Borrowing Data

Business finance statistics in the East of England 2026

Last updated November 2026 · Data to 2025/26 · East of England

Business finance figures for the East of England, from the British Business Bank.

44%

Businesses using external finance

44% of smaller businesses in the East of England were using external finance in 2024.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024

Smaller businesses (0-249 employees). UK Finance/BVA BDRC SME Finance Monitor, unweighted n=17,011 for 2024. Annual share of businesses using external finance.

3pp

Change in external finance use

The share of smaller businesses using external finance in the East of England rose by 3 percentage points between 2023 and 2024.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024

Change on 2023 in percentage points as printed in the source table. The source table shows '-' for London, which is not recorded.

129

Announced equity deals

129 announced equity deals were recorded for smaller businesses based in the East of England in 2024.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024

Beauhurst data, based on the head office of the recipient business.

£980m

Announced equity deal value

Announced equity deals for smaller businesses based in the East of England were worth £980m in 2024.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024

Beauhurst data.

3,568

Facilities approved to Q2 2023

Major banks approved or increased 3,568 loans and overdrafts for smaller businesses in the East of England in the four quarters from Q3 2022 to Q2 2023.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 12 months to Q2 2023

Factsheet table, period printed as 'Q3 2022-Q2 2023'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders; the 2023 annex marks figures as Great Britain only for the share column.

10,418

Facilities approved 2021/22

Major banks approved or increased 10,418 loans and overdrafts for smaller businesses in the East of England in the 2021/22 financial year.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2022, British Business Bank, 2021/22

Annex table, period printed as '2021-22 FY'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders.

£708m

Value approved to Q2 2023

Major banks approved or increased loans and overdrafts worth £708m for smaller businesses in the East of England in the four quarters from Q3 2022 to Q2 2023.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 12 months to Q2 2023

Factsheet table, period printed as 'Q3 2022-Q2 2023'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders; the 2023 annex marks figures as Great Britain only for the share column.

£1,442m

Value approved 2021/22

Major banks approved or increased loans and overdrafts worth £1,442m for smaller businesses in the East of England in the 2021/22 financial year.

Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2022, British Business Bank, 2021/22

Annex table, period printed as '2021-22 FY'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders.

2,600

Businesses newly supported

The national development bank newly supported an estimated 2,600 businesses in the East of England in 2025/26.

Source: Impact Report 2026, British Business Bank, 2025/26

British Business Bank estimates, apportioned from UK-wide estimates using programme data on business location; rounded to the nearest hundred. Includes debt, guarantee and equity programmes.

Key points

44% of smaller businesses in the East of England were using external finance in 2024. The share of smaller businesses using external finance in the East of England rose by 3 percentage points between 2023 and 2024. 27% of smaller businesses in the East of England were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.

Frequently asked questions

What share of smaller businesses in the East of England were using external finance in 2024?

44% of smaller businesses in the East of England were using external finance in 2024.

How did the share of smaller businesses using external finance in the East of England change in 2024?

The share of smaller businesses using external finance in the East of England rose by 3 percentage points between 2023 and 2024.

What share of smaller businesses in the East of England were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022?

27% of smaller businesses in the East of England were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.