Barclays launches Backing Britain’s Future, committing to support 1.5m businesses and entrepreneurs by 2030

Barclays today launches Backing Britain’s Future, a long-term commitment to support 1.5 million businesses and entrepreneurs by 2030, helping strengthen the foundations of economic growth and job creation across the UK.

Through this commitment, Barclays will support businesses and entrepreneurs as they start, scale, invest and expand internationally, helping them access the skills, finance, networks and expertise they need to grow.

Backing Britain’s Future reflects Barclays’ belief that Britain’s future prosperity will be built by entrepreneurs turning ideas into businesses, SMEs investing and creating jobs in communities across the country and British companies expanding into markets around the world. Barclays aims to help more businesses convert ambition and confidence into investment, productivity and long-term growth.

Central to the commitment is Barclays’ ability to help a business go from idea to IPO, providing a continuum of support for entrepreneurs and businesses as they start, scale and grow.

Start and innovate

Barclays will help entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable businesses and support companies to harness new technologies and innovation, including by:

• Inspiring and equipping the next generation of entrepreneur s: expanding access to skills, mentoring and networks through LifeSkills and more than 40 Barclays Eagle Labs, helping founders turn ideas into viable, scalable businesses.
  
  
• Helping businesses harness AI and emerging technologies: providing specialist programmes, skills support, and industry expertise, including through Eagle Labs, to help businesses adopt new technologies, improve productivity and accelerate innovation.
  
  
• Backing the industries and innovators shaping Britain’s future: supporting high-growth businesses through programmes including the National Climate Tech Accelerator and Unreasonable Impact, connecting innovators with the expertise, networks and support needed to develop and scale new solutions that strengthen the UK’s future competitiveness.
  
  

Invest and scale

As businesses grow, Barclays will help them access the capital, financing and connections they need to invest and scale, including by:

• Providing access to capital at every stage of growth: through Barclays’ £22bn Business Prosperity Fund, dedicated lending solutions and investor connections, helping businesses invest, expand capacity, fund acquisitions and pursue long-term growth. Barclays Demo Directory also brings together founders with investors, corporates and industry specialists, helping open new avenues to growth.
  
  
• Providing the financing and liquidity businesses need to grow: offering tailored lending, liquidity management and treasury solutions through Barclays UK Corporate Bank that support both day-to-day operations and long-term growth ambitions.
  
  

Expand and access public markets

• Helping businesses scale, expand and compete internationally: combining relationship banking, trade finance, export expertise and international connectivity to help businesses unlock new markets and expand domestically and internationally.
  
  
• Preparing businesses for public markets: supporting high-growth companies on the journey from scale-up to public markets, through initiatives such as the Aquis IPO Academy, helping build the next generation of listed British companies.
  
  

SMEs are central to Britain’s economic success, accounting for 99% of UK businesses and around 60% of employment. Yet despite confidence in their own prospects, for many SMEs investment levels remain below their potential. Barclays analysis suggests that if SMEs invested at the same rate as larger companies, an additional £60bn of investment could be unlocked each year, helping drive growth, innovation and job creation across the country.

The opportunity is one that extends to every region and nation of the UK. In the first half of 2026, over 80% of the finance Barclays Business Bank provided to SMEs was delivered to businesses outside London, underlining the importance of strong local business ecosystems to national growth.

As part of Backing Britain’s Future, Barclays is also launching a new network of nine Regional Chairs and Leadership Boards, bringing together expertise, relationships and insight from across the bank to support businesses, strengthen communities and unlock growth opportunities across the UK.

C.S. Venkatakrishnan, Group Chief Executive of Barclays, comments: “Britain’s future growth will be built by the entrepreneurs, businesses and growing companies that invest, innovate and create jobs in communities across the country. Their success is critical to the prosperity of the UK.”

“Growth requires more than finance alone. Businesses need access to skills, networks, expertise and capital at every stage of their journey. By bringing together the full strength of Barclays as part of our goal of helping businesses and entrepreneurs go from idea to IPO, we want to help ambitious businesses across the UK turn confidence into investment and investment into long-term growth.”

Lord Leong, Minister for Small Business and Enterprise, said: “Thanks to this commitment from Barclays, entrepreneurs and small businesses will gain access to the tools and support they need to bring their ambitions to fruition.

“Alongside support from government, with our Plan for Small Businesses, this initiative is all about creating the opportunities and investments which transforms communities across the country.”

Backed by Barclays’ nationwide presence and global reach, Backing Britain’s Future brings together the bank’s capabilities to support entrepreneurs and businesses from idea to IPO, helping them start scale and compete. It reflects Barclays’ purpose of helping people and businesses achieve a better financial future, while supporting the conditions for sustainable economic growth across the UK.