Having just conducted a straw poll amongst a wide range of our UK partners (most of which are small and micro companies and organisations) it seems to be clear that not many of them are preparing to make submissions to Erasmus plus in this first round of funding.

Also there is a lot of e-mails coming from all across the EU with organisations proposing themselves as perfect for any applications that other people are making but not many making proposals themselves.  Perhaps as in the UK this is an indication that lots of smaller organisations are not feeling comfortable with making applications in the first round.

In both cases it would be interesting to know the reasons for this apparent inability or un-willingness to lead on new proposals under Erasmus +

Perhaps this is a wrong conclusion but it does not take a massive leap of the mind to assume that the work involved for smaller organisations in adapting from the old LLP programmes to Erasmus + is not a simple one.

Clearly the creating of new Erasmus + proposals requires a lot of research and additional work and this is difficult for small and micro companies to build into their existing work-loads. Yes we still have the partnership programmes but will there be a reduction in the number of smaller organisations leading on programmes in Erasmus?

It would be interesting to see the statistics in relation to the size of the organisations/companies who applied in the last year of the LLP programme and in the new Erasmus + programme. I wonder if these will be available?

According to this, shoppers in different countries reveal high interest in UK e-retailers.

"32% of clicks on British ecommerce sites originate from users in countries outside the UK."

"The same study points out the reasons for which certain countries fare better than others in cross-border ecommerce."

"According to results, international delivery to customers is one of the reasons for which online shoppers prefer UK retailers. None of the shops in the study offered free delivery to anywhere other than the UK, this service was always at a premium, although in the wider context of ecommerce, the idea of international delivery is certainly not unprecedented."

"In Germany for example, many shops automatically deliver to Austria, given the geographical and linguistic proximity. The same trend was detected for Spain, who most frequently delivered to Portugal and Andorra and for France, delivering commonly to Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, again making the most of the geographical location and linguistic similarities. In the case of Italy and Poland, it is unsurprising to see in the study that ecommerce sites in these countries are the least likely to offer international delivery, given that Italian and Polish are not spoken anywhere else, apart from a small proportion speaking Italian in Switzerland."

"When it comes to language in country-specific websites, research finds that in the UK, just 10% of the respondents provided product information in other languages."

"The Spanish ecommerce websites in the study were the most eager to target consumers in their native language, with 50% of those in the study offering either language or country-specific sites. Poland, being at an automatic disadvantage in terms of linguistic recognition and comprehension, has to strive harder to reach consumers in other countries, and is ready to do so, with 46% providing a translated version of their web shop."

"The survey also reveals that British e-retailers are making an overwhelming effort to entice international customers. Just 6 of shops reviewed offer the option of viewing product prices and completing transactions in their own currency."

Econsultancy.com published an article about the importance of mobile banking for customer experience.

"Generally, people’s impressions of banks aren’t too positive. The credit crunch, banker’s bonuses, overdraft fees and call centre queues are some common negative associations in people’s minds. However, digital does offer some opportunities for banks to improve the way they are perceived, by helping them to improve the overall customer experience."

"First Direct has gathered a reputation for great customer service. It regularly comes top in consumer polls for this, achieving an impressive score of 92% in a recent MoneySavingExpert poll for example. By comparison, its nearest rival, Santander 123, had 74% while most high street banks struggled to beat 50%. (...) First Direct actually answers the telephone when it rings. No call queues or automated systems. Simple but effective. (...) First Direct, with no branch network, has focused on providing an excellent all round experience, especially online. Its social campaigns are daring and innovative. Take ‘first direct live’ for instance. Launched in 2009, it turned its site into a repository for customer feedback, a very brave move for a bank in the wake of the financial crisis but one that paid off. "

"The site works well too, making it easy to check balances, transfer funds and so on, but it’s mobile where customers really feel the benefits. Mobile and online banking frees customers from the need to call into branches or take to the telephone for most common transactions. It saves them time, and thus enhances their lives in a small way. Indeed, a recent Bain report (PDF) on customer loyalty in banking found that mobile and online banking are the areas most likely to ‘delight’ customers and therefore increase their loyalty and make them more likely to recommend a particular retail bank. "

"Mobile banking is taking off too. While some banks were slow to launch mobile banking, most high street banks now offer this service. The ubiquity of mobile banking apps means that they will soon become a hygiene factor. People will not consider opening an account if their bank doesn’t offer this."

"Younger age groups are particularly keen to access their money via mobile. According to Tealeaf stats, 57% of 25-34 year olds and 53% of 18-24 year olds in the UK say they have accessed banking on smartphone or tablet, either via app or mobile web."

"Under closer scrutiny, smartphone apps are the most popular mobile way of accessing banking services for both of these age groups, with 22% and 25% doing so respectively. In the digital age, where bad news spreads fast on social media and consumers trust reviews and recommendations from friends and family above all else, customer experience is all-important. For banks looking to delight their customers, providing excellent experiences on mobile and desktop and making people’s lives easier is perhaps the best form of marketing there is."

According to this, the Central Bank of China has ordered the country's commercial banks and payment companies to close Bitcoin trading accounts until 15 April 2014, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"According to the source, these rules have a direct impact on more than a dozen Bitcoin exchanges, and are a further consolidation of regulations the financial institution put in place in 2013. Authorities have closely monitored Bitcoin's expansion, as it has been regarded as inflicting financial stability and because it has attracted speculative retail investors looking for ways to make profits. In 2013, China recorded a huge increase in demand for Bitcoin and this has led to a growth in global prices and also attracted the attention of regulators."

"In December 2013, the People's Bank of China ordered financial institutions to stop dealing with Bitcoin. Later that month, it made clear that third-party payment processors could not help exchanges collect money from users."

"According to sources familiar with the latest directive, cited by the Wall Street Journal, the People's Bank of China has no intention to ban the currency trading in China, and mentions that the move is aimed at enforcing what was already said in the December 2013 document. More specifically, the document stipulates that Bitcoin is not a currency with "real meaning" and does not have the same legal status as a currency, but that the public is free to buy and sell Bitcoin online provided that they accept the risk."

Graham Duerden has joined us.  Graham is the MD of Greif UK Ltd., based in Ellesmere Port.  He not only brings considerable senior management experience but also a very significant financial grant from his parent company, as well as the offer of invaluable volunteering resources from the Greif UK team.  We are so looking forward to working with Graham and his team.

Victoria Jones has joined us.  Vicki is a partner with Knights Solicitors Llp, who proclaim that they are "not afraid to be different".  We love that!!  Vicki has been involved with us from day one as a trustee of our founding charity, Bridge Enterprises.  Now she is fully engaged!!  Thank you so much, Vicki, for joining BCF.

Paul Norman is on our top team.  As Relationship Director, Corporate Banking, with Santander, Paul brings great experience of financing AND a fabulous network of local movers and shakers.  Paul has already pitched into fund raising activities for BCF.  We are truly blessed to have him on the team.