Blog
ART Business Loans - Annual General Meeting
Posted on Oct 2, 2018
ART Business Loans - Annual General Meeting Parity Network was honoured to be invited along to the ART Business Loans AGM on Friday 28th September. The event was hosted at the newish iCentrum building on Innovation Birmingham Campus. The event is held every year and brings together members and wider stakeholders of ART Business Loans. The organisation, originally called Aston Reinvestment Trust, is a cooperative that was formed in 1997 with the explicit aim to address the funding gap experienced by small companies in the West Midlands.
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Our talk at the Big Data Corridor Event at Innovation Birmingham Campus
Posted on Sep 13, 2018
Our talk at the Big Data Corridor Event at Innovation Birmingham Campus Parity is a business credit network that will provide businesses within the West Midlands with more clients and access to a zero interest credit facility. We have been supported by the Innovation Engine project at Innovation Birmingham, the region’s leading digital and technology community. Yesterday I was given the opportunity to present Parity to a small group of that community to gage the initial reactions.
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West Midlands Combined Authority Social Economy Taskforce
Posted on Sep 9, 2018
West Midlands Combined Authority Social Economy Taskforce Parity is developing a business to business mutual credit system that will launch in the West Midlands in 2019. Over the past six months we have been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders within the West Midlands. We have hoped to learn what the environment is like for small businesses, so we can ensure the service we are developing can best meet their needs.
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What is Parity?
Posted on May 9, 2018
What is Parity? What is it? Small businesses are the lifeblood of our modern economy. They make up 99% of all businesses in the UK and employ 60% of all workers. Small businesses are usually interested in taking on more clients and delivering more work. Unfortunately many of them find themselves overly reliant on big corporations for the chunk of their work. As seen in the West Midlands with the recent collapse of Carillion; when these fail, small companies and their employees are unduly affected.
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HomeTown Plus and Countercoin - Community Development Programme
Posted on May 8, 2018
HomeTown Plus and Countercoin - Community Development Programme Parity is developing a network that will allow small businesses to access zero interest finance and conduct more trade. The approach we are taking applies innovative financial technology within the West Midlands. We have been getting a huge amount of interest from national and international groups that recognise the potential for transacting in this way. This we had a call with Mike Riddell from Hometown Plus in Manchester, UK to discuss the project they are developing within their local business networks.
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BDCR Group SME Lending Report Q4 2017
Posted on Mar 20, 2018
BDCR Group SME Lending Report Q4 2017 The BDCR Quarterly SME Finance Monitor has provided Government and private sector bodies an understanding of the SME credit market since 2011. Over 100,000 interviews with UK small business have now been conducted, at an average of 4500 each quarter. The aim of the reports to allow key interest groups to understand the state of the UK SME lending, UK SME credit and UK SME loans market.
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Chancellor announces measures to address late payments for UK SMEs
Posted on Mar 15, 2018
Chancellor announces measures to address late payments for UK SMEs Small businesses are the engine of the UK economy, making up over 90% of all businesses and employing over 60% of all private sector employees. However, small businesses have been often under served by different governments over the past four decades, with politicians focusing on supporting larger businesses. The banking crisis shook confidence in the large banks and a succession of corporate scandals have undermined the wider sectors.
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MEBC Access to Finance Event
Posted on Mar 9, 2018
MEBC Access to Finance Event The Midlands Environmental Business Company is hosting a SME access to finance event in Birmingham, West Midlands. The event will help business owners decide what small business finance is available to SMEs in the region. National and regional studies consistently highlight that access to finance is one of the biggest barriers to growth for small businesses. SMEs find it difficult to access finance between £0-£150,000, even though companies of this size make up over60% of private sector employment and the UKs future prosperity hinges on SME innovation.
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The Development of Parity - Business Credit Network for the West Midlands
Posted on Feb 28, 2018
The Development of Parity - Business Credit Network for the West Midlands West Midlands Business Credit Network Parity has evolved from a two year project researching a local currency for Birmingham, modelled on the Bristol Pound. The project provided the basis of a working group to explore the potential for an alternative currency in Birmingham. Research conducted included engaging with other local currency models in UK and European markets, allowing the project to fully understand the benefits and limitations for the initiatives.
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Launch of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund
Posted on Feb 22, 2018
Launch of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund West Midlands businesses could benefit from greater access to finance Three funds have been launched that can provide a combined £100million worth of equity investment to businesses in the Midlands. The finance will join the wider offerings of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund and promoted by the Secretary of State Sajid Javid on 22nd February 2018. It will join a wider range of financial solutions, including debt and small business loans offered through the fund, which was originally launched by the British Business Bank.
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- Business Development 12 posts
- Company News 10 posts
- Industry News 5 posts
- Networking Events 8 posts
- Regional News 9 posts
- Uncategorised 2 posts
2020
- Use a local currency to meet new customers for your professional services business
- A local currency to support digital and creative agencies to find new clients
- A local currency to increase footfall for Birmingham restaurants and bars
- Parity's response to coronavirus
- 1000 trades networking club
- March Business Networking Events
- Why Parity? Benfits of using this local currency
- Parity supports four local firms to transact without cash
- Is Parity like Bitcoin?
- February Business Networking Events
- How does Parity compare with Bristol Pound?
- Why is Parity a tool for Local Economic Resilience?
2019
- Parity app available in the app stores
- Why we use FreeAgent for our accounts software plus a referral code (49mrifmj)
- Visiting the Jewellery Quarter
- Jewellery Quarter Pubs
- Ten things you must know about Parity
- Business Networking Events in Birmingham, w/c 12 of August.
- Type of Business Network & Parity
- Business Networking Event. w/c 29 of July 2019
- Business Support for West Midlands Businesses
- Business Networking Events w/c 22nd July 2019.
- Best Coworking Spaces Birmingham
- Business Networking Events in West Midlands w/c 15th July 2019.
- Business Networking Events in Birmingham, West Midlands.
- How can Parity help grow your business?
- An innovative financial model that supports sustainable development
- Parity explained through our first Birmingham transaction
- Launch of Parity in Birmingham
2018
- Parity visits the annual Mitzas event in Sardinia and appears on Italian television
- ART Business Loans - Annual General Meeting
- Our talk at the Big Data Corridor Event at Innovation Birmingham Campus
- West Midlands Combined Authority Social Economy Taskforce
- What is Parity?
- HomeTown Plus and Countercoin - Community Development Programme
- BDCR Group SME Lending Report Q4 2017
- Chancellor announces measures to address late payments for UK SMEs
- MEBC Access to Finance Event
- The Development of Parity - Business Credit Network for the West Midlands
- Launch of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund
