Business news

UK businesses end the week facing a changing risk landscape.

Almost 1 million young people remain outside work or education, while Deutsche Bank says Britain could be particularly exposed to AI-driven employment disruption.

Retailers are also warning that business rates and employment costs remain difficult to absorb, while a cyberattack affecting three major UK airports has exposed data relating to 8.7 million customers.

Meanwhile, energy prices, interest-rate expectations and geopolitical uncertainty continue to influence costs and confidence.

For businesses selling on credit, these pressures can show up quickly in slower payments and changing customer risk.

Today’s CPA Business News looks at what the latest developments mean for SME cashflow, credit control and resilience.

CPA helps businesses protect cashflow through CreditCare reports, debtor monitoring and professional overdue account recovery — while preserving valuable customer relationships.

Read the full briefing on the CPA website:

cpa.co.uk/uk-business-news-today-28-august-2026-economy-markets-insolvencies/

#SMEs #UKBusiness #Cashflow #CreditManagement #LatePayment #Insolvency #AI #Employment #BusinessRates #CyberSecurity

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£26bn tied up in overdue invoices.

That is the scale of the late-payment problem highlighted in Enterprise Nation’s latest Small Business Barometer.

Its research found that 42% of small businesses were paid late during the past year, while three-quarters of owners are now paying themselves less than £20,000.

And the pressure does not stop there.

Fuel prices are rising. Shop-price inflation has reached a two-year high. Government borrowing costs are climbing. Oil is back above $92 a barrel.

For businesses supplying goods or services on credit, protecting cashflow is becoming increasingly important.

Today’s CPA Business News looks at the latest SME data, the economy, markets and insolvency notices — and what they mean for businesses waiting to be paid.

cpa.co.uk/uk-business-news-today-1-september-2026-economy-markets-insolvencies/

CPA helps businesses strengthen credit control, monitor customer risk and recover overdue invoices professionally while preserving customer relationships.

#SMEs #Cashflow #LatePayment #CreditManagement #Insolvency #UKBusiness #SmallBusiness #BusinessNews #Inflation

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UK businesses are starting September with another difficult mix of pressures.

Government borrowing costs have reached their highest level since 1998, the British Chambers of Commerce expects the economy to contract in Q3, and renewed US-Iran tensions have pushed oil and European gas prices sharply higher.

Meanwhile:

• Mortgage approvals have fallen to 56,100
• Smaller manufacturers are seeing weaker orders
• Retailers are warning against further business rates increases
• European gas storage is only around 65% full
• Brent crude is trading close to $95 a barrel

For businesses selling goods or services on credit, these pressures matter because rising costs and weaker demand can quickly change customer payment behaviour.

Good credit control is not simply about chasing overdue invoices. It is about spotting changes in risk early, maintaining payment discipline and protecting cashflow before problems become bad debt.

Read today’s full UK Business News Today briefing for the latest SME, market and insolvency developments:

cpa.co.uk/uk-business-news-today-2-september-2026-economy-markets-insolvencies/

CPA helps businesses improve payment performance, monitor customer risk and recover overdue invoices ethically while preserving commercial relationships.

#SMEs #UKBusiness #Cashflow #LatePayment #CreditManagement #Insolvency #EnergyCosts #BusinessRates #Manufacturing #UK economy

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UK businesses are heading towards the autumn Budget with borrowing costs rising and pressure building on the Government’s finances.

Today’s business news includes:

• Warnings of significant tax rises as fiscal headroom falls
• Markets pricing the possibility of further Bank of England rate increases
• Stronger business confidence in August
• Only 38% of UK start-ups surviving their first five years
• More than a third of businesses backed by the Covid Future Fund becoming insolvent
• AI continuing to reshape recruitment and professional skills

For SMEs selling goods and services on credit, the common thread is cashflow.

Higher borrowing costs and taxes do not just affect your own business. They can also affect how quickly your customers pay.

Good credit control means understanding customer risk early, monitoring changes and acting before an overdue invoice becomes a bad debt.

Read today’s full CPA UK Business News briefing for the detail:

cpa.co.uk/uk-business-news-today-3-september-2026-economy-markets-insolvencies/

CPA helps businesses improve payment performance, monitor credit risk and recover overdue accounts while preserving customer relationships.

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#SMEs #Cashflow #LatePayment #CreditManagement #UKBusiness #Insolvency #InterestRates #Budget #BusinessConfidence

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UK businesses end the week with another reminder that economic growth and financial confidence are not the same thing.

The UK services PMI rose to 52.5 in August, but employment fell for the 23rd consecutive month as businesses continued to manage higher wage, transport and fuel costs.

Meanwhile:

• Bank of England chief economist Huw Pill has argued for Bank Rate to rise from 3.75% to 4%.
• Retailers are warning that higher business rates could restrict investment and employment.
• Poor workforce health is estimated to have cost the UK economy £87bn last year.
• 37% of Scottish mid-sized businesses plan to accelerate AI and automation investment.
• Today's insolvency notices include 2 administrations and 98 winding-up petitions.

For businesses selling on credit, these pressures matter because changes in customer payment behaviour can appear before obvious signs of distress.

Strong credit control, regular customer monitoring and early action on overdue invoices remain some of the most practical ways to protect cashflow.

Read today's full CPA UK Business News briefing for the latest economy, markets, insolvency and business news:

cpa.co.uk/uk-business-news-today-4-september-2026-economy-markets-insolvencies/

CPA helps businesses improve payment performance while preserving the customer relationships they depend on.

#SMEs #UKBusiness #Cashflow #LatePayment #CreditManagement #Insolvency #BusinessRates #InterestRates #AI #SmallBusiness

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UK businesses begin the week with some encouraging signals — but the pressure on cashflow has not disappeared.

Business confidence has risen to its highest level in nearly two years and permanent hiring has edged back into growth.

But the other side of the picture is harder to ignore:

• Construction remains in contraction
• UK house prices have recorded their first annual fall since 2023
• Gilt yields are at levels not seen since 2007
• Business groups are warning against further tax increases
• Brent crude is close to $97 a barrel
• Global food prices are at their highest since 2022

For businesses that sell on credit, improving sentiment does not automatically mean improving liquidity.

When customer costs rise faster than cash coming in, suppliers can quickly find themselves waiting longer to be paid.

Today’s CPA Daily Business News looks at what these developments mean for SME cashflow, credit risk and payment behaviour.

cpa.co.uk/uk-business-news-today-7-september-2026-economy-markets-insolvencies/

CPA helps businesses protect cashflow through better credit information, debtor monitoring, credit control support and ethical recovery of overdue invoices.

#SMEs #Cashflow #LatePayment #CreditManagement #UKBusiness #Insolvency #BusinessNews #Economy #Construction #InterestRates

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