Third of young Brits brew business ideas at the pub February 18, 2026 A third of young Brits have come up with a business idea over a pint at their local boozer, new research has revealed. Brits are finding unlikely entrepreneurial inspiration in pubs as 18 per cent of all people in the UK have had a light-bulb business moment here, according to new polling by GoDaddy. This [...]
LIV Golf teams up with Open Championship chiefs the R&A February 18, 2026 LIV Golf has announced a collaboration with the R&A, organisers of the Open Championship, and the USGA, which runs the US Open. The global circuit, which features stars such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and 2022 Open winner Cameron Smith, has engaged the R&A’s Sustainable Agronomy Service and the USGA’s Green Section to consult on [...]
Takaichi’s gamble paid off, but can she keep investor interest high? February 18, 2026 Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, roared to victory last week in the biggest landslide election win in postwar history, with voters encouraged by her pledges to revitalise the tired economy. Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 seats, more than two-thirds of seats in parliament’s lower house, granting the prime minister a ‘super-majority’. [...]
Dropping of post-Brexit trade border project will cost UK growth February 18, 2026 Scrapping plans for the single trade window, a post-Brexit project to make trading frictionless, is strategically short-sighted.
Scotch whisky makers look to India amidst Trump tariff worries February 18, 2026 Scotch whisky makers selling into the US faced a challenging year as a result of Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to new figures, but many distilleries spy a long term opportunity in India. Figures out last week from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) showed that the value of Scotch exports to the US declined by four [...]
Carmakers to skirt a crash in £11bn motor finance redress February 18, 2026 UK carmakers are set to curb a hefty hit in the City regulator’s forthcoming redress scheme for the motor finance scandal. Captive lenders, in-house lenders of manufacturers, are to be granted some reprieve by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) after relentless lobbying that the scheme could hamper investment in the UK. The FCA was forced [...]
Exclusive: Fintech unicorns lukewarm on Reeves’ stamp duty holiday February 18, 2026 Two of Britain’s most exciting IPO candidates have told peers that the Treasury’s recent overhaul of stamp duty on shares will not be enough to convince them to list in London, City AM can reveal. Payments giant Zilch and banking software provider Thought Machine both used a recent meeting of industry heavyweights to raise concerns [...]
BAE Systems rides defence wave to dividend boost and record results February 18, 2026 BAE Systems shareholders are set for a pay bump as the London-listed group has benefited from the wave of increased global defence spending. Sales at Europe’s largest defence contractor rose 10 per cent to a record £30.7bn, while underlying profit grew 12 per cent to £3.3bn. The group saw its total order backlog reach a [...]
Inflation eases to three per cent boosting interest rate cut hopes February 18, 2026 Inflation fell to its lowest level in nearly a year last month, new figures show, giving a further boost to hopes that the Bank of England will cut interest rates in March. The headline rate dipped to 3.0 per cent in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), down from 3.4 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Inflation falls to near year-low; BAE leads stock rally February 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Inflation has fallen to a near year-low this morning hitting its slowest pace since March and fuelling hopes that the Bank of England will take the chop to interest rates next month. New data from the Official for National Statistics showed rose the Consumer Price [...]