Since Darwin’s Origin of the Species we have recognised how nature adapts to survive. Modern humankind continues to adapt to survive while following these two innate risk management principles:
• If it hurts us we learn and take action in proportion to the degree of pain.
• The next time we face the same pain we are better prepared and we go back for more and either avoid the pain or at least find a way of working to a new pain threshold.
Why history keeps repeating itself is simple really.
All Posts (5630)
Sort by
SME lending just got more expensive in Singapore. Basel III capital requirements has increased the risk weighting on SME loans. Banks are now required to set aside more capital to protect against SME loan defaults. This will drive up the cost of capital for SME’s as lenders pass on added costs to borrowers to maintain healthy margins on SME loans; Singapore’s Business Times reports.
SME’s are a critical driver of economic growth in Singapore. Bank loans to the segment grew more than 10% in 2013.
Its that time of year again. April 15th looms ever larger as small businesses scramble to meet the IRS tax filing deadline. For many small businesses, tax filing is handled by a trusted accountant or business adviser. That tends to take the trauma out of this annual exercise in pain. But even with the help of a tax professional the angst of the season is always a pressing concern.
The enclosed infographic published by oBizMedia, displays some startling data about audit risk and its cost t
Dun & Bradstreet has initiated a timely capital formation initiative for small businesses. Access to Capital - Money to Main Street is an event tour that will bring together regional providers of funding for small businesses and start-ups.
Economic recovery is combining with technology to energize innovations in small business funding options. Money to Main Street looks to promote the numerous funding options that are open to small businesses. Crowd-funding, micro-lending, asset financing, lea
Golden Pacific Bank in California has created a new lending subsidiary to provide SBA loans for small mid-size business enterprises (SME). The program called SmartBiz uses an advanced technology platform that allows the bank to reduce the cost of borrowing and extend credit more efficiently to creditworthy SMEs.
The lending platform was developed by the firm BillFloat. The technology enables SmartBiz to efficiently originate, process and close SBA loans. The cost of processing loan applications
Customers? They’re more connected and empowered than ever. The result? Financial services providers need to focus on the creation of customer platforms that deliver a satisfying experience, as well as the services and products they need.
What do we mean by a platform? In short, a platform seeks to provide an experience that adds value to the user experience beyond a list of services and products. A good platform also increases long- term customer engagement by adding new features and experiences
The filing deadline for filing taxes is fast approaching. Small Mid-Size Business Enterprises (SME) need to be aware of all the deductions afforded to them by the tax code.
Our friends from Balboa Capital sent us this reminder about the Section 179 Tax Deduction...
...There have been a lot of questions surrounding the Section 179 deduction for 2014*
…According to the IRS, the Section 179 tax deduction limit as of January 1st 2014 is $25,000. This is a sharp drop from last year's limit, but it
Marketplace Interview:
This Marketplace interview is relevant to the tricky issues surrounding the transformation of business culture of SME's. Since the death of Steve Jobs, Apple has been struggling with transitioning its corporate culture into a post Jobs era.
SME’s whose business brand and culture is often associated with the founders personality and ego creates transition problems when the founder leaves or refuses to alter the business
Let’s face it. Complexity is a fact of life in financial services. Mergers and acquisitions, organizational changes, and service offerings across multiple locations result in a maze of disparate and disconnected applications and platforms.
In this environment, radical action is needed to lower maintenance costs, improve operational efficiency and improve customer satisfaction. Rationalization today is mandatory to simplify and improve the way that financial institutions organize their daily busin
When you get a whiff of risk you must react to assess its danger and do something to protect yourself from its impact. Failing to do so could have catastrophic consequences. Take for example last weeks building explosions in Harlem; shaking the foundations of New York City when two apartment buildings collapsed from a gas line explosion.
The explosion killed 8 people, wounded dozens, destroyed the homes of many families and three small businesses. It closed a major commercial thoroughfare halt
So begins Alfred Lord Tennyson's famous poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade. The poem bespeaks the glory and folly of Pax Britannica's imperial apex; yet still offers dear lessons for those dispassionate enough to listen.
Tennyson recounts the doomed charge of a British cavalry unit at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. British Intelligence provided the Light Brigade Command incorrect information, under estimating the strength of the defending Cossacks. As the assault commenced
Forbes Reports:
3/17/14
"...The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) expects the taper of the Quantitative Easing to continue. Economists expect the Federal Reserve to cut another $10 billion from its monthly asset-purchase program at its two-day monetary-policy meeting, lowering its monthly bond buys to $55 billion.
The FMOC meets Tuesday and Wednesday, and it will be the first one overseen by new Fed Chair Janet Yellen. Bond traders will focus on the commentary that accompanies the decision, wh
It is said all the time. May you have good luck in your new endeavor. We realize its just an expression of goodwill but it does speak to the power and predominance of the notion of luck. Its as if the fates of chance and the charm of serendipity is the ultimate factor separating success from failure.
This is absolutely the case for manufacturers of rabbit foot good luck charms, shaleigh wielding Leprechauns and other providers of magic elixirs and mojos that steer the gods of fate to your per
Nigeria Business Day Reports:
March 12, 2014
Corporate business institutions have been advised to utilize the services of insurance brokers for effective risk management and business sustainability.
Ayodapo Shoderu, president, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) gave the advice when the Chairman of Geepee Group of companies, Prakash Vaswani paid a courtesy visit to the NCRIB Secretariat in Lagos.
Shoderu said the fortunes of businesses and their sustainability are determined by
Dow Jones Market Wrap Reports:
The European Central Bank is preparing additional measures should the euro zone slide into deflation, its president said Thursday, making clear that the central bank is concerned that muted price pressures could undermine the currency bloc's fragile recovery.
Mario Draghi also added a powerful voice to increasing concerns among policy makers that the strength of the euro is affecting inflation. That could prompt the ECB to potentially implement measures designed t
The European Central Bank is preparing additional measures should the euro zone slide into deflation, its president said Thursday, making clear that the central bank is concerned that muted price pressures could undermine the currency bloc's fragile recovery.
Mario Draghi also added a powerful voice to increasing concerns among policy makers that the strength of the euro is affecting inflation. That could prompt the ECB to potentially implement measures designed t
In his book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb defines “Black Swans” as random and rare events that underlie our lives and business, are nearly impossible to predict and have a huge impact when they materialize. According to Taleb, “Black Swans being unpredictable, we need to adjust to their existence, rather than naively try to predict them.”
In the past several years, many large-scale events (similar in nature to Black Swans) have manifested and changed
The Experian Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index has posted its forth consecutive quarterly improvement.
"The Experian/Moody’s Analytics Small Business Credit Index rose 1.2 points to 117 due to the growth of small-business credit balances. According to the Q4 2013 report, the increase marked the fourth consecutive quarter of improvement in small-business credit conditions and provided the highest index reading since data tracking began in 2011.
"Credit is flowing more freely to small bu
Dow Jones Market Wrap reports:
...China's economy weakened sharply during the first two months of the year, deepening concerns that growth in the world's second-largest economy would decelerate further.
The country's top leaders now have tough decisions about whether to set aside economic overhaul measures that could pinch growth in the short-term.
The slowdown was across the board, including retail, manufacturing, housing and investment, as the National Bureau of Statistics released a raft of da
Currently, there is no public transparency around the trading volume that occurs off exchange. FINRA CEO Rick Ketchum has publicly stated that “dark pools” have raised significant concerns among investors who are trying to understand them better and the trading that occurs on them.
Given this context and the fact that more and more ATSs seem to be emerging, we thought it would be useful to help define the different types of ATS, clarify the advantages/ disadvantages and highlight some of the key
