AI for beginners, BNPL schemes to be regulated, and guidance for the new business rates relief for pubs and live music venues
We’re covering a broad range of topics, from beginner friendly resources on AI being provided by Small Business Britain, to Buy Now Pay Later schemes being subjected to regulation, today’s blog post has got it all covered!
Small Business Britain Provides Beginner-friendly Resources on AI
Small Business Britain has created an online hub dedicated to providing businesses with practical, beginner-friendly resources that can help with getting started in using artificial intelligence (AI).
The hub contains jargon-free guides and video walkthroughs on subjects such as:
- What even is generative AI?
- Can AI save me time?
- How to write a prompt
- How to keep a personal voice
An online course, the AI for Small Business Programme, is also available on the site. This six-week online course is designed to help small business owners unlock AI’s potential in their own business.
There are also webinars and a session from AI experts that can help demystify AI and give you some practical advice on where to start.
The hub is available here.
New FCA Rules for Buy Now Pay Later
Unregulated Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) agreements will fall under full FCA regulation from 15 July 2026. For the first time, BNPL lenders will need to meet the same expectations as other consumer-credit providers. With almost 11 million UK adults using BNPL in 2024, according to an FCA survey, this is a significant change.
The changes aim to provide clearer protections to individuals who rely on BNPL regularly and may be at risk of taking on commitments they cannot repay.
What Protections Are Being Introduced?
Once the rules take effect, BNPL businesses will have to comply with the FCA’s Consumer Duty. This includes the following changes:
- Clearer information – Customers must be given clear, upfront details of what they are signing up to, including repayment dates, amounts, and what happens if a payment is missed.
- Affordability checks – Lenders will need to check that a customer can afford the borrowing before they offer BNPL.
- Support when needed – Lenders will need to offer support to customers who are in financial difficulty and direct them to free debt-advice services, where that is appropriate.
- Complaints and compensation – Customers will be able to take complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Why BNPL is Coming Under Regulation
BNPL has grown rapidly in recent years, from £0.06bn in 2017 to more than £13bn in 2024.
For many, BNPL provides short-term flexibility and can help with managing cash-flow. However, without affordability checks, there has been a concern that some may be taking on more debt than they realise.
Timescales
BNPL providers will need to have full FCA authorisation. A temporary permissions regime will open from 15 May to 1 July 2026 so that providers can register while they prepare their full application. Once the new regime begins, six months will be allowed for providers to obtain full authorisation.
What This Means for Businesses
If you use a third party BNPL provider, you may see some adjustments to the way you interact with customers as new affordability checks are introduced.
Your BNPL provider will likely let you know about the needed changes in good time. However, since a failure on their part could reflect negatively on your business, it would be worth staying aware of these changes so that you can check that your provider will comply with the new rules.
See: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/new-protections-confirmed-buy-now-pay-later-borrowers
New Simpler Sustainable Farming Incentive Announced
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds announced a new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer while addressing the National Farmers’ Union Conference that will be simpler, fairer and more stable.
The new SFI will include 71 actions, a reduction on the current 102, and will be capped at £100,000 per year.
Applications will open in June 2026 for small farms (holdings of three to 50 hectares) and those without a live Environmental Land Management (ELM) revenue agreement.
In September, a second application window will open for all farmers. Further details will follow.
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/reynolds-farm-tech-supercharged-to-boost-profitability
Guidance Released on the New Business Rates Relief for Pubs and Live Music Venues
The government has released fresh guidance on the new business rates discount for pubs and live music venues in England for the 2026/27 tax year. If you run a hospitality business, or a venue that hosts live performances, the new relief could reduce your rates bills over the next three years.
As announced in January 2026, eligible properties will receive a 15% reduction on their 2026/27 business rates bill. Those rates bills will then be frozen in real terms for 2027/28 and 2028/29. Further guidance will be provided nearer the time on how that freeze will work.
Which properties qualify?
To receive the relief, the property needs to be occupied and be wholly or mainly used as either a pub or a live music venue.
What is a pub?
A property is a pub if all the following apply:
- It’s open to the general public.
- It lets people in for free (except when occasional entertainment is provided).
- Customers can drink without having to buy food.
- Drinks can be bought at a bar.
Restaurants and cafes, nightclubs, and hotels are unlikely to be considered pubs for the purpose of the relief.
What counts as a live music venue?
A live music venue must be wholly or mainly used for live music performances put on to entertain an audience.
Ancillary activities, such as selling food and drink to the audience, would be unlikely to disqualify a property. The same would be true if there was infrequent use of the property to host a polling station or a community event.
Premises mainly used as nightclubs or theatres, based on planning use classes, are unlikely to be considered a live music venue.
There may be grey areas, especially when deciding whether an activity is a live music performance or instead the playing of recorded music. Guidance in the Licensing Act 2003 will be used to help with such situations.
How much will the relief be worth?
The discount is applied daily, at 15% of the business rates charge for each qualifying day.
The discount is applied after any mandatory reliefs due and certain other discretionary reliefs have already been given.
The relief is not subject to any cap.
What should businesses do now?
Local authorities are tasked with calculating the relief automatically once they have put their local scheme in place. Therefore, if the property meets the criteria, you should automatically receive any relief due on your 2026/27 rates bill.
In the meantime, it may be worth checking whether your current description and use of the property clearly match the definitions provided in the guidance.