One-in-4 SMEs had little or no savings before pandemic A poll by Nucleus Commercial Finance shows that a quarter of SMEs had little or no savings before the coronavirus outbreak, while fewer than two in five believe they have enough money to see them through the rest of the crisis. The survey of more than 1,000 small business owners shows that most believe their businesses will be affected by the pandemic for up to 16 months. Nucleus Commercial Finance CEO Chirag Shah said: "The effects of the pandemic have clearly had a significant impact on the UK's SMEs. Not only has it brought about operational challenges, but the loss of income has been devastating for them."