The great high street outage of 2025 December 24, 2025 On paper, British high streets have seen worse. Footfall has survived recessions, pandemics and price shocks before, and tills were just about still ringing. But this year it flickered, stalled and, in some cases, went dark – brought to its knees by a wave of cyber attacks that exposed the fragility of retail in the [...]
Regulators show their teeth – financial services fines in 2025 December 24, 2025 UK watchdogs sharpened their sword in 2025 and slapped a handful of financial services firms with hefty fines and a thorough dressing down. In just under a week alone in July, the Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England handed out £74.9m worth of fines to a trio of financial services giants. But it was [...]
Jump in winter sun breaks as wealthy Brits prioritise wellness December 23, 2025 Wealthy Brits are flocking to sunny hotspots abroad over the Christmas season with wellness among the top priorities for holidaymakers, fresh data has found. More than one in three (34 per cent) Britons say they plan to travel abroad this winter for a warmer escape, according to survey data compiled by Four Seasons, with almost [...]
Exclusive: NBA Europe to woo sponsors at swanky London summit next month December 23, 2025 The NBA will roll out the red carpet for a sales pitch to potential commercial partners of its proposed new European basketball league next month in London. Senior executives from the US sports behemoth will host the event at one of the capital’s swankiest hotels on 19 January, the day after the Memphis Grizzlies and [...]
Serie A overseas game cancellation is early Christmas present, say football fans December 23, 2025 Football fans’ groups across the world have celebrated the cancellation of plans to export a Serie A match between AC Milan and Como overseas just weeks before the fixture. Milan and Como had been due to fly halfway around the world to play in Perth, Australia, on 8 February, in what would have been a [...]
Labour U-turns on inheritance tax raid after year of farmer protests December 23, 2025 The Labour government will raise the inheritance tax relief threshold for farms in another dramatic U-turn following a year of backlash from rural communities. On Tuesday, the Treasury and Department for Food and Rural Affairs said it would increase the Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs threshold to £2.5m from £1m when it is introduced in [...]
Bet365 boss banks £260m payout despite profit slide December 23, 2025 Billionaire founder and chief executive of Bet365, Denise Coates, saw her pay surge last year, despite the firm’s profit going south. Coates was paid a salary of £104m in the year to March, according to newly filed accounts, while cash dividends to family shareholders tripled to £313.6m. As the firm’s majority owner, Coates was entitled [...]
Hedge fund tycoon Alan Howard quits UK for Switzerland December 23, 2025 The co-founder of Brevan Howard Asset Management, Alan Howard, is the latest wealthy individual to exit the UK following tax hikes imposed by the Labour government. The hedge fund tycoon relocated from Britain to Switzerland in early June, according to an analysis of UK registry filings by Bloomberg. Howard had previously moved from London to [...]
Quant firm G-Research owner pays out £106m in wages to 49 staff December 23, 2025 A parent company to secretive quant trading firm G-Research has posted a £106m wage bill to pay its 49 staff over eight months, the firm’s latest accounts show. Braunford LLP, which was incorporated last year for “the provision of staff and agent services” and shares an address with G-Research, has posted its inaugural set of [...]
Wrexham-based Chetwood Bank takes on London rivals with £1bn jump in deposits December 23, 2025 Chetwood Bank has seen a near-£1bn jump in customer deposits as the Wrexham-based business wrestled market share from London fintech rivals. The Welsh digital bank, owned by US investment fund Elliott, posted a £960m increase in customer deposits in the year to March, bringing them to £3.8bn, a rise of just over a third, according [...]