Hopefully, the New Year has started well for you. Has it started well for the economy? Recent insolvency numbers suggest not, and we are now in a "mild" recession, whatever that is! Inflation is not falling as fast as some had hoped and interest rates are yet to reduce.

This financial squeeze is particularly being felt by government funded, and dependent, entities where there is a gap between the funding available and the funding required.

We therefore look at the need and effects of that funding gap on various sectors. Matthew Atkinson and Faye Dunn give us interesting insights into the current financial distress in the higher education sector and what central assistance is required.

Cathryn Williams and Paul Muscutt from Crowell & Moring consider finance shortfalls in the charity sector and Frances Coulson looks at how funding shortages are creating issues in the discovery of fraud and the processes needed to recover the proceeds of those crimes.

Carmel King from Grant Thornton looks at the challenge of applying insolvency law to the fast moving world of cryptocurrency, while our offshore focus this edition is on Cyprus and Stephen Michaelides and Darren Reeds of Grant Thornton look at how insolvency processes have evolved following the last financial crisis.

In other features in this edition, Gary Hargreaves at FRP Advisory, and Lucy Corner at Cornerstone Care Solutions look at the challenges for turnaround in the care home sector.

Armando Nardo of Teneo looks at the challenges of ever increasing amounts of data for insolvency practitioners in respect of investigations.
And finally, Rob Peck from Official Receiver Services explains the Insolvency Service's new aftercare function team.