What Is the Verification Tax and Why It Is Slowing Down Climate Finance
As banks scale their climate and transition finance activities, one challenge is becoming increasingly clear. The issue is not a lack of capital, nor a lack of demand from businesses. It is execution. At the centre of this challenge sits what is often referred to as the verification tax. The verification tax describes the cost […]
The Silent Margin Killer in Hospitality Is Not Food Inflation, It Is Your Energy Contract
When hospitality operators talk about margin pressure, the focus usually falls on food and labour costs. Rising ingredient prices and wage increases have been widely reported, and for good reason. According to the Office for National Statistics, food inflation reached double-digit levels in recent years, placing direct pressure on restaurant and hotel margins. But while […]
What Is the Data Gap in Supply Chains and Why It Matters
Supply chains are becoming more complex, and expectations around supplier transparency are increasing. Companies are now expected to understand not just who their suppliers are, but how they operate. This includes everything from certifications and compliance to operational risk and standards. At the same time, the data needed to support these decisions is often incomplete […]
Energy Bills Are Changing in 2026. Your Costs Aren’t
The UK energy system has always included a complex mix of additional charges. Mechanisms such as the Climate Change Levy, Contracts for Difference, Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariffs, alongside network costs like DUoS and TNUoS, have long made up a portion of total energy spend. What is changing in 2026 is not the cost itself, but its visibility. And that creates risk.
Transition Finance Guide for SMEs in 2026
The defining shift for transition finance in 2026 is not ambition, policy, or even cost. It is data. Transition finance has moved from high-level commitments to measurable, verifiable outcomes, and that has fundamentally changed what banks require from SMEs.
The Energy Broker Problem
For many SMEs, across Retail, Property or Hospitality sectors, energy procurement is outsourced by necessity. With no dedicated energy manager, brokers have become the default solution. But what was meant to simplify purchasing can become the root of the problem. Today, many businesses are unknowingly overpaying for energy and are overcharged without ever detecting it. […]
The Hidden Cost Holding Back Transition Finance
Banks are not short of capital for the transition. In fact, global estimates suggest that tens of trillions of dollars are already earmarked for transition finance. The real bottleneck is something far less visible, yet far more damaging: the “verification tax.” Coined by The Disruption House, the verification tax refers to the hidden operational burden […]
How Retail & Hospitality Businesses Can Cut Energy Costs While Getting Reporting-Ready
For retail and hospitality businesses, winter brings two pressures at once. Energy consumption rises as heating and lighting run for longer hours, while the financial year-end brings increased scrutiny from banks, landlords and customers asking for clearer, more consistent data. This overlap creates a difficult trade-off. Energy bills increase just as cash flow tightens and […]
FCA’s 2026 Insurance Regulatory Priorities: What This Means for Risk and ESG Data Strategy
In February 2026, the FCA released its annual Insurance Regulatory Priorities report. On the surface, it reads like a supervisory roadmap. In reality, it is a signal flare for an industry that sits at the heart of the UK economy. According to the FCA, the insurance industry employs more than 300,000 people. The London Market […]
The Financed Emissions Blind Spot: Why Banks Are Still Flying Blind on SMEs
For most banks today, slashing financed emissions isn’t just a climate buzzword, it’s a regulatory, reputational, and risk-management imperative. But despite growing disclosure requirements and net-zero commitments, many financial institutions remain in the dark about the very emissions they’ve committed to reduce because there is a blind spot centred on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). […]