Closing the lending gap: how to borrow in 2026 with Allica Bank

Event information

This webinar is brought to you in partnership with Allica Bank.

Many accountants are entering 2026 with something we haven’t seen in years: genuine optimism. Established businesses are planning to grow, invest and push ahead, with 83% of accountants expecting client growth and three quarters anticipating increased spending on machinery and equipment.

But optimism doesn’t remove the biggest barrier to progress: access to finance. Over half of accountants say clients still struggle to borrow what they need, contributing to a £65bn SME lending gap. As high street banks step back from relationship led lending and rely on rigid tick box criteria, many strong businesses are left unable to release equity, stuck when re-mortgaging, delaying growth projects or pausing expansion despite strong demand.

Challenger and specialist banks are filling the gap, now providing over 60% of lending through more tailored, performance based decisions. This webinar will show how banking and cashflow data can strengthen lending cases and borrowing strategies.

Key topics:

• Confidence returns: what SMEs and accountants expect in 2026.
• The £65bn SME lending gap and its impact on growth.
• Why high street banks are pulling back - and who’s filling the gap.
• Using real business data to strengthen borrowing applications.

About the speakers

Sophie Hossack, Head of Partnerships, Allica Bank Sophie is the Head of Partnerships at Allica Bank, named by Deloitte as the UK’s fastest-growing fintech ever. Previously Sophie was part of the founding team at Receipt Bank (Dext), the leading automated bookkeeping software for small businesses. Sophie spent considerable time working with accountants and bookkeepers in the UK and Australia.

Gareth Anderson, Head of Business Management, Allica Bank An experienced corporate and commercial banker, Gareth has spent 17 years working in banking and financial services, with much of that time spent working closely with small and medium-sized businesses as a Relationship Director and in various leadership roles across client-facing and product teams. Having spent years working with companies across sectors from retail and wholesale, technology and healthcare, Gareth’s passion is to support the plans and financial ambitions of UK businesses.

CPD hours

ICAEW's revised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Regulations bring in new CPD requirements. This includes a minimum number of hours and an ethics requirement. Attending this webinar could contribute up to 1hr of verifiable CPD, providing you can demonstrate that the content is relevant to your role.

A copy of the webinar booking confirmation email is accepted as evidence of verifiable CPD. You will need to save the email as a JPEG or PDF before uploading it to your record. Click here to use ICAEW’s self-assessment tool to help you work out how much CPD you will need to fulfil each year.

Costs

There is no charge to attend this event. ICAEW members and non-members are welcome to join.