Brewdog faces hangover from ‘punk’ investment model February 17, 2026 Once offering a craft beer revolution to its “punk” investors, Brewdog’s likely sale has angered some of its thousands of small-scale shareholders and could see the brand’s elements be flogged off in segments. The UK’s largest independent brewer kickstarted the country’s craft beer obsession and challenged traditional financing models by offering cheap shares to consumers. [...]
Robert Jenrick clinches Treasury brief as Reform reveals ‘shadow cabinet’ February 17, 2026 Robert Jenrick will spearhead Reform UK’s bid to woo the City and project fiscal responsibility after the recent-defector beat peers to the party’s ‘shadow’ Treasury brief. The Newark MP – who defected to the Nigel Farage’s turquoise tribe in January – was unveiled as the Reform party’s ‘shadow chancellor’ as Farage appointed a host of [...]
Labour’s employment legislation and national insurance blamed for rising joblessness February 17, 2026 National insurance hikes and the employment rights act mean businesses are being forced to cut back on hiring, business leaders and analysts have said. The labour market continued to loosen at the end of last year, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, with unemployment climbing to 5.2 per cent between October and [...]
Hamilton Lane’s Erik Hirsch: We’re seeing a private credit witch hunt February 17, 2026 Depending on which central banking chief you talk to, the burgeoning private credit industry is either a cause of insomnia, a “dark corner” of finance or an arcane lending practice whose participants are behaving like bankers in the run-up to the global financial crisis. To Hamilton Lane boss Erik Hirsch, though, it is simply an [...]
Milano Cortina Winter Olympics: How much is a gold medal worth? February 17, 2026 Top City insurers have revealed the value of a Milano Cortina Winter Olympics gold medal as Britain enjoys a flurry of top gongs so far in Italy. Matt Weston has picked up two gold medals in the skeleton, one of which was in the mixed team sliding event with compatriot Tabitha Stoecker. And duo Charlotte [...]
Antofagasta’s shares dip despite soaring revenue February 17, 2026 London listed Mining company Antofagasta saw its share’s dip in early morning trading despite reporting a rise in revenue, driven by increased commodity prices and booming demand. The Chilean based group recorded a 30 per cent jump in revenue to $8.6bn (£6.3bn), reflecting copper prices reaching record highs in 2025, coupled with the rising prices [...]
Debenhams shares plunge after £35m capital raise confirmed February 17, 2026 Debenhams shares plunged ten per cent in early deals after the struggling fashion group confirmed plans to launch a £35m equity raising round. The group’s board said the fundraise will allow it to complete its resurgence but the plans did little to calm investors as its share price tumbled on the Tuesday open. Debenhams Group, [...]
Lloyds offloads Scottish Widows Europe in £100m deal February 17, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group has offloaded its European life insurance business to FTSE 250 firm Chesnara in the latter’s second major deal with a UK bank. The FTSE 100 banking giant – which posted a hefty profit jump last month for the 2025 financial year – has inked a €110m (£96m) deal with Chesnara for Luxembourg-based [...]
Unemployment hits post-pandemic high as wage growth slips February 17, 2026 The labour market continued to loosen in the final quarter of last year, official figures show, with wage growth easing and unemployment climbing steadily higher. The rate of joblessness crept up to 5.2 per cent between October and December, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the highest level since early 2021 and slightly [...]
CLIQ: The app combating loneliness is growing its network February 17, 2026 After living in Australia for a period of time, Nicola Gunby and Jason Iliffe wanted to find a community of friends upon moving to London post pandemic, but like many others moving to the capital, they found themselves isolated in one of the world’s busiest cities. Frustrated by a lack of meaningful ways to meet [...]