Private equity deals bounce back after sluggish start to the year September 5, 2025 UK private equity deals bounced back in the later stage of the first half of 2025, as investors became increasingly optimistic about growth opportunities. The total deal value for UK private equity deals dropped 5.3 per cent to £55.7bn, broadly mirroring the rest of Europe, according to new analysis from financial data platform PitchBook. However, [...]
Savers race to withdraw pension lump sums over tax concerns September 5, 2025 UK pension savers rushed to withdraw their tax free cash over the past financial year, as they braced themselves for possible changes to tax rules on retirement funds. The amount withdrawn from UK pensions in tax-free lump sums rose more than 60 per cent in the 2024/25 financial year to £18.1bn, up from £11.25bn the [...]
M&A activity declines as investors opt for high-value deals September 5, 2025 UK merger and acquisition (M&A) activity declined in the first half of the year, as investors sought strategic deals amid market volatility. The total deal value of UK M&A declined 12.3 per cent from £65.3bn to £57.3bn according to a report from professional services group PwC. Deal volume also softened with just 1,478 transactions in the [...]
Investors flee equity funds as valuation concerns grow September 4, 2025 Equity funds experienced their worst month of outflows since August 2022 in August, as investors shifted their cash into bonds. UK investors withdrew a staggering £1.3bn from equity funds, following a withdrawal of £1.13bn in July, according to data from funds group Calastone. Edward Glyn, head of global markets at Calastone said, “This summer, stock [...]
London’s bullion market set to trial digital gold September 3, 2025 London’s physical gold market is on the verge of a major shake up, as the World Gold Council seeks to launch a digital form of the precious metal. The move would transform the capital’s $900bn (£672bn) market, creating the ability to trade, settle, and collateralise bullion digitally around the gold ecosystem for the first time. [...]
Is it time to add infrastructure to your portfolio? September 2, 2025 The UK has, for many years, consistently underinvested in infrastructure compared to its G7 peers. With flagship projects, the country has a terrible track record. In the past year, the long-awaited, controversial high-speed HS2 rail line saw its expansion into the north of England scrapped due to escalating costs. Meanwhile, the Lower Thames Crossing development [...]
Boost pension to avoid retirement poverty graduates warned September 1, 2025 Graduates entering the workforce have been urged to begin topping up their pension pot, as retirement poverty worries continue to loom large. Nearly 90 per cent of recent university graduates believe pension planning is important, but pressing financial matters have shifted their focus away from saving for retirement, according to research from insurance provider Standard [...]
Jubel CEO: ‘We’re doing something different and it’s working’ August 27, 2025 When CEO and founder of Jubel, Jesse Wilson, left his corporate role to create his own lager, he knew he wanted to carve out a peach-shaped niche in a saturated beer market. Since its launch in 2018, Jubel has reached that goal, with its trademark fruity lager on tap in nearly 1,500 pubs across the [...]
London businesses optimistic for future economic growth, KPMG says August 18, 2025 The vast majority of private business owners in London have recorded rocketing optimism about their growth prospects, but concerns surrounding the impact of inflation remain, according to the latest KPMG private enterprise barometer survey. Following a challenging first financial half of the year, with businesses hit with tariff turmoil and ongoing geopolitical tensions, confidence in [...]
Pay boost for finance chiefs as workload ramps up August 15, 2025 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are seeing their salaries soar as companies look to soften the blow of steadily increasing their workload. Nearly 80 per cent of finance chiefs received a rise in compensation in 2024, as their responsibilities continue to grow and intensify, according to exclusive research from financial operations platform, BlackLine. In recent years, [...]