to designated finance platforms, who can contact the business in a regulated time-frame.
The three designated finance platforms selected are Funding Options, Funding Xchange and Bizfitech.[4]
The Sunday Times reported in March 2017 that since the launch, the scheme has failed due to the low numbers of referrals. Of the businesses which have been delined by the high street banks, less than 24 percent have been referred to the Designated Platforms, with Alternative Lenders reporting they have not seen a referral from the Designated Platforms at all. [5]
How the Referral Scheme works
The bank referral scheme imposes a statutory duty on selected UK high street banks to pass on businesses who have been unsuccessful in applying for finance to the three designated alternative finance platforms, who will then phone the businesses in order to refer them to alternative finance providers.[6] Funding available through the bank referral scheme covers term lending, receivables finance, asset finance, commercial property finance and online lenders, as well as government-backed and not-for-profit lenders. None of the three finance platforms support equity finance.[7]
For the referral scheme to perform as envisaged by the UK Government, the businesses affected must give formal permission to the bank to pass on their information to platforms. Business owners have expressed concern and confusion as to how the referral scheme will perform in practice.[8]
Concerns
Concerns have centred around the high-interest rates that are charged by alternative finance providers,[8] how confidential information will be treated by the designated platforms who are small start-up businesses and the possibility of being contacted by a number of unknown companies who have had access to confidential business and financial information.[9] Web sites such as DesignatedPlatforms.com[10] have been set up to track, rank and discuss how each of the platforms performs to address such concerns.
Of the businesses which have been declined by the high street banks, less than 24 percent had been referred to the Designated Platforms from March 2017. [5]
Some of the Alternative Lenders reported they had not seen a referral from the Designated Platforms at all which indicated that the banks did not have trust in the Designated Platforms. [6]
Barry James, the esteemed author and expert on fintech described the Bank Referral Scheme as ‘frankly pathetic’.
In an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond in November 2016, Barry James wrote that he believed the Bank Referral Scheme is ‘misleading’ as it is not a reform which supports small businesses due to the Designated Platforms only ‘rehash and rewarming loan application’.
Barry James called on the Chancellor to offer real radical human support for small businesses than just Designated Platforms passing them onto high-interest rate alternative finance providers [11].
Background
The idea of the bank referral scheme was advocated by the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg with the former Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Sir Vince Cable hinting at it in March 2014.[12] The then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne announced in August 2014[13] the scheme; after a five-month industry consultation selected British Business Bank (the UK's state development bank) to run the assessment process to recommend three designated finance platforms on behalf of HM Treasury.[14]
The scheme which was included in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 [1] was given Royal Assent in March 2015. The implementation of the scheme was slowed down by a multitude of logistical problems such as how and when a bank should refer a business to the alternative finance sector.
A year after the announcement of the scheme, there was no progress and the scheme seemed to have been forgoten[15].
The bank referral scheme was launched on 1 November 2016[4] after a further two-month delay.[16]
References
- ^ a b Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 2015 c. 26PART 1Financial information about businessesSection 5
- ^ "Government Responses Platforms for rejected SME finance" (PDF).
- ^ "Bank referral scheme goes live - AltFi News". AltFi. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
- ^ a b "New matchmaking service for small businesses looking for finance".
- ^ a b "Bank said no, but I didn't lose my sense of hummus". Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- ^ a b "Banks to be forced to increase competition in SME lending". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "The new bank referral scheme: an insider's view".
- ^ a b "UK business finance since the crisis – moving to a new normal? - speech by Ian McCafferty | Bank of England". www.bankofengland.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "Fintech could trigger a tsunami of banking layoffs". Business Insider. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "Designated Platforms". Designated Platforms. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "An open letter to chancellor Philip Hammond – Real Business". Real Business. 2016-11-08.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "AltFi Europe Summit 2014".
- ^ "Referral System Confirmed as Government Plans for UK to Rule the World of Fintech".
- ^ "British Business Bank: Finance Platforms".
- ^ "Referrals for bank-jilted small firms still conspicuously absent". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- ^ "Bank referral scheme to go live early next quarter - AltFi News". AltFi. Retrieved 2016-11-16.