PROMOTION The true alternative to traditional banking Having trouble getting the high-street lenders to even consider your business proposal? It's time to take a different approach S mall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may not be household names but they are the powerhouses of the UK economy. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, they make up at least 99% of the businesses in every main industry sector, provide 60% of all private-sector employment totalling 15.7 million people and amass a combined turnover of £1.8tn per year1. The rules have changed Historically, the only option available to SMEs has been the traditional banks. However, regulation has put them under immense pressure to maintain higher capital ratios and to de-risk their balance sheets. As a result, more and more SMEs are falling short of the banks' restrictive lending criteria. This means many are falling through the funding gap - businesses often referred to in the media as the "deserving underserved". Today's entrepreneurial business want the freedom to be able to seize opportunities, to