UK businesses see home market as best place to start, scale and grow

While economic uncertainty remains the greatest challenge businesses are facing, confidence in the UK is resilient. Six in 10 (58 per cent) back the home market as the best place to start, scale and grow a business and 57 per cent believe the UK is becoming a more attractive place to list.

To support UK growth, Barclays today launches its 2026 Business Prosperity Fund, with a £22 billion lending commitment to help businesses invest and scale.

Key findings from the Q4 Index show:

▪ 93 per cent report higher trading costs, with energy, labour and supply chain expenses continuing to weigh on margins

▪ 80 per cent have passed on some cost increases to customers and 65 per cent expect to raise prices again this year

▪ Despite cost pressures, 86 per cent feel upbeat in their prospects and 65 per cent are confident in the strength of the UK economy

▪ 83 per cent expect revenues to rise in Q1 2026, with 27 per cent forecasting increases above 50 per cent

Larger firms push ahead as smaller businesses stay cautious

Barclays anonymised client data in Q4 shows cash inflows slipped 3.4 per cent year‑on‑year, signalling that subdued spending continues to weigh on income. At the same time, a two‑speed pattern of investment is emerging:

Larger firms increased longer‑term borrowing by 8.7 per cent year-on-year, suggesting investment intentions remain despite broader uncertainty.

Smaller firms however reduced their longer-term borrowing, while at the same time increasing overdraft usage by 2.5 per cent, pointing to tighter margins in the near-term.

This divergence between smaller and larger businesses mirrors an uneven confidence in the UK macroeconomic environment. Two thirds of large businesses (66 per cent) and over half of medium‑sized businesses (53 per cent) believe current economic conditions support long‑term growth, compared to just 12 per cent of micro businesses.

However, confidence in small business leaders’ own business prosperity over the coming year remains relatively high at 86 per cent, though this drops to 68 per cent for micros.

Abdul Qureshi, Managing Director of Barclays Business Banking said: “Smaller businesses have been operating cautiously, and the pressures they face are clear. Even so, many still see the UK as a place where they can innovate and grow.

“Our research shows a third of businesses believe the UK offers higher levels of innovation than other major markets, but over a quarter think it lags behind. These signals matter, and there is clearly more to be done. A priority now is helping smaller firms turn underlying confidence in their business into investment and tangible progress.”

Almost all businesses (93 per cent) report higher trading costs over the past year, with energy (85 per cent), labour (80 per cent) and supply chain expenses (78 per cent) continuing to weigh on margins.

In response, four in five (80 per cent) have passed on some cost increases to customers. On average, companies have passed on around 30 per cent, with larger firms more likely to do so (86 per cent).

Despite cost and confidence challenges, almost six in 10 businesses (58 per cent) believe that the UK is a more attractive place to start, scale and grow a business when compared to other major markets. Meanwhile, a similar proportion (59 per cent) say the UK is the best place to headquarter, compared to just 17 per cent and 14 per cent believing the contrary.