Time out with… Weiqing Li
Tell me a bit about yourself My name is Weiqing Li, and I am from North China. I first came to Ireland 8 years ago as part of a study programme. About 30 of us were in that course and 10 of us are still in Ireland today. We studied three years in China, and […]
What are the advantages of Export Finance?
Export Finance is a great tool that can help your business to release working capital from its overseas transactions. Export finance is a key competitive factor for exporters and may increase their opportunities of signing a contract. It can provide several advantages for both the SME exporter and the importers which are explored below. Advantages […]
The impacts of 2020/2021 on SMBs and 2022 predictions.
We asked SMEs their opinions on several topics that have impacted their business over the last 24 months. The results of the survey are below and outline the challenges faced by SMEs in managing cashflow through both a pandemic and the added complexities brought on by Brexit. The impact of late payments Late payments have […]
Talking Trends September 2021 – Broker Edition
This blog forms part of a series where we identify common views and trends within the broker market over the previous 3 months. Funding enquiries General market feeling is that overall level of enquiries from new and existing clients has remained relatively static. Some (43%) have seen an uptick in the number of Invoice […]
Export Terms of Trade
One of the most important aspects of your export business is your terms of trade. You must have a clear understanding of the various methods of payment available. This includes costs, risks, marketing implications and, of course, when you will actually receive payment. It is also important to know that your terms of trade should […]
Are you ready to export?
Though the potential rewards are great, exporting is not without risks. Businesses that jump in too early run the risk of jeopardizing their current business activities. The questions are: are you ready to do that? And are you ready to export? You need to be realistic about what exporting entails and what it takes to […]
Talking Trends April 2021
This blog forms part of a series where we identify common themes and trends over the previous month. Positive Steady increase in business enquiries following removal of government support funding High proportion of enquiries from mature businesses who are new to invoice finance in the UK and Ireland Continued strong demand for export finance beyond the EU and […]
Talking Trends February 2021
This blog forms part of a series where we identify common themes and trends over the previous month. Positive Business confidence in the UK appears to be improved as uncertainties around Brexit are made clear and there is a roadmap out of the Covid-19 crisis Recovery Loan Scheme to be rolled out in UK in April, but SME’s are expected to return to non-covid finance options Continued strong demand for US$ in Ireland, UK […]
Supporting SMBs during Lockdown – how Fintechs will provide a lifeline in 2021 and beyond
While the UK is still ranked in the top ten most competitive economies by the World Economic Forum, this is far from assured after Brexit. If the response in the past few months to Covid-19 is anything to go by it is our small business entrepreneurs who will have the agility and ability to respond to […]
Time out with… Peter Thomas
What attracted you to join AP? My background initially was as an assistant portfolio manager, and I battled to get the more traditional risk averse investors and investment managers to buy into tech firms. So, a couple of years ago I decide to sit on the other side and work in the fintech space. I haven’t (fully) looked back […]
