Government aid ‘worth £28bn’ handed to terrorists, criminals and hostile states Politics Billions of pounds of UK taxpayers’ money has been misspent as government aid and Covid relief funds ended up in the hands of terrorists, hostile states and criminal gangs, according to reports. A Cabinet Office dossier, unearthed by the Telegraph, found that more than £28bn ended up in the hands of the Islamic State and [...]
Wise shares plummet as money transfer firm faces fraud investigation Fintech Shares in money transfer firm Wise have plummeted this morning as the fintech faces an investigation over allegations its accounts have been used for criminal activity. Prosecutors in Belgium opened an investigation last year after discovering Wise accounts had been flagged in hundreds of international criminal requests that spanned over 30 European countries. The transactions [...]
EY coughs up over £100m to settle NMC Health court conflict Big Four Big Four giant EY is understood to have paid over £100m to settle a High Court claim brought by former FTSE 100 company NMC Health that collapsed during a fraud scandal. Both EY and the healthcare provider reached a confidential agreement in February to settle the claims, which were brought four years ago against EY for [...]
UK ministers tell UK businesses to ‘step up’ cyber defences May 12, 2026 Ministers have announced a new push to force firms to strengthen their cyber defences against AI-powered attacks, as Britain’s cyber industry has swelled to £14.7bn. According to new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) figures, Britain’s cyber sector saw a 11 per cent rise in the past twelve months, while the number of companies [...]
IMF warns AI cyberattacks could trigger global financial crisis May 8, 2026 Evermore sophisticated AI-powered cyberattacks could threaten the stability of the global financial system, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned, as regulators race to contain a new generation of threats. In their new report, the IMF said extreme cyber incidents could spark liquidity pressures and solvency concerns across banks and financial institutions. The lender warned [...]
City calls on tech firms to tackle Britain’s fraud epidemic May 8, 2026 The City of London Corporation is calling on tech firms to help build a new digital identity verification network, designed to crack down on fraud and reduce the growing costs of financial scams. Under the plans, shared with City AM, consumers would verify their identity once with a trusted provider before reusing those credentials across [...]
‘Wake-up call’ for UK financial firms as internal control failures drive £1bn fines April 24, 2026 UK financial services firms, which faced £1bn worth of fines since 2021 for internal control failings, should be “seriously concerned”, says the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (CIIA). More than half of the 97 Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) enforcement cases analysed by CIIA relate to firms “not getting the basics right”, with many linked [...]
UK payments system is deceptively complex March 25, 2026 Beneath every tap of your card is a complex web of payment systems you don't even notice – and we mustn't fall behind, writes Keith Douglas.
Mike Lynch estate blocked from appealing HPE damages ruling March 24, 2026 The estate of the late British tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been refused permission to appeal a High Court ruling that found him liable to pay damages to Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) over its acquisition of Autonomy. Lawyers acting for Lynch’s estate had sought to challenge the 2022 judgment, which held Lynch and Autonomy’s former [...]
FCA hands Palantir sensitive data in AI crime push March 23, 2026 Britain’s financial watchdog is turning to AI to hunt down fraud, raising security questions over who gets to see and use sensitive data. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has awarded Palantir a three-month contract to analyse its internal intelligence systems which notably contain highly sensitive case files, in a bid to sharpen fraud detection. The [...]