TikTok wants you to stop doomscrolling (on its own app) November 19, 2025 TikTok has spent years perfecting the dark art of keeping you glued to your phone, but now it wants to help you put the phone down. In a move that feels almost existential, the company announced on Wednesday the rollout of a new so-called ‘Time and Well‑Being’ centre designed to help people step away from [...]
UK spinout economy could be Reeves’ next growth lever November 19, 2025 As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver her Autumn Budget, discussions of economic growth often centre on investment and fiscal levers. However, an arguably equally powerful driver of economic growth operates within the nation’s universities. Spinout ventures are turning ideas into viable businesses, attracting investment, generating high-skilled jobs and developing technologies with global reach. In [...]
Reeves’ Budget tax rumours threaten UK tech November 18, 2025 The UK’s tech sector is facing a critical moment ahead of the Autumn Budget. Rumoured caps on salary sacrifice pensions, alongside potential property and wealth taxes, threaten to hit the very talent and investment needed to drive growth in the sector. At the same time, the country faces a widening tech skills gap, leaving businesses [...]
FCA doubles down on AI testing over regulation November 12, 2025 The UK’s financial regulator has doubled down on its decision not to draft new AI-specific laws, insisting that the best way to manage the tech’s momentous rise is through testing and collaboration rather than rushing to legislate. Speaking at the City & Financial Global AI regulation summit, Charlotte Clark CBE, the Financial Conduct Authority’s director [...]
AI startups lead growth despite market jitters and IPO drought November 10, 2025 AI firms have driven a 44 per cent increase in the combined value of the world’s top 100 private tech firms, even as concerns grow that the AI boom could be overheating and Britain’s startups warn of a worsening funding climate. According to new data from PwC, the total valuation of the global top 100 [...]
UK tech founders warn Reeves her Budget could derail London IPO plans November 6, 2025 Executives from some of Britain’s most valuable technology start-ups have warned Rachel Reeves that proposed tax measures in this month’s budget could force them to abandon London listing plans. According to Sky News, a letter was sent this week by companies like Revolut and Clearscore, urging the Treasury not to impose an exit tax on [...]
Labour trails plans to fight cyberattacks October 30, 2025 The UK government is set to take further action to bolster national cyber resilience, City AM understands, as cybercrime continues to surge across the country. High-profile attacks on businesses, from smaller firms to major supply chains, have unveiled deep cracks and vulnerabilities in the economy. Tech secretary Liz Kendall told City AM: “We’re working really [...]
Virgin Media O2 and Starlink race to fix London’s connectivity crisis October 30, 2025 Virgin Media O2 has switched on its first ‘giga site’ in central London, a move aimed at improving mobile connectivity across the UK. The site, which combines low-mid and high-band spectrum with Nokia’s technology, can deliver speeds of more than 10Gbps, enough to support 2,000 simultaneous HD video streams. The move is part of the [...]
Exclusive: Liz Kendall bets £55bn to close UK innovation gap October 30, 2025 Britain’s new tech secretary, Liz Kendall, insists the government’s record £55bn R&D package marks a turning point for UK innovation, but with the country still lagging global rivals in key sectors, questions remain over whether even this scale of investment can close the gap. The funding, confirmed on Thursday by the Department for Science, Innovation [...]
PayPal teams up with OpenAI to enable payments in ChatGPT October 29, 2025 PayPal has announced a deal with Sam Altman’s OpenAI to embed its digital wallet directly into ChatGPT, allowing its users to shop and pay for products through the AI platform starting in 2026. Under the agreement, PayPal’s global network will be linked to OpenAI, enabling millions of items to be purchased instantly within ChatGPT. This [...]