SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

eCapital UK has appointed Mike Harrison as Regional Managing Director, South, expanding the lender’s leadership team in Southern England.

Harrison brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate banking, invoice finance and fintech. He has held senior roles at Bank of Scotland and Bank of Ireland, and spent six years at a technology company later sold to private equity investors.

In his new role, he will oversee growth across Southern England and manage relationships with clients and intermediaries. eCapital’s southern footprint includes offices in Reading and Bristol.

The appointment comes as smaller businesses continue to seek alternatives to mainstream bank lending. Invoice finance and asset-based lending providers have positioned themselves as options for companies looking for working capital support outside traditional bank products.

eCapital provides invoice finance, asset-based lending and working capital funding for small and medium-sized businesses. It operates from five regional offices across England, Scotland and Wales.

Its parent, eCapital Corp, also serves businesses in the United States and Canada. In the UK, the group works with companies in sectors including food and beverage, recruitment, human resources, transport and manufacturing.

Market shift

Demand for specialist funding has risen as some businesses struggle to secure lending that fits their needs, creating an opening for non-bank and specialist finance providers seeking a larger share of the SME market.

Mark Finn, UK Group Managing Director at eCapital UK, outlined the group’s view of the market as it announced the appointment.

“I am delighted to welcome Mike to eCapital UK. Having worked with him previously, I have seen first-hand his ability to combine strong commercial acumen with a genuine focus on building long-term relationships with small business owners. Mike brings a unique blend of experience across sales leadership, credit, corporate banking and client management, which makes him exceptionally well suited to this role.

“As traditional banks continue to retrench from SME lending, many ambitious businesses are defaulting to short-term borrowing or loan stacking because they haven’t been shown the alternatives. That’s where eCapital is different. Our regional teams take the time to understand each business, helping clients access funding structures that support growth rather than simply solving today’s cash flow challenge. Mike’s experience will further strengthen that approach across the South.”

Harrison’s background spans both lending and financial technology, a combination many specialist finance firms have sought as they build regional coverage and respond to changing borrower expectations. His experience in invoice finance is likely to be central to eCapital’s push in the South, where competition for SME customers remains strong among banks, independent funders and fintech lenders.

Regional focus

Regional leadership remains a significant part of the company’s UK structure. Its model is centred on relationship managers with local and sector knowledge, reflecting a broader trend among specialist lenders seeking to differentiate themselves through local decision-making and closer ties with introducers.

For intermediaries, appointments at regional managing director level are often closely watched because they can signal where a lender intends to focus origination efforts. Southern England contains a large share of the UK’s SME base, including businesses in logistics, services, professional sectors and manufacturing that regularly use working capital products tied to invoices and receivables.

Harrison described the move as part of a wider expansion phase for the company.

“I am thrilled to be joining eCapital UK at such an exciting stage in the company’s growth journey. eCapital has built a strong reputation for delivering flexible funding solutions and exceptional service. I look forward to working alongside the talented team to further strengthen our relationships with clients and introducers in the South, helping more businesses access the funding they need to seize opportunities and grow with confidence.”

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Purchases of gaming gift cards and vouchers on G2A.COM rose 64% worldwide in the first half of 2026, with the UK among the company’s fastest-growing markets.

Global purchases increased from more than 1 million to over 1.7 million during the period. In the UK, purchases rose 92% from more than 85,000 to over 160,000.

The figures suggest a shift in how consumers pay for digital entertainment, with gift cards used not only for new game launches but also for subscriptions, downloadable content and in-game spending throughout the year.

Razer Gold, PlayStation Network and Steam were among the most popular gaming gift cards in the first half, according to G2A.COM. Buying activity also increased around platform promotions and major game releases, including Steam Sales and Steam’s Medieval Fest.

UK growth

The UK also recorded broader gains across gaming purchases on the marketplace. Total purchases of gaming-related items, including vouchers, games, downloadable content and gift cards, rose 39% from more than 550,000 to almost 800,000.

Germany posted similar growth, with purchases of gaming-related items up 40% from more than 650,000 to over 900,000. Globally, purchases of gaming-related items increased 25% year on year in the first half.

Among the top-selling titles on the platform were Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition, ARC Raiders and Resident Evil Requiem. Xbox Game Pass sales also rose around launches including Forza Horizon 6 and Subnautica 2, while PlayStation gift card purchases reached record levels during the Grand Theft Auto VI pre-sale period.

The data adds to evidence that spending on games is becoming more evenly spread across the calendar rather than centred on a single release date. Consumers appear to be using prepaid credit to budget ahead for major titles while continuing to spend on recurring services and smaller digital purchases.

Spending habits

That trend matters for publishers, retailers and digital marketplaces because it can smooth demand beyond launch windows and seasonal peaks. It also suggests prepaid products are becoming a more prominent route into digital storefronts and subscription ecosystems.

Katarzyna Jakubiec, Chief Business Officer at G2A.COM, outlined the company’s view of the shift in player behaviour.

“The sharp growth in gaming gift card purchases shows how player behaviour is changing and how consumers are engaging with digital entertainment. Gaming is no longer defined by a single purchase at launch. Players are planning around a broader mix of experiences, from downloadable content and subscriptions to seasonal releases and in-game items. Gift cards support that shift by giving consumers greater control. They help players set a budget, choose when to spend and decide whether to put that value towards a major release, additional content or ongoing services. That flexibility is becoming increasingly important as gaming evolves into year-round entertainment. As blockbuster releases and peak shopping periods approach, we expect gaming gift cards to play an even bigger role in how consumers manage digital entertainment spending. The growth we’re seeing in both the UK and globally reflects a broader move towards choice, convenience and trusted access,” Jakubiec said.

G2A.COM serves more than 35 million users across 180 countries and recorded more than 200 million visits in 2025. Its marketplace lists over 125,000 digital products spanning games, downloadable content, in-game items, gift cards, subscriptions, software and e-learning.

The latest figures show prepaid gaming products gaining ground as both a budgeting tool and a payment option. In the UK, where purchases of gaming gift cards nearly doubled in the first half, the pattern was more pronounced than the global average.

Major plans to knock down Suffolk House in Summertown and replace it with a student block have been submitted to the city council amid warnings of an Oxford housing “crisis”.

It follows recent approvals to increase student room numbers in city centre accommodation and at a new 250-room Headington graduate college.

The Banbury Road site is the location of several independent businesses, and representatives have warned the “major local concern is that this will be lost”.

The 1930s building, originally a garage and converted into shops in the 1970s, currently houses Kopitiam restaurant, Pen to Paper stationery store, Idlewild hair salon, Burnout BBQ, Yoga Venue, Mathasium tutoring, as well as Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores, with the area’s only ATMs.

Suffolk House, Summertown (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

Suffolk House in the 80s (Image: TSH architects/planning portal)

Suffolk house in the 50s (Image: TSH architects/planning portal)

Proposals said: “The new mixed-use building will make a positive contribution to the surrounding streetscape, creating a more attractive and welcoming environment.

“Flexible ground-floor retail units will provide modern shop spaces with active frontages that support the vitality of Summertown district centre, while new residents above will increase footfall throughout the day and evening.”

CGI images of the proposed Suffolk House development (Image: TSH Architects)

An aerial view of the proposed building (Image: TSH Architects)

Street view of the proposed development from Caffe Nero (Image: TSH Architects)

New plans would retain four retail spaces, a reduction from the current seven and the six originally suggested to residents in a developer consultation ahead of its planning application.

In its proposal, TSH architects, on behalf of developers Brydell Partners, state that the current shops are constrained by the quality of the building, making the spaces ‘dated and enclosed’ with low ceilings.

It claims the new premises would be designed flexibly to meet the needs of “existing retailers, independent businesses and national brands”.

This is disputed by business owners and workers who say they are facing the possibility of an “expensive” relocation and years of closure if the redevelopment is approved.

Andy Morse, owner of Pen To Paper, a stationery store which has been at Suffolk House for 35 years, said: “If the planning application goes through then, sometime before works will commence, we will be out of our unit.”

Pen to Paper at Suffolk House, Summertown (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

Andy, owner of Debbie at Pen to Paper (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

He explained the potential for relocation would be dependent on the availability of a different local site, adding that “moving, fitting and opening a new shop is a very expensive operation”.

Andy described a “decades-long friendship” with customers, who he says have been “brilliantly supportive” amid the potential for the shops’ demolition.

He said some of the customers knew about the plans before they did, and the store had received “no advance warning” from its landlords.

The shop owner acknowledged that the old building needs “regeneration”, and it has been on the cards for around five years.

He does not believe student housing is the right use of the space with that “regeneration”.

He said: “Nothing against students, but I think the council should be providing more housing opportunities for local people.

“Particularly young people and new families who want to live in their local community.”

Plans state: “The objective of the proposed redevelopment is to provide new purpose-built student accommodation, above commercial retail spaces, in the district centre at the corner of Banbury Road and South Parade.”

Shop manager Debbie has been working for Pen to Paper for 23 years, previously at its Headington store, which closed in 2022 – has been in Summertown for four.

She believes the loss of the store is “not good for the community”, adding they will be “losing a lot”.

Debbie said: “All the feedback we have had is very negative and against it going through.”

Employees at other units shared concerns, including at Mathnasium, which would also have to relocate.

Robyn Hardyman lives at a neighbouring property and believes the new building would be “just to big for the site” and warned of “severe repercussions” for locals with the loss of the supermarkets.

Opposing the plans, she said: “If there is no supermarket here there will be very severe repercussions: residents will be massively adversely impacted, plus footfall in Summertown will fall dramatically and all local businesses will suffer.

“At the consultation meeting the developer told us they were doubtful about having supermarkets here.

“This must be guaranteed in some way before the project goes any further.”

Robyn added: “This is the most significant development in Summertown in a generation. It is so important to get it right, for local residents, for local businesses, and for the wider community.

“This massive overdevelopment imposes too heavily on local infrastructure, while offering nothing for our community, and is not the solution.”

Katherine Miles, Lib Dem city council leader and ward representative, said the local businesses “play a vital part to the local economy and add to the cherished character of Summertown”.

Katherine Miles at Suffolk House (Image: Supplied)

She said: “Support is needed for these businesses during the upgrade of the retail space to ensure they can survive this disruption and be assured of retail space when the development is complete.”

Employees reported being told the block could take two to three years to be built.

Ms Miles called the plans a “wasted opportunity”, explaining she would want to see “more housing for older people wanting to downsize from family homes and remain walking distance from the shops, library and GP surgery”, adding Summertown is “crying out for housing for young professionals such as teachers and healthcare workers”.

Labour Summertown county councillor Dr James Fry said: “The Suffolk House site in its prominent corner site on Banbury Road is clearly ripe for redevelopment.

“The major local concern is that this will be lost to student housing, with a large number of small units, rather than being used to provide very badly needed housing to meet our housing shortage for people in the city.”

He said use as a 100 per cent student block is “compounding the resentment” as the developers would not be required to offer affordable housing.

He noted the loss of ATM machines, would be “reinforcing Summertown’s unenviable reputation as an ATM, bank and post office desert” and could “greatly magnify the problem”.

Dr Fry is calling for a joint bank-post office hub in the area.

A spokesperson for Brydell Partners said the developers have already undertaken a “comprehensive programme of engagement” on plans “including discussions with existing tenants, local community groups, elected representatives and other stakeholders”.

They said the discussions are ongoing about the future for businesses in Suffolk House and proposals would “transform a dated and underutilised building” incorporating feedback.

The spokesperson added: “It is our intention is to retain supermarket provision within any future scheme, subject to the future priorities of supermarket operators.”