Mastercard issues winding up petition against London fintech Guavapay Fintech Hundreds of jobs could be at risk as London fintech Guavapay faces a winding up petition from payments giant Mastercard over unpaid sums, City AM can reveal. The firm, which employs more than 500 staff and manages cross-border money transfers for individuals and businesses, was issued the notice on Christmas Eve, according to court filings [...]
Relief for fintech startups as government plans new short-term FCA licences Tech Fintech startups could be about to start trading much sooner after the government signalled plans to issue temporary licences in advance of getting full accreditation. Startups often suffer delays of months or even over a year as they wait for regulators at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to grant them authorisation, during which they burn [...]
Imperial College and Thomson Reuters bring AI lab to London Tech London is staking its claim as a world-leading hub for AI research with the announcement of a new Frontier AI Lab, a partnership between Imperial College London and Thomson Reuters. The lab promises to bring cutting-edge AI development, until now largely the preserve of a handful of tech giants, to the heart of Britain’s capital. [...]
Budget: Blow to investors and startups ‘hidden’ in small print November 26, 2025 A blow to investors and early-stage businesses has been revealed in the small print of Rachel Reeves‘ Budget. The tax relief available on venture capital trusts has been slashed, according to the full Budget document released by the Treasury following Reeves’s speech in the House of Commons. While the venture capital trusts’ annual and lifetime [...]
UK startup growth clashes with Labour’s immigration reforms November 20, 2025 More than half of Britain’s fastest-growing startups are founded by immigrants, as global talent continues to power the UK’s entrepreneurial engine even as ministers tighten migration rules. New analysis from the Entrepreneurs Network shows that 54 per cent of the UK’s top 100 fastest-growing companies have at least one foreign-born founder, a sharp rise from [...]
etn: Meet Europe’s answer to the live tech pod November 19, 2025 As the podcast market continues to gain traction and the tech sector swells, two young London-based operators, former startup operator Ronan Chambers and ex-investment associate Luke Knight, have launched a counter-offensive. Their venture, the European Technology Network (etn), takes the form of a live-streaming video podcast, built as the continent’s answer to the new media [...]
Government-backed bank fuels entrepreneurship for unemployed Brits November 4, 2025 The British Business Bank has announced that nearly £150m in loans has been handed to unemployed people to help them start their own businesses since 2012. The figure represents 22 per cent of all finance issued through the government-backed ‘start-up loans’ programme, which aims to support entrepreneurs who may find it difficult to secure funding [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves must focus on growth, not ‘gimmicks’ October 16, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the chief executive of founders club Helm calls for bold innovation policies took take centre stage. Chancellor Rachel Reeves should use her second Autumn Budget to make bolder swings for the UK’s innovation economy [...]
Mahmud Kamani-backed vertical farm collapses after failing to find a buyer October 3, 2025 A vertical farming group backed by the likes of Boohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamani has collapsed after being unable to find a buyer, owing creditors nearly £8m. London-based Vertical Future had raised more than £37m in capital since it was founded in 2016, courting high-profile investors including Kamani, Charles Tyrwhitt founder Nick Wheeler and World First [...]
UK ‘open for business’ as tech M&A surges October 2, 2025 The UK tech sector is experiencing a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), driven by a combination of domestic innovation, international investment and the rapid adoption of AI. “The UK is definitely open for business”, investment banker Victor Basta told City AM. “It has enormous talent, and for international companies, particularly those who can’t invest [...]