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Perch Group, a Blackpool-based company, has secured a £55 million facility from Triple Point as part of an enhanced £400 million funding platform to support its growth plans. The facility forms a component of the broader funding package, which will enable the company to pursue its expansion objectives. No additional details about Perch Group's specific business operations or growth strategy were disclosed.

Lloyds Get Paid invoicing tool targets small business late payment crisis. 0 9 2 minutes read Lloyds is launching the Lloyds Get Paid invoicing tool for business banking customers, offering invoice creation, payment tracking and automated reminders at no additional cost, built directly into the Lloyds app and online banking. The bank says the product, developed in partnership with BankiFi, is designed to reduce the time small businesses spend chasing payments. What Lloyds Get Paid actually does. The tool, due to launch later this year, will allow business customers to create and send invoices, issue secure payment links, and track which payments have been settled and which remain outstanding, all within existing Lloyds banking interfaces. Automated reminders can be sent to customers who have not paid, removing the need for manual follow-up. The bank says the service comes at no additional cost and does not require businesses to purchase separate invoicing or accountancy software. Lloyds describes the underlying approach as embedded accounting: the idea that financial workflows beyond simple banking products can sit inside the banking interface itself, rather than requiring businesses to move between separate systems. Ruchir Rodrigues, BCB client strategy and commercial director at Lloyds, said: 'Businesses shouldn't have to pay extra for the tools they need to get paid. By building invoicing and payment collection directly into the Lloyds banking experience at no additional cost, Sense About Science is making it easier for customers to manage cashflow and spend more time growing their business.' The late payment figures behind the pitch. The context for the product is a well-documented problem. 49% of small businesses report that their customers typically take longer to pay than agreed terms, according to UK Government research cited in the announcement. The Office of the Small Business Commissioner estimates that 14,000 businesses close each year because of late payments, and that UK businesses are owed around £26 billion in overdue payments at any given time, an average of £17,000 per business. Mark Hartley, chief executive officer of BankiFi, said: 'Our partnership with Lloyds demonstrates how banks can use embedded capabilities to become a more central part of how businesses operate, while giving customers the connected experience they increasingly expect. Invoicing, getting paid and tax administration may not traditionally have been considered banking services, but they are fundamental financial workflows for businesses.' BankiFi's existing role: Making Tax Digital. Get Paid is not the first product to emerge from the Lloyds-BankiFi partnership. Earlier this year, BankiFi supported the launch of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax functionality within the Lloyds Business Current Account. That tool carries HMRC-recognised status, according to The Paypers. The timing matters. New Making Tax Digital for Income Tax regulations came into effect on 6 April 2026, requiring sole traders and landlords to keep digital records and submit quarterly reports to HMRC, a change that expanded the compliance burden for many small business customers. Offering an HMRC-recognised tool inside the existing banking app positions the MTD functionality as a direct response to that regulatory shift, and Get Paid as a natural extension of the same logic. For BankiFi, the expanded scope of the partnership is framed as a proof of concept for what its technology can deliver at scale. The company says the Lloyds relationship demonstrates how banks can move beyond individual products and embed wider financial workflows into the banking experience, becoming more relevant to the day-to-day operations of small businesses rather than simply holding their deposits. Whether the embedded accounting approach will meaningfully reduce late payments for Lloyds customers is an empirical question the bank has not yet answered. Get Paid's automated reminders address one part of the problem: the friction of following up. The harder question, whether the underlying payment behaviour of business customers changes when a tool makes chasing easier, remains open. The product's launch later this year will at least provide some data. Alan Cartwright spent twelve years in academic research before he started writing for a wider audience. He did a PhD in biochemistry, held postdoctoral positions at two Russell Group universities, and spent three years on a public engagement fellowship before realising he was better at explaining science than producing it. He writes about scientific research, health claims, evidence policy, and the gap between what a study actually shows and what the headline says it shows. He has peer-reviewed enough papers to know that 'further research is needed' is the most honest sentence in science. Alan lives in Oxford. He reads preprints before press releases and considers this the correct order of operations.

Lloyds Bank closing Birmingham branch as 23 shutdowns confirmed in October - full list and closing dates. The bank said shifting customer behaviour and the rapid rise of mobile banking was behind the closures. Birmingham residents are set to lose a local Lloyds Bank branch in October as the banking giants continues to cut its physical locations. Article continues below 'I went for brunch at Aberdeen's all vegan café and had to queue twice to get a seat' Lloyds Bank has confirned 23 branches will close across the UK in October, including in Harborne High Street. Article continues below A further 10 shutdowns are scheduled for November. Article continues below The bank has attributed the decision to close branches to shifting customer behaviour and the rapid rise of mobile banking. The business says these changes have rendered physical branches unsustainable. Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Lloyds stated that customers will continue to have access to everyday banking transactions at nearby Post Office and PayPoint branches. Harborne has a Post Office also located on the High Street. Services available at the Post Office in Harborne include cash withdrawals, cash deposits and cheque deposits. Article continues below Those requiring specific services are advised to verify availability beforehand, rather than assuming these locations provide the full range of services offered at traditional bank branches. Full list of Lloyds Bank branches closing in October. * Rochdale - 58 Yorkshire Street, OL16 1JP * Barnsley - 50 Cheapside, S70 1RU * Chatham - 142-146 High Street, ME4 4DQ Article continues below * Camborne - Market Square, TR14 8JT * Chepstow - 7 Manor Way, NP16 5HZ * Ryde - 35 Union Street, PO33 2LH * Birmingham, Harborne - 125 High Street, B17 9NP * Deal - 2 High Street, CT14 7AD Article continues below October 12 * Gorseinon - 113 High Street, SA4 4BR * South Shields - 101 King Street, NE33 1DT * Totton - 30 Commercial Road, SO40 3TH October 13 Article continues below * Blackpool - 30 Corporation Street, FY1 1EN * Stamford - 65 High Street, PE9 2AT October 14 Bristol, Knowle - 284 Wells Road, BS4 2PY Article continues below October 15 * Rotherham - 9 Wellgate, S60 2LU * St Helens - 13-15 Hardshaw Street, WA10 1QZ October 21 Article continues below * Devizes - 38 Market Place, SN10 1JD * Petersfield - 5 The Square, GU32 3HL * Widnes - 23-24 Albert Square, WA8 6JW October 22 * Chesterfield - 30 Rose Hill, S40 1LR Article continues below October 27 * Nottingham, Arnold - 76 Front Street, NG5 7EJ October 28 Article continues below * Llandudno - 22 Mostyn Street, LL30 2RU October 29 * Braintree - 2-4 Bank Street, CM7 1UN