Business finance figures for London, from the British Business Bank.
45% of smaller businesses in London were using external finance in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Smaller businesses (0-249 employees). UK Finance/BVA BDRC SME Finance Monitor, unweighted n=17,011 for 2024. Annual share of businesses using external finance.
The share of smaller businesses using external finance in London rose by 10 percentage points between 2022 and 2023.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2024, British Business Bank, 2023
Change on 2022 in percentage points as printed in the source table. The source table shows '-' for the East of England, which is not recorded.
36% of smaller businesses in London were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022
Factsheet table, period printed as '2022'.
56% of smaller businesses in London said they were very likely or fairly likely to seek external advice if they needed finance in the future in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Business Finance Survey 2024. One of the three highest shares named in the report.
Major banks approved or increased an average of 141 loan and overdraft facilities per 10,000 smaller businesses in London between 2022 and 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Three-year average.
1,036,315 smaller businesses with 0 to 249 employees were counted in London at the start of 2022.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022
Factsheet table, period printed as 'Start 2022'.
965 announced equity deals were recorded for smaller businesses based in London in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Beauhurst data, based on the head office of the recipient business.
Announced equity deals for smaller businesses based in London were worth £6,626m in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Beauhurst data.
Major banks approved or increased 6,229 loans and overdrafts for smaller businesses in London in the four quarters from Q3 2022 to Q2 2023.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 12 months to Q2 2023
Factsheet table, period printed as 'Q3 2022-Q2 2023'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders; the 2023 annex marks figures as Great Britain only for the share column.
Major banks approved or increased 17,281 loans and overdrafts for smaller businesses in London in the 2021/22 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2022, British Business Bank, 2021/22
Annex table, period printed as '2021-22 FY'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders.
Major banks approved or increased loans and overdrafts worth £3,470m for smaller businesses in London in the four quarters from Q3 2022 to Q2 2023.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 12 months to Q2 2023
Factsheet table, period printed as 'Q3 2022-Q2 2023'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders; the 2023 annex marks figures as Great Britain only for the share column.
Major banks approved or increased loans and overdrafts worth £4,444m for smaller businesses in London in the 2021/22 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2022, British Business Bank, 2021/22
Annex table, period printed as '2021-22 FY'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders.
The national development bank newly supported an estimated 4,000 businesses in London in 2025/26.
Source: Impact Report 2026, British Business Bank, 2025/26
British Business Bank estimates, apportioned from UK-wide estimates using programme data on business location; rounded to the nearest hundred. Includes debt, guarantee and equity programmes.
1,491 Start Up Loans were offered to businesses in London in the 2022/23 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022/23
Factsheet table, period printed as '2022-23 FY'.
Start Up Loans offered to businesses in London were worth £18.8m in the 2022/23 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022/23
Factsheet table, period printed as '2022-23 FY'.
45% of smaller businesses in London were using external finance in 2024. The share of smaller businesses using external finance in London rose by 10 percentage points between 2022 and 2023. 36% of smaller businesses in London were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.
45% of smaller businesses in London were using external finance in 2024.
The share of smaller businesses using external finance in London rose by 10 percentage points between 2022 and 2023.
36% of smaller businesses in London were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.