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 [...]
Trump’s DEI crackdown sparks ethics exodus across UK businesses October 30, 2025 US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on initiatives such as diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) and environmental sustainability has drifted across the Atlantic. According to research by law firm Freeths, over half of UK businesses (54 per cent) have changed the way they approach ethical policies and practices. While over a quarter (28 per cent) have [...]
AI investment lacks basic safety checks, warns BSI October 27, 2025 Many businesses are investing heavily in AI without sufficient safeguards for its implementation, a new study by the British Standards Institution (BSI) has found. While executives are touting AI’s potential to drive productivity, the report suggests that most firms are operating with little more than blind faith in a technology they do not yet fully [...]
UK SMEs brace for inflation strain as confidence slips October 22, 2025 Small business (SME) optimism is faltering as sticky inflation, labour shortages and rising borrowing costs pile pressure on firms already stretched by thin margins and political uncertainty. Small business confidence dipped in September, with recent Opinium polling suggesting that UK entrepreneurs are increasingly uneasy about the months ahead. The latest figures from the National Federation [...]
Cisco: Only 16 per cent of UK firms ready to deploy AI safely October 14, 2025 Britain’s race to embrace AI could stumble before it starts, as new research from tech giant Cisco has revealed that just 16 per cent of UK firms are adequately equipped to scale AI safely across their operations. The company’s ‘AI readiness index’, City AM can reveal, shows a sharp divide between businesses racing ahead and [...]
UK small businesses falling behind on AI, Google warns October 12, 2025 New research from Google has revealed a bottleneck in UK small business innovation. Over half, or 59 per cent, of SME owners say they have had to put ‘game changing’ ideas on hold over the past year, citing a lack of time to bring their concepts to life. For many, these stalled ideas are more [...]
UK businesses wasting millions on ChatGPT-style AI tools October 10, 2025 Companies could be wasting millions on AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude as they rush to boost productivity. MIT’s State of AI in Business 2025 study found that while employees in over 90 per cent of companies regularly use personal AI tools, only 40 per cent of organisations have official LLM subscriptions. Despite [...]
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 [...]
Can Peter Kyle deliver a Budget lifeline for UK’s SMEs? September 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her Autumn Budget on 26 November, nearly a month later than usual, and eyes are on what she will do for the SMEs. With borrowing costs hitting their highest levels since 1998, and servicing the national debt topping £100bn a year, the government has been urged to maintain fiscal [...]
Currys kicks off year with strong sales despite high street pressures September 4, 2025 Currys has reported a robust start to its new financial year, with sales growth across the UK, Ireland and Nordics, and a £50m share buyback programme as the electricals retailer looks to reward shareholders. In a trading update for the 17 weeks to 30 August, the FTSE 250 firm said UK & Ireland like-for-like revenue [...]