New research from the Barclays Business Prosperity Index reveals robust confidence across the UK’s business and professional services sector. Specifically, 85% of leaders planning to increase investment over the coming year. This planned uplift averages 40% higher than the previous 12 months, driven by accelerating demand for specialist expertise, digital transformation, and regulatory navigation.
Key Drivers of Growth and Client Demand
The study, which surveyed 1,100 leaders at UK Business and Professional Services firms, highlights a significant surge in demand across several key commercial areas over the past year:
- Climate and Sustainability Advice: 70% of firms report rising client demand for sustainability consulting.
- Restructuring and Insolvency: 70% are experiencing increased demand for corporate restructuring and turnaround support.
- Cybersecurity and Data Protection: 69%t note growing requirements for robust digital security and data governance.
Furthermore, evolving regulatory landscapes are acting as a commercial catalyst: 29% of firms note that regulation creates opportunities to develop entirely new services, while 28% say it directly encourages investment in technology and automation.
Sector Confidence and Actual Lending Data
Confidence across the sector remains exceptionally high at 95%, significantly outpacing the wider UK business average of 84%. Crucially, anonymised client data from around 204,000 businesses indicates that this optimism is already translating into active investment:
- Overall Lending: Comparing Q3 2026 with Q3 2025, total loan balances across the sector rose 9.6%, while the total number of loans increased by 5.7%.
- Accountants: Saw cash inflows rise 9.7%, reducing overdraft usage by 10.3% and driving the strongest savings growth across any subsector at 21.0%.
- Legal Practices: Increasingly turning to long-term financing, with loan balances up 12.7% and loan counts up 4.5%.
AI Tops the Agenda, But the Skills Gap Looms Large
Technology investment is firmly anchored by artificial intelligence and automation, which rank as the number one investment priority for 22% of firms. This aligns directly with client demand, as over two-thirds (68%) report increased requests for AI strategy, implementation, and governance advisory.
However, scaling operations depends heavily on talent. 71% of leaders state that hiring skilled labour impacts their ability to grow. The primary hurdles cited are upskilling existing staff (32%) and recruiting experienced talent (29%). To bridge this gap, firms are increasingly looking internationally, with Barclays client data showing a 23.6% year-on-year rise in international payments into employment agency accounts.
Steve Ainsworth, Head of Business and Professional Services at Barclays, noted: “When businesses face something complex, whether that’s a cyber threat, a restructuring or new regulation, Business and Professional Services firms are usually the first people they call. That demand is giving the sector real confidence, and firms are backing it with investment. The test now is people. Firms need the right skills to turn that investment into growth.”
Scaling Beyond the Capital
Looking ahead, over half of leaders (55%) focus their next major growth phase within the UK over the next two years. Interestingly, regional expansion outside London (29%) outpaces domestic focus inside the capital (26%), while 38%are targeting international markets.
To support these ambitions, Barclays offers its £22bn Business Prosperity Fund, providing vital lending and refinancing options for eligible Business Banking and UK Corporate Banking clients across the country.
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