US tech stocks slide as Microsoft rout sharpens AI spending doubts January 30, 2026 US technology stocks sold off sharply on Thursday, as a bruising slump in Microsoft sparked investor unease over how long it will take for mass AI investments to pay off. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed down 0.72 per cent at 23,685, weighed down by heavy losses across software giants. The S&P 500 slipped 0.13 per [...]
HSBC and Sage tackle Making Tax Digital burden for SMEs January 30, 2026 HSBC UK is launching a new digital tax tool inside its business banking platform, as the countdown to the government’s biggest shake-up of income tax reporting enters its final phase. Built using embedded tech from Sage, the service, called My Business Finances, will allow small business owners to manage invoicing and tax reporting. The move [...]
Billion-dollar regulatory fines fail to dent Big Tech January 29, 2026 For the world’s biggest tech firms, regulatory penalties are no longer a consequential financial event. Alphabet, Apple, Meta and Amazon were fined a combined $7.8bn (£6.2bn) in 2025 for breaches of competition and privacy rules, according to a new Proton report. And while that sounds like a hefty number, in practice, it would have taken [...]
Law firms, legal tech, and the branding battle royale January 29, 2026 It seems like every week brings a new AI player on the scene, but now there’s a trend of legal spats over what exactly to call them. AI-focused businesses have been popping up everywhere as demand for the tech surges. According to LawtechUK’s data, the number of UK-founded lawtech companies on its tracker climbed from [...]
Nationwide reigns supreme in bank switch war as Santander falters January 29, 2026 Nationwide maintained its top spot in the tussle for current account switchers in the third quarter of 2025 as the mutual sweetened its offer for new joiners. The building society – which was slapped with a £44m fine in December for failing to flag Covid fraud – secured a net gain of 41,450 switchers after [...]
Is Musk’s SpaceX IPO date written in the stars? January 28, 2026 SpaceX may be aiming for the stars in more ways than one as Elon Musk has floated the idea of timing the rocket maker’s IPO to coincide with a rare planetary alignment, as well as his own birthday. The tentative window is mid-June, when Jupiter and Venus will appear unusually close together in the night sky, a [...]
WhatsApp probe casts shadow ahead of Meta earnings January 26, 2026 Meta heads into a crucial earnings week under mounting regulatory pressure, after the UK watchdog, Ofcom, opened a formal investigation into WhatsApp’s data handling. This comes just days after Meta paused access to its AI chatbots for teenagers worldwide, Britain’s communications regulator, Ofcom, said it is looking into whether the social media giant provided “incomplete or inaccurate” [...]
Financial services set for hiring spree for AI experts in 2026 January 26, 2026 British banks and finance firms are hunting for behavioural science and psychology experts for ethical AI jobs, as worries about misusing the technology build, experts have said. A desire to accelerate recruitment in 2026 comes after one of the worst years for hiring in the financial services sector since the 2008 financial crisis. Some 55 [...]
Amazon plans new round of job cuts as IMF chief warns of AI ‘tsunami’ January 23, 2026 Amazon prepares a new round of job cuts amid growing use of automation across corporate roles, following a round of redundancies just months ago. The move comes as the head of the International Monetary Fund warned that AI is set to hit the global labour market like a “tsunami”. Speaking at the World Economic Forum [...]
US tax consultancy faces $12bn threat, but AI could deliver $19bn in gains January 20, 2026 New research suggests AI could drive a $7bn (£5.2bn) net increase in the US tax consulting industry if firms shift focus from routine compliance to high-value advisory. The report from Source Global Research revealed that despite the potential threat to revenue, over half of all US tax services are expected to be significantly powered by [...]