º£½ÇÊÓÆµ

Oops.

Our website is temporarily unavailable in your location.

We are working hard to get it back online.

PRIVACY
Economic Development

HSBC launches £500m funding pot for region's SMEs

Move part of bank's plan to release £6billion to small- and medium-sized companies as new report predicts year of growth

HSBC is looking to increase growth among West Midlands SMEs with new funding pot

Small businesses across the West Midlands can access a new £500m funding pot being launched by HSBC.

The move is part of a plan by the bank to allocate £6 billion of new lending across its network.

The launch coincides with a new report published today by the bank called 'Business of Growth' which claims 2014 will be a turning point for ambitious West Midlands businesses.

The report highlights the constant upwards revision of GDP growth over the last 12 months, the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ economy's outperformance of the Eurozone and a rise of business confidence as providing the perfect conditions for growth.

The bank said it had identified Britain's business growth potential for 2014 by incorporating analysis of 39 separate forecasts of GDP and investment, as well as the findings of four leading business barometers.

The report predicts an increase in fixed investment, such as machinery, premises and stock, of 7.1 per cent in 2014 compared with a pre-recession average annual investment growth of 3.6 per cent.

Amanda Murphy, head of business banking for HSBC, said: "Business growth will come from all of our regions and, by breaking down funds to a very local level, we are confident we can help make a real difference.

"We have put the funds into the hands of our local relationship managers to empower them to identify and work with ambitious companies in their area."