Pay boost for finance chiefs as workload ramps up August 15, 2025 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are seeing their salaries soar as companies look to soften the blow of steadily increasing their workload. Nearly 80 per cent of finance chiefs received a rise in compensation in 2024, as their responsibilities continue to grow and intensify, according to exclusive research from financial operations platform, BlackLine. In recent years, [...]
Thames Water’s cash crunch intensifies as bailout rumours swirl August 15, 2025 Thames Water faces a race against time to avoid collapse even after securing a short-term cash injection. The UK’s largest water company is set to run out of money as soon as September 2026 should it fail to secure a financial lifeline in the form of a recapitalisation deal. The utility company said the second [...]
Insurers urged to reassess Russian oil coverage amid UK and EU price cap changes August 14, 2025 An insurance association has urged its members to assess their exposure to Russian oil as the UK and EU prepare to update their oil price cap regimes
Business investment falls as alarm bells rung on low productivity August 14, 2025 Business investment fell by four per cent in the second quarter of the year despite moderate growth of 0.3 per cent, official data has shown, as top economists are ringing alarm bells on low productivity levels across the UK economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there was a dramatic fall in investment compared [...]
Savills hit by slowdown in sales despite uptick in profits August 14, 2025 Real estate giant Savills recorded a slowdown in sales in the first half of the year as investors digested the implications of tariffs, but recorded strong results. The real estate giant delivered a 6 per cent increase in revenue to £1.1bn in the six months to end June. Underlying profit rose by 10 per cent [...]
Secure Trust Bank: Deposits hit record high as loan book swells August 14, 2025 Specialist lender Secure Trust Bank posted a bumper first half of the year after customer deposits smashed a record high and lending balances swelled. The firm recorded a 8.2 per cent increase in deposits to £3.5bn whilst net landing balances grew 6.1 per cent to £3.8bn. This helped drive an over 30 per cent jump [...]
PensionBee gathers momentum in the UK and US August 14, 2025 Retirement savings app Pensionbee maintained strong momentum in the first half of the year, expanding its UK reach while laying foundations for US growth. The London-listed fintech reported a revenue jump to £18.9m, up from £15.4m a year earlier. The firm improved its adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) basis to £2.9m. [...]
Training investment has dropped by £10.9bn since apprenticeship levy introduced August 14, 2025 Investment in training has dropped by £10.9bn since the apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, fresh analysis has shown, with calls growing for Labour to speed up its overhaul of skills programmes. In a new report by the Fabian Society, which is affiliated to the Labour Party, the government has been warned that the apprenticeship [...]
UK economy grows faster than expected in June August 14, 2025 The UK economy grew 0.4 per cent in June, official data has shown, in an unexpected turnaround following months of tariff and tax uncertainty. In the second quarter, GDP rose by 0.3 per cent after declining in both April and May. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the UK services sector, which makes up [...]
Employers say university degrees ‘not essential’ in results day boost August 14, 2025 The majority of employers believe university degrees are not essential for success in entry-level roles as A-level students are brimming with confidence despite a tough jobs market, fresh polling has suggested. In a boost for young people not attending university after results day, a survey by the jobs platform Indeed has suggested that 68 per [...]