UK fintech: Can Britain’s booming sector conquer Europe and the US? June 1, 2025 UK fintechs have transformed the British banking landscape – and firms are fixing their eyes on international endeavours. Top names ballooned profits and customers bases over the last year whilst picking up a fleet of accolades. London-based Allica Bank was dubbed the UK’s fastest growing private company by The Times Hundred and Europe’s fastest growing start-up by Sifted. [...]
AI watchdog slams government over facial recognition rollout May 29, 2025 An artificial intelligence (AI) search body has criticised the UK government for accelerating the deployment of facial recognition technology without first establishing a comprehensive legal framework. The Ada Lovelace Institute has warned the increasing use of live facial recognition (LFR) by police and retailers across the UK is happening in a “legislative void”, raising urgent [...]
Google faces £25bn UK lawsuit over ad monopoly claims May 28, 2025 Google is facing a £25bn legal claim in the UK, as a new lawsuit accuses the tech giant of abusing its dominant position in the online search advertising market, driving up prices for UK advertisers over more than a decade. The claim, filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) and led by Roger Kaye KC, [...]
London slips from top smart centre spot May 28, 2025 London has lost its place as the world’s top hub for science and tech innovation after a sobering report warned of the City’s slipping global status. The UK’s capital fell behind San Francisco and Zurich which stormed ahead with a gain of 16 and 6 points respectively. Meanwhile, London’s rating shed three points as it [...]
The death of deep thinking: What generative AI is doing to your future team May 27, 2025 AI is reshaping education at a structural level, but the implications are beginning to show beyond lecture halls. Tools like ChatGPT become embedded in academic routines, students are increasingly outsourcing the work of ideation, synthesis and long-form writing to machines. What used to be learned slowly, through the hard graft of writing and revising, is [...]
London needs the Conservatives to restore its tech crown May 27, 2025 The Tories left London with more tech unicorns than France and Germany combined. Now Labour is quickly unravelling our legacy, writes Alan Mak MP.
Panel sessions and punk music: SXSW comes to London May 24, 2025 In the first week of June, the world’s largest tech, business and arts festival, SXSW, will make its European debut in Shoreditch. Ali Lyon asks its its chief executive, Max Alexander, why London, and why now? Of the many aspirations Max Alexander has for next month’s inaugural South by Southwest London, there is one which [...]
Paris vs London: which city comes out on top? May 22, 2025 Our front page story yesterday on Paris surging ahead of London in the rankings of tech sector hotspots got people talking, reigniting an ancient debate over the relationship – and rivalry – that exists between these two mighty capitals. Credit where it’s due; Paris has patiently built a deep and high-value tech sector. But it’s [...]
London loses Europe tech crown to Paris May 21, 2025 Paris has overtaken London as Europe’s leading tech hub for the first time, reigniting concerns over the competitiveness of the UK’s biggest city for a vital sector. The French capital has been named as the only non-US city in the world’s top five global ecosystems, according to Dealroom’s 2025 global tech ecosystem index, overturning years [...]
MPs grill Barclays on outages as HSBC raises cyber attack concerns May 20, 2025 Bank chiefs have said they are ramping up spend on cyber defences after a spate of attacks have blighted the retail sector. HSBC’s UK boss Ian Stuart told the Treasury Committee the bank’s work on cyber protection and IT infrastructure was the “biggest expense in the business”. “Cyber security is at the top of the [...]