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Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The AIIB will support access to finance for infrastructureprojects across Asia to boost investment across a range of sectors including transportation,energy, telecommunication, agriculture and urban development. Subject to agreement by theexisting prospective founder members, the government will join discussions to agree the AIIB’sArticles of Agreement, governance and accountability arrangements.1.199 The government is committed to helping the best businesses access the finance theyneed to grow. To improve access to finance for smaller firms, the British Business Bank islaunching a pilot ‘Help to Grow’ programme to increase the supply of growth loansto firms that need between £500,000 and £2 million to achieve their potential.Budget 2015 announces a request for proposals to deliver the pilot, which will facilitateup to £100 million of finance for growing businesses.1.200 The government will make amendments to the Seed Enterprise InvestmentScheme (SEIS), Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs)to ensure that the UK continues to offer significant and well-targeted supportfor investment into small and growing companies, in line with new EU rules. Thegovernment will, subject to state aid approval:••require that companies must be less than 12 years old when receiving their firstEIS or VCT investment, except where the investment will lead to a substantialchange in the company’s activity••introduce a cap on total investment received under the tax-advantaged venturecapital schemes of £15 million, increasing to £20 million for knowledge-intensivecompanies••increase the employee limit for knowledge-intensive companies to 499 employees,from the current limit of 249 employees1.201 The government will also smooth the interactions between the schemes byremoving the requirement that 70% of the funds raised under SEIS must have beenspent before EIS or VCT funding can be raised.Competition1.202 Competition is a key driver of productivity and growth, and the government iscommitted to improving the functioning of markets. The government will take forwardCompetition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommendations, and other actionsagreed with the CMA, to improve the market for residential property managementservices (RPMS). These changes will make tangible improvements in the RPMS market to thebenefit of both leaseholders and landlords. The government will also support customersto make informed choices in other key markets, by developing improved guidance so thatsupermarkets can unit price most everyday items consistently, and by improving information forSMEs on access to legal services.1.203 The government is determined to drive increased competition in the banking market, sothat banks, alternative providers and financial technology (FinTech) firms compete vigorously,on a level playing field, to win and retain customers. Budget 2015 announces a packageof measures to further support competition in banking, details of which have beenpublished separately in ‘Banking for the 21 st Century: driving competition and choice’. 97 Thelead measures in this package set out the government’s approach to establishing a supportiveframework for legitimate digital currency businesses and helping FinTech firms gain access tobanking data.97‘Banking for the 21 st Century: driving competition and choice’, HM Treasury, March 201552 Budget 2015