Breaking Down Financial Barriers

Disabled entrepreneurs and signatories of the Government-backed Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship (DFCE) have marked the launch of the 2026 Progress Report.

Hosted by Lloyds on behalf of DFCE founding signatories (Barclays, HSBC UK, Lloyds and NatWest Group), and attended by the Department for Business & Trade, UK Finance and Small Business Britain, the event demonstrated the progress the Code has achieved so far and looked ahead to even more inclusive access to finance for all.

The DFCE - developed in collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade, the Lilac Review Steering Board, the British Business Bank, UK Finance and the DFCE signatories - aims to drive engagement between the Disabled entrepreneur community and the financial services sector.

Disabled entrepreneurs are a significant part of the UK’s small business community, making up around 25% of the UK’s 5.7 million small business population. However, they account for only 8.6% of small business turnover, indicating a substantial gap in business scale and economic outcomes.

The launch of the DFCE in December 2024 marked a significant step in strengthening engagement between Disabled entrepreneurs and the UK financial services sector, laying out four key asks - the implementation of inclusive design principles, support for Disabled founders, the sharing of success publicly regarding entrepreneurs accessing banking products and services, and supporting Disabled colleague representation.

The Code was developed as part of ongoing work in the area by the Lilac Review, launched in February 2024 to identify the barriers faced by Disabled founders in the UK with an action plan to remove them.

This 2026 Progress Report provides an update from the Code's founding signatories on the action they have taken. It highlights evidence of the progress each signatory has made in meeting the Code's commitments.

All signatories stated they felt better informed of the opportunities and challenges involved in improving access to finance for Disabled entrepreneurs in the 12 months since the launch of the DFCE, with a clear path of inclusion for the future. Signatories reported the need to incorporate disability access across all offerings, rather than relying on standalone initiatives.

“Disabled entrepreneurs contribute massively to their local communities, and to the economy overall, but are often held back by systems not set up to help them,” said Michelle Ovens CBE, CEO and Founder of Small Business Britain (pictured above). 

“Access to finance is the key to unlocking so many opportunities, and in many cases helps businesses start to begin with, and it is essential that it is open to everyone. We look forward to more progress in inclusivity over the next 12 months.”