Imagining the future: Virgin Money’s strategy to help SMEs navigate a changing world

A few weeks ago, Virgin Money released the ‘SME 2050’ report which includes a series of predictions by UK futurologist Dave Coplin. It was a nice opportunity for Qorus to ask Graeme Sands, the bank’s Head of Business Lending & Products, about this project, the SMEs of tomorrow’s world and the offer for SMEs at Virgin Money. 

Where did the idea for the SME 2050 report come from? Can you explain your approach?

A huge amount has changed over the last 30 years in terms of running a small business, with the rapid rise in technology – not least online and smartphones. But much has remained the same, with most small business owners focused on cash flow, paying the bills, keeping their customers happy and growing their business. We wanted to look into what might change for small businesses over the next 30 years and how they can best prepare for that, and that’s why we worked with futurologist Dave Coplin to produce the Quantum Leap report.