BLACK BUSINESS MATTERS: Reimaging finance for Black-owned business

Patricia Hamzahee

Extend Ventures has joined with The Ubele Initiative, Lendoe, Black South West Network and All Inclusive to power delivery of the Black Business Matters initiative in partnership with HSBC.

Black Business Matters is an inspired initiative to support Britain’s Black business community. The initiative’s goal is to better understand the needs of Black businesses to help create effective solutions for their success; all as part of the ultimate mission to help improve the commercial landscape for the Black business community.

With small businesses contributing over 50% of private sector turnover and 60% of all private sector jobs in the UK, Black businesses are at the heart of their local communities and essential to the economic health and wealth of Britain. Yet there is almost no data on Black businesses and what they need particularly from a bank to thrive.

This initiative seeks to understand the needs of all sizes of Black businesses in Britain, from start-ups to large established SMEs. We want to celebrate the diversity, ingenuity and resilience of Britain’s Black Business ecosystem.

Stage One of this initiative is a survey which you can complete now. It takes only 15 minutes.

Find out more and take the survey here: https://www.blackbusinessmatters.org.uk/

Stage Two is a series of focus groups across the country – in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Manchester -- that takes a deep dive into what Black business owners want from their ideal bank. If you are one of the first to complete the survey, you can join a focus group and help shape the future of finance and wealth creation for Britain’s Black communities.

Our goal with Stage Three is to work with HSBC and other partners to develop tangible outcomes, in terms of products, services and future engagement that you want and need.

We hope you will join us on this important journey to galvanise understanding that Black Business Matters.