Investor visa proposed by Labour-aligned think tank Politics Investor visas should be offered to 100 applicants each year, who would offer £3m in an upfront cash injection in return for residency rights in the UK, a think tank favoured by Labour has said. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which has had a number of policy recommendations adopted by Labour, said the [...]
Patent cliff fuels Novartis’ $1.5bn swoop for London biotech Healthcare Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has agreed to buy London-based biotech Myricx Bio for up to $1.5bn (£1.1bn) as global drugmakers continue deploying billions into promising biotech firms ahead of an estimated $450bn wave of patent expiries over the next decade. The deal will see Novartis pay $1.1bn upfront, with a further $400m tied to development [...]
Government-backed ESG reporting platform put up for sale as firms backtrack on eco-goals Business An ESG reporting platform backed by the government-owned British Business Bank has been put up for sale after appointing administrators, City AM can reveal, in the latest sign blue-chip companies are paring back their sustainability commitments. World Wide Generation, which operates the platform, known as G17 Eco, has opened the bidding to interested parties and [...]
Allica lands £350m in British Business Bank scheme aimed at fintechs May 15, 2026 Allica Bank has bagged lending backing from the UK’s state-owned economic development bank, in a scheme designed to bolster high-growth challengers that lend to small businesses. The London-based fintech – which sealed its status as a $1bn unicorn earlier this year – has landed £350m in the British Business Bank’s ENABLE Guarantee scheme, City AM [...]
Wayve lands AMD, Arm and Qualcomm cash as UK self-driving push gathers pace April 15, 2026 British autonomous driving firm Wayve has secured a further $60m (£44.2m) from chip giants AMD, Arm and Qualcomm Ventures, as it pushes to get its AI driving software into production vehicles. The fresh backing adds more heavyweight silicon names to Wayve’s investor roster and comes just weeks after the London-based company raised $1.2bn at a [...]
Public finance bodies need more clarity, says boss of Reeves’ wealth fund January 28, 2026 The boss of Rachel Reeves’ flagship wealth fund has admitted British entrepreneurs want more clarity across public finance bodies as concerns rise over the growing number of institutions. Former RBS boss Oliver Holbourn, who the Chancellor appointed last July to lead the National Wealth Fund (NWF), said “people want more confidence in who they’re going [...]
Investor hits out at Peter Kyle for ‘picking winners’ January 24, 2026 Business secretary Peter Kyle has come under fire over his admission the government would be “picking winners” across the UK economy. The former Gail’s and Pizza Express investor Luke Johnson hit out at Kyle’s “arrogance and equal measure” for comments on the Labour government’s approach to investment. On Friday, Kyle spoke out about the government’s [...]
Greg Jackson: London IPO a ‘no brainer’ if capital flows reverse January 19, 2026 Octopus chief Greg Jackson has said choosing London as the destination for the blockbuster IPO of tech spin-off Kraken would be a “no brainer” if the exchange maintains its world-leading performance in 2025 and demonstrates it can lure fresh capital into the UK. In the biggest signal yet that the firm may select London over [...]
Hackney tops London’s entrepreneurial boroughs for startup loans January 12, 2026 Startup founders in Hackney racked up the highest volume of loans in London as fleets of British entrepreneurs launched their business in the capital. Some 1,309 loans were taken out by founders in Hackney through the Start Up Loans initiative since its launch in 2012 topping £11.4m in value. The borough has benefitted from being [...]
Reeves’ £28bn wealth fund under fresh scrutiny November 13, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ flagship National Wealth Fund has come under scrutiny after an audit identified “weaknesses” in the multi-billion pound vehicle’s risk controls. An audit of the National Wealth Fund (NWF) pointed to potential failures in the effectiveness of risk, management, governance and internal controls. Whilst the findings from the report confirmed “improvements have taken place”, [...]