Why Hull KR and Brisbane Broncos turned down World Club Challenge payday in Qatar February 19, 2026 This evening in Hull one of the city’s namesake Super League teams takes on NRL champions Brisbane Broncos in the resurrected World Club Challenge rugby league match. The – usually – annual match has been played just twice since 2020 due to Covid-19 in 2021 and 2022 but was waived last year after Australian side [...]
Debenhams clinches equity raise after share price spook February 19, 2026 Debenhams Group successfully closed its equity fundraise above its initial £35m target despite a stock market spook which saw its shares drop by 20 per cent. The fashion group, which recently rebranded from Boohoo Group, had pitched the equity raise as central to its turnaround from significant struggles in recent years. Debenhams Group, which owns [...]
Global Counsel to be placed into administration February 19, 2026 Global Counsel’s 130 staff have been informed that the lobbying company founded by Peter Mandelson will be placed into administration as soon as tomorrow. City AM understands that despite a number of clients deciding to stay with the firm, the loss of business following the former US ambassador’s fall from grace has been substantial. A [...]
Tech CEO Daniel Callaghan: My first job was in a sports shop with Rachel Reeves February 19, 2026 We dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, the CEO of one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech firms, Daniel Callaghan.
Nearly 100 per cent of sport organisations plan to increase AI use February 19, 2026 Nearly 100 per cent of sports organisations plan to increase their use of AI in the next year, according to the 2026 Global SportsTech Report. The data comes as artificial intelligence’s presence across sport has increased monumentally over recent seasons. The study, undertaken by SportsPro and Sportradar using sports organisations across the industry, states that [...]
Big Tech buries billions in AI debt as bubble fears mount February 19, 2026 Meta is paying roughly $6.5bn (£4.82bn) in extra financing costs to keep $27bn of AI infrastructure borrowing off its balance sheet, a costly accounting choice that captures the mood in Big Tech’s race to build the pipes of AI without spooking investors. The arrangement, known as special purpose vehicle financing (SPV), allows an external entity [...]
Facial recognition trial at London Bridge sparks backlash from campaigners February 19, 2026 The British Transport Police’s new live facial recognition trial has barely begun at London Bridge, but activists are already expressing concerns over AI monitoring systems. Cameras went live at the station on 11 February as part of a six-month pilot set to identify people wanted for serious offences as they pass through major stations. The [...]
Klarna delivers $1bn quarter but shareholder returns take beating February 19, 2026 Klarna delivered a record quarter at the end of 2025, with revenue rocketing, but the firm reported a major slump in shareholder returns after its stock price took a bruising following its public debut. The Swedish fintech unicorn notched just north of $1bn (£743m) in revenue, marking a 38 per cent jump year-on-year as active [...]
Manufacturing woes deepen as output falls again February 19, 2026 The struggles afflicting Britain’s ailing manufacturing sector show no sign of reversing according to a closely watched poll, with industry participants reporting output volumes and order books had both continued to fall. According to the latest CBI industrial trends survey, production from the UK manufacturing sector fell by a weighted balance of 14 per cent [...]
Chesterfield FC bids to be pilot for Independent Football Regulator February 19, 2026 League Two club Chesterfield have offered to be a pilot club for the Independent Football Regulator to ensure their financial controls are aligned. It comes as the Spireites released their accounts to shareholders for their first season back in the football league after a six-year absence. Chesterfield cites that the club – sixth in the [...]