Community lender BCRS Business Loans has been allocated £20m by the British Business Bank to support underserved small businesses across Wales and the West Midlands.
BCRS Business Loans is the sixth lender to be accredited by the British Business Bank under its Community ENABLE Funding programme and is the first with a dedicated focus on Wales.
Operating since 2002, BCRS Business Loans will draw upon Community ENABLE Funding to offer loans ranging from £25,001 to £250,000.
The lender also delivers loans on behalf of the British Business Bank through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund and Investment Fund for Wales.
BCRS Business Loans operates as a not for profit community development finance institution with a focus on supporting underserved small to medium sized enterprises, particularly in deprived areas and among underrepresented social groups.
BCRS Business Loans, which works to a goal of ensuring no viable business goes unsupported, recently celebrated reaching £100 million in total lending to businesses since it launched, generating overall £518 million in economic impact.
Stephen Deakin, Chief Executive of BCRS Business Loans, said: “As a community development finance institution BCRS Business Loans is pleased to build upon our longstanding partnership with the British Business Bank to join the lenders accredited under the Community ENABLE Funding programme.
“Following on from the progress we have made together through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund and Investment Fund for Wales this accreditation strengthens our support for businesses in those areas, giving them vital access to the finance they need to generate growth and create employment, delivering impact in their local communities.
“In our most recent financial year 34.6 per cent of lending was invested in the UK’s most disadvantaged areas so we look forward to delivering on the British Business Bank’s wider mission to improve access to finance for underserved entrepreneurs.”
Following the accreditation of BCRS Business Loans, £102m has now been allocated to community development finance institutions under the British Business Bank programme.
Reinald de Monchy, Chief Banking Officer, British Business Bank said: “We’re very pleased to welcome BCRS Business Loans as the sixth lender to the Community ENABLE Funding programme. Its commitment to supporting small businesses across the West Midlands and Wales aligns perfectly with our remit to widen access to finance across the UK’s Nations and regions.
“Through collaboration, we can help more entrepreneurs invest, grow and create jobs in the communities they serve for businesses that are the backbone of their local economies. We look forward to seeing the positive impact BCRS will deliver for businesses across these regions.”
BCRS Business Loans is one of the members of the UK Community Finance Partnership Taskforce, alongside the British Business Bank, which was launched in February to scale the community development finance institution sector through partnerships with banks, securing concrete commitments for growth.
One of the key objectives of the British Business Bank’s Community ENABLE Funding programme is to help develop the whole sector, so many more such businesses can access the finance they need.
The programme works by increasing the availability of funding to social impact small business lenders, and in turn the smaller businesses they serve in local communities.
It is aimed at community development finance institutions, and will provide a significant boost to the sector, supporting up to £150m of lending over its first two years.
Information
The British Business Bank’s Community ENABLE Funding programme will be rolled out in two phases. In this first phase, the Department for Business and Trade will provide 100% of the programme’s funding via the British Business Bank, which will enable CDFIs to make more finance available to smaller businesses.
In the second phase, the British Business Bank will source additional funding from private sector investors, leveraging the government-backed funding to increase the amount of wholesale finance available under the programme.
About the British Business Bank
The British Business Bank is the UK government’s economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to drive economic growth by helping smaller businesses get the finance they need to start, scale and stay in the UK. Its remit is to design, deliver and efficiently manage UK-wide smaller business access to finance programmes for the UK government.
The British Business Bank’s core programmes support £23bn[1] of finance to almost 64,000[2] smaller businesses.
British Business Bank plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales, registration number 08616013, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. It is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such.
With the exception of BBB Investment Services Limited they are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority. BBB Investment Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at www.british-business-bank.co.uk.
The accreditation described above does not constitute or imply any endorsement, warranty or recommendation by the UK government, the British Business Bank plc, its subsidiaries or any other party of BCRS Business Loans Limited or its products or services.
About BCRS Business Loans
BCRS Business Loans is a co-operative run on a non-profit basis, owned and run by Member Investors who elect representatives to the Board of Directors at each Annual General Meeting. Established in 2002, BCRS is committed to lending to viable businesses making a positive contribution to the social, environmental or economic wellbeing of the West Midlands and Wales that have been unable to secure funding through mainstream lenders.
As a Community Development Finance Institution its purpose is to provide access to finance to enable local businesses to grow and prosper. BCRS is a member of Responsible Finance who work to create a fair financial system in the UK by scaling up the community development finance sector. Find out more: www.bcrs.org.uk
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