Atom chair: Big banks don’t know their role in economic growth August 20, 2025 The chair of digital bank Atom has slammed Britain’s banking giants for failing to drive the country’s economic ambitions. Lee Rochford, who had tenures at Virgin Money, RBS and BNP before Atom, said it was “increasingly unclear what role [top banks] are playing in driving better customer outcomes or supporting UK economic growth”. Chancellor Rachel [...]
No more interest rate cuts expected as inflation runs ‘miles above target’ August 20, 2025 No further interest rate cuts are expected to be made this year after inflation in the year to July was higher than economists forecast. Markets had priced in a 50 per cent chance of an interest rate cut being made at the Bank of England’s November meeting before fresh price growth data was published on [...]
Brits call for VPN ban for minors to curb Online Safety Act loopholes August 20, 2025 A majority of Britons believe children under 18 should be banned from using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) following a recent surge, a survey has found. Research from YouGov found that 55 per cent of the public supports a ban for minors, while only 20 per cent think they should be allowed to use them. This [...]
House prices recover after stamp duty hit August 20, 2025 House prices are rebounding from a post-April decline caused by Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ hike to stamp duty, official data has shown. The official house price index rose by 3.7 per cent in the year to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which was higher than 2.7 per cent growth seen in May. [...]
Port Ellen cheers 200th year with Distillers One of One donation August 20, 2025 Last year, after four decades of closure, the iconic Port Ellen distillery reopened its doors just in time for its 200th anniversary. And to celebrate, the distillery has donated a one-of-a-kind bottle to the Distillers One of One auction. The Islay distillery closed in the 1980s, one of many victims of a crash that decimated [...]
Databricks rides AI boom to $100bn after new funding August 20, 2025 Analytics platform Databricks has sealed a fresh funding round that is set to catapult its valuation over $100bn. The data and AI heavyweight has signed a term sheet for Series K Funding – a type of advanced, late-stage financing – which is expected to close shortly. Whilst details of the raise have not been disclosed [...]
Costain shares tumble after HS2 delays spark revenue slump August 20, 2025 Shares in Costain tumbled 13 per cent in the opening minutes of trade in London after the construction firm was hit by further delays to HS2. The Bishopsgate-based business said its overall revenue fell 17.8 per cent to £525m for the first six months of the year, of which revenue for its rail infrastructure services [...]
OSB’s profit plunges due to falling interest rates August 20, 2025 OneSavings Bank (OSB) recorded a hefty hit to profit for the first half of 2025 as lower interest rates took a chunk out of the group’s bottom line. The London-listed firm posted a 20 per cent decline in profit before tax, which fell to £192.3m in the first half. Net interest income (NII) fell five [...]
Rachel Reeves considers ‘mansion tax’ on homes above £1.5m August 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking at imposing capital gains tax on the sale of houses above £1.5m as she looks to fill a £40bn hole in the public finances. The change, which would likely happen at this year’s Autumn Budget, would see higher-rate taxpayers pay 24 per cent of the value of any gain they [...]
Inflation tops forecasts as food prices jump August 20, 2025 Inflation jumped in July, official data has suggested, creating a dilemma for Bank of England officials ahead of the central bank’s next policy meeting in September. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said consumer price index (CPI) inflation hit 3.8 per cent in the 12 months to July, which is on par with the Bank [...]