We showcased collaboration with Swoop, Nimbla, TomatoPay, ClearFactor, LightbulbCredit, Airpa & CircleLoop.
We’re now looking ahead to 2022, which leads us to our co-founders predictions for the financial sector and the fintech space in the upcoming year.
2022 looks set to be an exciting but potentially difficult year for the financial and business sectors in the UK as well as globally.
More businesses will look for alternative finance and loan options as they struggle to pay back their BBILs and CBILs. According to UK Finance, as of February 2021 the industry had provided £73bn in support to 1.6 million businesses through the UK government’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
For a lot of businesses, this money has now been spent and they need to start paying it back at a time where there are huge cashflow pressures for a variety of reasons.
All businesses will need to do everything within their power to improve their cashflow position including credit checking customers, effectively chasing in payment for invoices, and ensuring that they are fully aware of their options regarding additional lending to boost their working capital.
I expect automation and outsourcing to be key to a SMEs chances of success if they don’t have the in-house expertise to carry out these vital business functions.
Unfortunately I believe we will also see a rise in SMEs entering Insolvency - with worries about the Omicron variant adding to the long list of business pressures. It will be survival of the fittest and those that have control of their cashflow are far more likely to survive and thrive in 2022.
For those who maintain a positive cashflow position there will be opportunities to expand, possibly at the expense of competitors who have not been as robust in their approach.
There are many positives on the horizon for the financial and business sectors. I believe that 2022 will contain further digital innovation and we will see more banks and financial service providers move to new innovative technologies and a variety of financial products on offer for businesses that have proved they are secure.
Overall, I believe 2022 will see growth for businesses that manage their cashflow effectively and I predict that there will be a huge growth of new technologies for businesses and the financial services sector that will help them on the path to recovery and then help them to accelerate their business. We look forward to helping SMEs thrive in the new year.
My predictions for the FinTech ecosystem in 2022 can be summed up by these four words… Collaboration. Partnership. Acquisition (and a little) Consolidation.
Is this the year of embedded tech partnerships? In my opinion, Tech will need to work together to solve the underlying systemic problems that face UK SMEs. In this unsettled time (excuse the tenuous link) I think we’ll see investment from existing brands into early stage startups with paid POC’s and joint marketing efforts in order to expand their own offerings, and to aid business recovery. FinTech Scaleups will need to harness and nurture existing customers to ensure these businesses survive. Acquiring new customers will be a hard fought battle.
I think we’ll see a land grab between some accountancy software companies to acquire tech solutions and consume IP and customers. I think Sage with GoProposal has set the tone for the coming year.
We’ve recently seen Fluidly acquired by the challenger bank OakNorth and I predict we’ll continue to see further agile Neo Banks and FinTechs outpace the larger banks with their digital offerings and acquisitions.
I think there will be some losses as investors turn the screws on Scaleups whose model or valuation is based solely on customer or license numbers rather than revenue. The big banks aren’t immune either and we’ll see product closures and restructures there too.
I suppose I can’t not mention Open Banking, but will it have the promised impact in 2022? I’m still undecided. Obviously the tech is almost there and some regulatory changes have opened the door further, but more use cases are needed to grow adoption, so I look forward to seeing this continue to move at pace. Some consolidation here too?
Not a prediction per se, but I also hope to see further discussion around mental health in the workplace, with businesses continuing to champion better working lives for staff and customers'. It’ll be interesting to see Tech’s further involvement in the changing work/life landscape in 2022.
Have a great Christmas break and we look forward to working with you in 2022.
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