As reported on 7 August 2026, the Chancellor backed a further £100 million phase of the British Business Bank's Investor Pathways Capital Initiative, intended to widen venture capital access for early-stage companies beyond London. The initiative, which the government said would invest £400m in total, was aimed at supporting first-time venture capital fund managers and the early-stage businesses they back. The government said as many as 10 new venture capital funds could be launched across the UK, and that applications for the next cohort would open in autumn 2026.

In June, the British Business Bank had committed up to £90m to 10 new microfunds as part of the first Investor Pathways Capital cohort, the report said. Separately, Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby met businesses, lenders and investors in Sheffield and Leeds the day before publication, according to the report. The government also cited recent changes to the Growth Guarantee Scheme, which it said would increase lending capacity by a further £2 billion per year by 2028/29 and help an additional 12,000 smaller businesses access finance each year.