Thousands of people in the deprived borough of Tower Hamlets could be forced into the hands of loan sharks if the council’s eviction of a successful social lender goes ahead. Read more by Gemma Hampson

Small business owners in the UK are turning to microfinance, a system of credit more readily associated with helping people in developing countries escape poverty, as a result of high street banks continuing to refuse loan applications. Read more By Jonathan Moules, enterprise correspondent