Banks shun small business lending Research by Oxford Economics shows lending by banks to small businesses has fallen by 3% since 2015 while credit provision to large companies has increased by 43%. The study, commissioned by Funding Circle, found that small business lending accounted on average for 2% of big banks' balance sheets, resulting in poorer terms and conditions for SMEs than for larger ones. Sam Moore, managing director of Oxford Economics, said the challenges facing smaller firms risked curbing future growth.