September 2022 / United Kingdom

Secondo i dati preliminari pubblicati da lla Banca Nazionale Bulgaria (BNB), gli investimenti diretti esteri (IDE) in Bulgaria hanno raggiunto i 924.9 milioni di euro nel periodo gennaio - luglio 2022, con un calo del 13% (-134.1 milioni di euro) rispetto allo stesso periodo dell'anno precedente, quando questi hanno segnato la cifra di 1.059 miliardi. La BNB ha calcolato, inoltre, che nel solo mese di luglio il flusso di IDE sia stato positivo per 158.5 milioni di euro, in calo rispetto ai 202.5 milioni registrati nello stesso mese del 2021.

In larga misura, l'IDE ha rappresentato il reinvestimento degli utili, il quale ha raggiunto 645.3 milioni di euro nei primi sette mesi del 2022, ovvero quasi i due terzi di tutti gli investimenti esteri del periodo.

L'indicatore relativo alla creazione di nuovo capitale è cresciuto a inizio anno per un ammontare di 185 milioni di euro, in netto miglioramento rispetto ai primi sette mesi del 2021, quando questo era in negativo per 187.1 milioni. Sul fronte degli investimenti stranieri nel settore immobiliare, il dato registra 16.1 milioni di euro di negativo per il periodo gennaio - luglio 2022, superiori rispetto al negativo di 3.7 milioni segnato l'anno precedente.

I maggiori flussi positivi netti di IDE in Bulgaria nel periodo gennaio - luglio 2022 provengono dall'Austria (281.9 milioni di euro), Belgio (104 milioni) e Isole Vergini (101.7 milioni).

• more businesses to be categorised as small businesses, meaning less red tape
• move will potentially exempt tens of thousands of the UK’s growing businesses from relevant future regulations, saving them thousands of pounds
• start of a sweeping package of reforms to cut red tape for business and stimulate growth

Thousands of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses will be released from reporting requirements and other regulations in the future, as part of plans aimed at boosting productivity and supercharging growth, Prime Minister Liz Truss announced earlier today (Sunday 2 October).

Currently, small businesses are presumed to be exempt from certain regulations. However, many medium sized businesses – those with between 50 and 249 employees - still report that they are spending over 22 staff days per month on average dealing with regulation, and over half of all businesses consider regulation to be a burden to their operation [source].

The Prime Minister has announced plans to widen these exemptions to businesses with fewer than 500 employees for future and reviewed regulations, meaning an additional 40,000 businesses will be freed from future bureaucracy and the accompanying paperwork that is expensive and burdensome for all but the largest firms.

The exemption will be applied in a proportionate way to ensure workers’ rights and other standards will be protected, while at the same time reducing the burden for growing businesses.

Regulatory exemptions are often granted for SMEs, which the EU defines at below 250 employees. However, we are free to take our own approach and exempt more businesses to those with under 500 employees. We will also be able to apply this to retained EU law currently under review, which we would not have been able to do without our exit from the EU.

The changed threshold will apply from tomorrow (Monday 3 October) to all new regulations under development as well as those under current and future review, including retained EU laws. The government will also look at plans to consult in the future on potentially extending the threshold to businesses with 1,000 employees, once the impact on the current extension is known.

This is the first step in a package of reforms to ensure UK business regulation works for the UK economy. The reforms will harness the freedoms the UK has since leaving the EU to remove bureaucratic and burdensome regulations on businesses, while streamlining and making it easier for them to comply with existing rules, ultimately saving them valuable time and money.

Press release

• Start Up Loans of up to £25,000 now available to start-ups that have been trading for up to 3 years, up from 2 years
• new ‘second loans’ available for businesses that have been trading for up to 5 years
• loans to provide much-needed support for the UK’s innovators and entrepreneurs

An £884 million loan scheme for new businesses is to be greatly expanded, delivering much needed finance to the UK’s array of innovative start-ups, the Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has announced today (Sunday 25 September).

The Start Up Loans programme has provided more than 95,000 loans to start-ups across the UK since its inception in June 2012, offering an average of just over £9,000 in support.

With 33,000 new loans available, the programme’s eligibility will be expanded to support businesses trading for up to 3 years, up from 2 years. Businesses can apply immediately under the new criteria.

Start Up Loans provide a fixed interest rate of 6%, as well as mentoring, support and funding to aspiring business owners across the UK, providing support to those who might find it difficult to secure loans from traditional lenders.

Alongside this, a new second loan will be available to businesses operating for up to 5 years, providing eligible businesses between 3 and 5 years old a much-needed government-backed finance to support their expansion at a crucial juncture.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said:

This government is relentlessly focused on driving growth to create better jobs, boost wages and fund our vital public services like the NHS. Encouraging entrepreneurship and new businesses to thrive is critical to growing the economy and raising living standards.

From a hair salon in Wales, to a furniture business in Northern Ireland and a cake seller in the Lake District, expanding the Start Up Loans Scheme will support these small businesses through this challenging period and position them to grow - creating jobs and opportunities across the UK.

The scheme has backed businesses across the United Kingdom, with more than £54 million provided to businesses in Scotland, £42 million in Wales and over £12 million in Northern Ireland.

Expansion of the Start Up Loans scheme follows the 2021/22 Spending Review, at which the government made the commitment to provide 33,000 loans to the programme over the next 3 years.

The extension provides further government support for businesses grappling with cost pressures and adds to measures announced by the Chancellor earlier this week, including the introduction of the Energy Bills Relief Scheme to help support them with the costs of energy, reforming off payroll working rules and simplification of the alcohol duty system.

It also builds on key measures the government has announced for small businesses in particular, including extending the £4.5 billion Recovery Loan Scheme and delivering the Help to Grow schemes, which provide mentoring and free software to thousands of businesses across the UK.

Michelle Ovens CBE, founder, Small Business Britain said:

The expansion of funding opportunities for start-ups and growing businesses will certainly be welcomed by small firms as a positive move to unleash their potential. Access to finance is vital for entrepreneurs to grow, and with rising costs and challenges across the board they need all the help they can get right now to realise their ambitions.

British Business Bank, Managing Director of Start Up Loans, Richard Bearman, said:

We are delighted to be able to extend the reach of the Start Up Loans programme to help support businesses who need extra support during a time of continued economic unrest.

This extension of the programme will enable us to work with those businesses that had perhaps just got going when the pandemic hit, or are ready to scale up now that they are back on their feet. We want to ensure that these businesses do not get left behind.