UK firms axe PR and consulting spend as AI tools muscle in Business British businesses are shelving spending on public relations and consultancy firms as they embrace the capabilities of PR tools, according to City AM’s latest Business Spend Pulse. The share of UK firms who spent money on management consultants and PR services fell sharply in September to just 4.2 per cent, despite an overall 3.1 per [...]
End the non-competes! Tech bosses warn ‘unfair’ rules are choking UK growth Tech Some of Britain’s leading tech founders have called on the government to tear up “unfair” employment restrictions they say are choking growth and leaving UK startups struggling to compete with Silicon Valley. The bosses of Elevenlabs, Synthesia, Fuse Energy and a string of British AI startups have signed an open letter published on Tuesday demanding [...]
Natwest makes first VC fund bet in push to back British tech Tech Natwest has made its first direct investment into an independently managed venture capital fund, joining a push by some of Britain’s biggest financial institutions to funnel more domestic money into UK tech companies. The banking giant is investing across top venture capital firm Phoenix Court’s Localglobe, Latitude and Solar funds, which back companies from their [...]
Investors fret as UK fintech chief bows out September 9, 2026 Lisa Jacobs has overseen a tumultuous time at the helm of London-listed fintech Funding Circle. After she announced plans for her exit, Samuel Norman takes a look at Jacobs’ tenure in this week’s column. As she announced plans to bow out from fintech firm Funding Circle on Tuesday, Lisa Jacobs was desperate to play down [...]
UK firms slash consulting spend amid rising AI adoption September 8, 2026 British businesses are paring back their spending on consulting firms as they turn to AI for problem-solving, according to City AM’s new Business Spend Pulse. Median spending on consulting fees fell by 1.9 per cent in August compared to last year, the tracker found, despite an overall 2.2 per cent increase in corporate spending. That [...]
Funding Circle boss bows out as fintech lifts profit forecast September 8, 2026 The boss of small business lender Funding Circle has laid out plans for her departure as the fintech lifted its profit forecast for the year ahead. Lisa Jacobs, who has led the firm since 2022, will step down as chief executive by “no later than September 2027,” the firm said on Tuesday. The fintech chief [...]
UK government slashes corporate red tape, cutting paperwork ‘longer than The Hobbit’ September 7, 2026 Ministers have announced sweeping reforms to corporate reporting, aiming to save businesses over £450m annually by ditching “Hobbit-length” paperwork. Under the overhaul, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including local family firms, will be exempt from certain reporting forms and audits, aiming to save businesses thousands of pounds and hours of administrative work. The Department for [...]
UK fintech Allica Bank looks to crack European market August 31, 2026 Allica Bank is laying the groundwork to expand into the European market after becoming one of the fastest-growing fintech unicorns in the UK. The small business lender has applied for a banking licence in Sweden initiating its first move into a new market beyond its homeland. The submission to the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, known [...]
AI startup raises $20m to build ‘digital twins’ of office workers August 20, 2026 An AI startup that creates digital replicas of employees has raised $20m (£15m) as investors bet that technology used to model factories and machinery can be applied to office workers. Twin1 AI emerged from “stealth” on Thursday after securing seed funding in a round co-led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Tribeca Venture Partners and Aramco Ventures. [...]
Anthropic subscriptions overtake OpenAI in the UK, fresh data suggests August 14, 2026 Spending on Anthropic subscriptions has overtaken OpenAI in the UK for the first time, fresh data suggests, as the firm’s focus on enterprise customers helped boost its revenues. Anthropic accounted for as much as 54 per cent of all UK business spending on AI firms in the three months to July, compared to just 27 [...]