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What a night for our Manchester team. Weโre proud to have been named Debt Funder Team of the Year at last night's North West Rainmakers Awards, hosted by TheBusinessDesk.com. The Rainmakers Awards recognise the people and teams behind the North West's standout corporate finance, banking, legal and advisory deals, celebrating the expertise and collaboration that help businesses grow. This award reflects the hard work, commitment and expertise of our Manchester Debt Finance team, and the strong relationships we've built with the ambitious businesses and advisers we work with every day. Congratulations to all of the other winners and finalists, and thank you to TheBusinessDesk.com for a fantastic evening.
As businesses grow, so does financial complexity. In his recent conversation with UKTN, our GM of Business Banking, Ivan Maryasin, shares his perspective on how business banking is evolving to better support growing companies. From AI to integrated financial tools, he explains why businesses don't need more products โ they need simpler ways to manage, move and optimise their finances as they scale.
We're now halfway through the year, and some of the most interesting growth stories are emerging in places many investors and operators have historically overlooked. In this month's newsletter, we're covering: โข Education โ Why it may be one of the UK's most compelling growth sectors, from early years and specialist schools to vocational training and hashtag#EdTech โข Growth strategy โ How kinderzimmer uk has expanded to ten UK sites through organic growth alone, and what that approach reveals about scaling in childcare โข Funding momentum โ Recent support for Aspire LPP, MSS International, and Gold Funding as they invest in their next phase of growth Read the full June edition below.
As part of our 1+1% commitment, we were delighted to return to Bookmark Reading Charity recently, helping pack Story Starter Programme boxes that are now making their way to schools across the UK. Designed to spark a love of reading, the packs include books, learning resources, and activities for pupils to enjoy at home. A big thank you to Bookmark Reading Charity for organising the day, and to our colleagues Harshavardhan Baddam and Shradha Kejriwal, who volunteered their time to support this fantastic initiative.
Weโre delighted to have been highly commended in the Best Savings Provider category at the British Bank Awards 2026. The awards recognise financial providers delivering outstanding customer experiences and are determined by customer reviews and votes submitted through Smart Money People. Thank you to our customers for your continued trust and support! Congratulations to all this yearโs winners and highly commended organisations.
40% of UK businesses say skills shortages are hurting productivity, while adult learning participation has fallen by more than 40% since 2010. The gap between the demand for education and the supply of it has never been wider. In our first-ever Education Sector Pulse, we look at how that gap is reshaping opportunity across early years, specialist schools, vocational training and hashtag#EdTech, and what it means for operators, investors and providers planning for growth. Swipe through the highlights and find the full report in the comments.
Last week, we had a great pleasure hosting a dinner with business leaders and advisers from across the Midlands region. We covered a broad range of topics shaping the current business and economic landscape, from the impact of the local elections to evolving political dynamics in the UK and internationally. A very insightful evening with plenty of thoughtful perspectives. A big thank you to everyone who joined us. And to Dale Cowdell, Ian Fairclough, and Safa Arif for hosting.
Looking for a clearer view of where financing opportunities are emerging in the US mid-market? Weโve just launched the first US edition of ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฎ๐ธ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ โ a monthly update designed to give you a practical view of the deals getting done, the gaps in the market, and where weโre seeing momentum. This month: โข senior living and multifamily deals closed โข our latest thinking on the $5โ50m lending gap โข a new Sector Pulse on US real estate
Great to be backing four London Marathon runners this weekend. Philip, Talia, Izzy, and Dan are taking on 26.2 miles in support of Children with Cancer UK โ a cause doing vital work for families across the country. Alongside helping ambitious businesses grow, we also take pride in supporting local communities and causes that matter. Wishing all four of you the very best for Sunday โ weโll be cheering you on all the way.
Our CEO & Co-founder, Rishi Khosla is pleased to be joining this discussion in such good company next Tuesday and we urge anyone interested in seeing more scaleups in the UK and continental Europe to tune in via Zoom. As Sifted point out, with competition for growth capital intensifying across Europe, scaleups are seeking environments that offer investment depth and long-term strategic support. The UK is positioning itself as a $1tn destination where international founders can accelerate their ambitions supported by mature financial markets, sector-specialist investors and policies designed to fuel high-growth innovation. As the leading disruptor specialising in lending to the lower mid-market, we at OakNorth know the true value of scaleups and their contribution to economic growth: in the UK they account for around 31% of corporate revenues. If we want growth, we need more scaleups, and the UK must offer the right environment to attract and retain the best entrepreneurs and their scaleable businesses. Lots to do to achieve that, as weโll discuss. Do join him, Tom Nugent, Alexandra Depledge, MBE, Eileen Burbidge and Iana Dimitrova for what should be an insightful conversation.
