Regulation in the UK a ‘web of complexity’ and harming innovation says think tank September 25, 2024 A leading think tank has called for the government to create a ‘call-in’ power to overrule regulators’ decisions, warning that Britain’s approach to tech regulation is harming innovation and investment in the sector. In a new report, right-leaning think tank Onward described the UK’s patchwork of “under-resourced” and “overstretched” regulators as spinning a “web of [...]
Engineering giant Smiths misses profit forecast and launches ‘acceleration plan’ September 24, 2024 British engineering giant Smiths Group missed a key consensus forecast and launched an ‘acceleration plan’ to boost profitability, as it snapped up two firms in a £110m spending spree. Smiths reported a 5.4 per cent year on year organic revenue growth to £3.1bn, but the 7.1 per cent increase in operating profit to £526m fell shy [...]
Rolls Royce closes in on European nuclear reactor deals as UK process delayed September 22, 2024 Rolls Royce is closing in on two deals to build miniaturised nuclear power plants in Sweden and the Netherlands after a successful deal with the Czech Republic announced last week. Rolls-Royce boss Tufan Erginbilgic had warned that the firm would start building small modular reactors (SMRs) in Europe should UK ministers fail to speed up [...]
Google wins £1.3bn case against EU ruling over ad product September 18, 2024 Google has overturned a nearly €1.5bn (£1.3bn) EU fine related to its AdSense advertising platform in a win for the tech giant following two major fines. The General Court has found “errors” in the European Commission’s 2019 assessment of Google’s advertising contracts with publishers. Europe’s second highest court, based in Luxembourg, has annulled the fine [...]
Microsoft: Tech giant announces mammoth buyback and hikes dividend September 17, 2024 Tech giant Microsoft has announced a new $60bn share buyback programme and hiked its quarterly dividend by 10 per cent. This new shareholder cash return replaces Microsoft’s previous $60bn programme, which was launched in 2021, and has no set expiration date. According to data from Birinyi Associates, the cash return is the third-largest repurchase scheme [...]
Garmin predicts further sales boost as wearable fitness tech surges September 11, 2024 Wearable technology giant Garmin has predicted its European sales will surge by 14 per cent in 2024 thanks in part to new products being launched. The Southampton-headquartered division made the forecast in newly-filed accounts with Companies House which revealed an increase in both its turnover and pre-tax profit during 2023. The results show that Garmin [...]
Trustpilot shares jump on earnings beat and £20m buyback September 11, 2024 Shares in Trustpilot have jumped after the global review platform reported higher-than-expected earnings for the first half of 2024 and unveiled a new share buyback. The FTSE 250 firm gained as much as 9.3 per cent in early trading on Wednesday. Its stock price has surged 157 per cent over the last 12 months. Trustpilot [...]
Eleco: British software giant sees revenue soar as businesses look for AI solutions September 10, 2024 Software company Eleco has seen its revenue continue to soar as a growing number of businesses turn to tech to help improve efficiency. The listed company, which is headquartered in London and has offices across the UK and Europe, saw its revenue hit £16.2m in the six months ending June 30, 2024, up from £13.4m [...]
Shares in Apple supplier IQE plunge as guidance disappoints and debt pile grows September 10, 2024 Shares in semiconductor supplier IQE plummeted 14 per cent in early trading on Tuesday after it disappointed investors with weak guidance and as it racked up debt. The Cardiff-based manufacturer of compound wafers used to make semiconductors said its full-year guidance lies at the lower end of consensus forecasts of revenue between £130m and 154m. [...]
Equals: Payments fintech’s revenue jumps by a third amid record transaction values September 10, 2024 Payments fintech Equals Group has seen fees to financial advisers weigh on its earnings as it looks for a potential buyer, while revenue surged on the back of record transaction values.