Diploma: Shares in FTSE 100 giant boom after profit upgrade March 18, 2026 Shares in specialist tech supplier Diploma boomed on Wednesday morning after the group slapped a hefty upgrade on its financial targets for 2026. The firm’s stock was up as much as 15 per cent on open to 5,771.06p. It came as the FTSE 100 giant said it expects revenue growth to come in at nine [...]
Data mining exposes the tension between EU alignment and AI ambition March 18, 2026 When the EU sets rules that shape markets, supply chains and legal risk, the UK faces a choice: align, diverge, or drift. Too often, we drift. Text and data mining provides a neat example of how this drift might undermine our ambitions in AI, says Anand Menon For some people at least, Brexit was about [...]
Is the motor finance scandal making City banks trim the fat? March 18, 2026 The motor finance scandal is reshaping the banking sector, in this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at how lenders are responding. In the fallout of the multi-billion pound motor finance scandal, bank bosses are getting their house in order. The landmark saga, which began with the UK’s financial watchdog’s review into the market [...]
Reeves AI push risks outpacing delivery, industry warns March 17, 2026 Rachel Reeves’s attempt to put AI at the centre of the UK’s growth strategy has drawn a broadly positive response from business, yet also exposed a series of gaps that could limit how quickly that ambition translates into real economic gains. In her Mais Lecture, the chancellor will pledge to deliver the “fastest AI adoption [...]
Is AI the future of work? March 17, 2026 Technology leaders say artificial intelligence (AI) is the future of work, but the reality for business leaders is more complicated. The world of work is clearly moving in this direction, as the government recently announced plans to offer free training to British adults on how to effectively use AI in their work. But researchers have [...]
Reeves vows UK will ‘beat G7 at AI adoption’ as she searches for growth agenda March 16, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will promise that the UK will beat G7 counterparts in adopting AI over the coming years with fresh investment set to focus on quantum computing and researchers specialising in healthcare, clean energy and national security. In a speech on Tuesday afternoon, Reeves is expected to set out the government’s AI ambitions to [...]
Bank of England: We can’t eliminate bias in AI March 16, 2026 A top boss at the Bank of England has warned the use of artificial intelligence programs will never be bias-free and instead users must be aware of the risk. Jem Davis, chief compliance officer at the Bank of England, said: “My view is you’re probably not going to be able to eliminate bias completely, but [...]
UK banking sector faces ‘AI-washing’ legal warning March 16, 2026 The UK’s banking sector is facing a new wave of regulatory AI warnings as bullish lenders race to rapidly beef up their tech capacity. Rosehana Amin, cyber and litigation partner at Clyde & Co LLP, warned banks may face a significant legal liability over misleading markets over their use of AI. Speaking at the City [...]
HPE leans on Juniper deal as AI drives demand for faster networks March 12, 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is trying to prove that its $14bn (£10.45bn) takeover of Juniper Networks is already translating into momentum in one of the most competitive corners of the AI infrastructure market. Speaking at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Rami Rahim, the former Juniper chief executive who now runs HPE’s networking business, told [...]
Shawbrook shares dive after profit jump on bullish AI plans March 12, 2026 Shawbrook Bank reported a jump in profit for the last year in its first set of first set of financial results since its landmark IPO in October. The London-listed bank reported a pre-tax profit of £340.5m, up from £293.8m the year prior as costs tumbled and the group’s loan book swelled. Still, the firm’s shares [...]