About the event
Date: 30 October 2026
Supporting economic growth is part of the Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC) secondary objective, alongside its primary objective of maintaining financial stability. Within this remit, the FPC’s focus for 2026 is to identify actions across the financial system that would support the supply of long-term capital to productive investment, particularly for high-growth firms (HGFs).
These firms are central to innovation and productivity yet often face persistent frictions in accessing both equity and debt finance, especially at scale-up and later stages. This workshop aims to bring together academics, policymakers and industry participants to examine how the UK financial system can better support HGFs, and to identify where targeted policy interventions or market developments could help strengthen the provision of long-term finance while preserving financial stability.
Topics of interest
- Barriers to financing high-growth firms, in particular frictions in the supply of long-term capital across equity and debt markets
- Demand-side constraints, such as borrower discouragement, debt aversion, and information frictions
- Public-private partnerships and the role of development institutions in mobilizing long-term capital
- Financial innovation, including FinTech and AI, and their role in reducing frictions in credit allocation
- International evidence on policies to support high-growth firms and close financing gaps