Banks push for tech giants to share scam ad costs March 5, 2026 Social media companies are facing renewed calls to help pay for tackling online fraud, as the UK prepares to unveil its updated national fraud strategy. The Payments Association said platforms like Meta Platforms and X should take greater responsibility for scam adverts that appear on their sites, arguing they profit from the ads, while banks [...]
Britain’s tech sector ‘massively punches above its weight’ March 4, 2026 The UK’s tech sector continues to generate capital, attract global investment and talent, yet the domestic narrative often points to a country in retreat. “We have a huge narrative issue”, Russ Shaw, founder of Global Tech Advocates and London Tech Advocates, told City AM. “We’re the third largest tech ecosystem in the world. We have [...]
OpenAI backs London with hub expansion and new roles February 26, 2026 OpenAI is to make London its largest research hub outside the United States, in what ministers have hailed as a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK’s AI sector. The ChatGPT developer confirmed it will significantly expand its London operation, which currently employs around 30 researchers, though it declined to put a figure on how [...]
Relx reassures as AI fears hit data stocks February 12, 2026 Relx has sought to steady nerves with Thursday’s trading update, following a week of sharp AI-driven sell-off across legal and data stocks. The digital tool giant reported full-year results this morning showing revenue of £9.59bn for 2025, up from £9.43bn in 2024, representing seven per cent underlying growth. Reported operating profit rose to £3.03bn from [...]
AI minister promises UK visa fast-track for global talent February 11, 2026 Britain will reimburse visa fees and speed up processing for international AI talent, as the government pushes to turn the country into a global hub for the technology. Speaking at the London AI Hub last night, AI minister Kanishka Narayan said a new dedicated AI “talent stream” would sit by a broader effort to train [...]
UK AI plans fall short without backing home firms, warns UKAI February 11, 2026 The UK’s ‘sovereign AI’ push risks becoming a missed opportunity unless government policy does more to back UK businesses at home, according to the head of Britain’s AI trade body. Speaking after a parliamentary roundtable in the House of Lords, Tim Flagg, UKAI boss, said the debate around sovereign AI should focus on growth and [...]
Defence and AI drive Europe’s venture capital rebound February 10, 2026 European venture capital (VC) investment rose to €66bn (£57bn) in 2025, up five per cent year on year, as funding flowed into AI and defence tech, according to PitchBook data. The increase marks a post-pandemic high for the region, but reflects a narrowing of investor focus rather than a broad-based recovery. Large late-stage rounds in [...]
Fractile pledges £100m UK expansion amid AI chip push February 10, 2026 UK chip start-up Fractile has announced a £100m expansion of its British operations, scaling up in London and Bristol as ministers step up calls for greater domestic ownership of critical AI. The investment, which will be rolled out over the next three years, will fund a new industrial hardware engineering facility in Bristol. The move [...]
Visma hesitation tests London’s IPO revival February 5, 2026 Plans for what would be London’s biggest float in years are being held, as a brutal sell-off in global software stocks forces private equity to rethink. Visma, the €19bn (£16.6bn) software group backed by Hg Capital, may delay a London listing until the second half of the year, after markets turned sharply against the sector. [...]
AI and defence demand for chips sends IQE shares soaring January 12, 2026 Shares in semiconductor giant IQE surged 25 per cent to 9.18p on Monday morning, after the wafer supplier said it expects its full year results to hit the upper end of its guidance, thanks to a recovery in AI and defence-related demand. The Cardiff-based company now forecasts 2025 revenue of around £97m, and adjusted earnings [...]