WPP shares jump as embattled advertiser draws takeover interest November 17, 2025 Shares in advertising giant WPP soared as markets opened on Monday following reports the firm was the subject of takeover interest. The FTSE 100 group is said to be in the centre of deals chatter with interest from French rival Havas, as well as private equity firms Apollo and KKR. WPP soared ten per cent [...]
Tech tailwinds boost Polar Capital as AI bubble balloons November 17, 2025 Asset manager Polar Capital reported a surge in earnings after the firm’s “meaningful exposure” to tech stocks provided a hefty tailwind. The London-listed business recorded a 21 per cent jump in pre-tax profit to £27.9m, this was up from £23.1m just last year. Whilst outflows soared to £690m, including a significant £632m concentrated in the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Budget and bubbles continue to set agenda November 17, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. We are now just over a week out from the Labour government’s second Budget and last week rogue Westminster briefings sent ripples through markets. After continuous weeks and media outings teasing a manifesto-breaking income tax hike, the government rowed back with several reports pointing to [...]
Three Budget pleas from a tech entrepreneur November 17, 2025 With a few key measures, the government could could demonstrate that it's behind entrepreneurs this Budget, writes John Cotterell.
New PE-backed consultancy launches with aim to fix ‘broken” system November 17, 2025 A new, AI-native consultancy firm has launched to address what its founders call the “broken” model of traditional consultancies, which they argue is costing businesses billions for ineffective AI projects. Backed by $15m (£11.4m) in private equity funding from NY-based Siguler Guff, UK-headquartered Valliance launches its “radical new model” of charging based on value delivered, [...]
Squint hard enough and you can see signs of the AI bubble bursting November 13, 2025 Is the AI bubble bursting? Naturally, most eyes are on the movements of the world’s biggest tech firms – the OpenAIs, the Microsofts, the Nvidias. These are, after all, where a large share of AI investment has been deployed. But for the earliest tell-tale signs, it’s worth looking a lot further down the food chain. [...]
How did South Korea clinch the top spot in global markets? November 13, 2025 Stock markets across the globe have shrugged off months of geopolitical and economic turmoil with all major indexes rallying since the start of the year. The FTSE has risen 19.8 per cent since January, hitting record highs,while the Nasdaq has jumped 21.7 per cent buoyed by the AI boom, and Japan’s Nikkei 255 reaped the [...]
AI-powered regtech lands £2.1m to help banks dodge FCA fines November 13, 2025 An AI-powered regulation tech firm has landed £2.1m in funding to help banks avoid getting fines from the City watchdog. Adclear, which uses software to ensure lenders’ books are in order, has capped off a funding round which has included backing from Clearscore founder Dan Cobley and Coinbase’s UK managing director Keith Grose. With Adclear’s [...]
AI becomes UK businesses’ first line of defence amid regulatory uncertainty November 12, 2025 AI has moved from an experiment to the primary ‘first line of defence’ for UK businesses facing regulatory scrutiny and operational uncertainty. According to new data from consultancy firm Elixirr, nearly half of UK businesses stated that all resilience-focused investment now flows to technology and AI. This comes as an overwhelming number of UK business [...]
ICO urges transparency as AI transforms UK recruitment November 12, 2025 AI is rapidly reshaping recruitment in the UK, yielding companies unprecedented efficiency gains; however, regulators are warning that these benefits must be balanced with fairness and transparency to maintain public trust. William Malcolm, executive director of regulatory risk and innovation at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), explained at Tuesday’s AI regulation summit: “We want organisations [...]