Equifax and Menna Use AI to Tackle UK SME Funding Gap | FinTech Magazine
PushButton AI Team ·
Equifax and Menna Use AI to Tackle UK SME Funding Gap | FinTech Magazine
Half of UK small businesses are being turned down for loans right now.
Not because they're bad businesses. Because the people reviewing them don't have the full picture.
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You've probably felt th
Half of UK small businesses are being turned down for loans right now.
Not because they're bad businesses. Because the people reviewing them don't have the full picture.
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You've probably felt this too — smart enough to run a successful business, but somehow made to feel behind the curve every time AI comes up. You bought the tool. Nobody used it. Fair enough.
Here's what's actually interesting about the Equifax and Menna story.
They're using AI to look at business data differently — not to replace human decisions, but to surface information that was always there, just buried. Loan approval rates improve because the AI fills in gaps lenders couldn't see before.
That's the real AI use case most gurus skip: not flashy automation, but better visibility into your own business. What's your cash flow really telling you? Where are the patterns in your customer data you're not seeing?
One practical move this week: pick one report you already run — sales, cash flow, customer churn — and ask ChatGPT to help you interpret it differently. No new software. No budget. Just a new lens on existing data.
That's how a first AI win actually works.
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What's the one area of your business where you feel like you're flying blind on data?
The UK small business sector is facing a severe funding squeeze, with the UK Government reporting that loan acceptance rates dropping below 50% – a 25 ...
