Visa to buy London payments firm Currencycloud for £700m July 22, 2021 Visa has inked a deal to buy London payments group Currencycloud in the latest move by a US buyer to swoop on the booming British tech sector. The financial services giant today said the deal builds on an existing partnership between the companies and values Currencycloud at £700m inclusive of cash and retention incentives. However, [...]
UK telecoms firm Clearcomm snapped up by rival STL in £15.5m deal July 22, 2021 UK telecoms group Clearcomm has been acquired by Indian rival STL for £15.5m as global network providers race to roll out 5G and full-fibre broadband. STL and Clearcomm both offer network integration services, providing wired and wireless infrastructure for telcos, cloud companies and large businesses. Since its inception in 2009, Birmingham-based Clearcomm has grown to [...]
Online harms laws pose threat to free speech, Lords committee warns July 22, 2021 The government’s plans to crack down on harmful online content pose a threat to freedom of speech and would be ineffective, peers have warned. In a report published today, the House of Lords communications and digital committee slammed plans to address “legal but harmful” material, saying the issue should instead be addressed through tougher law [...]
Daily Mail owner posts revenue rise amid Rothermere takeover bid July 22, 2021 The owner of the Daily Mail has reported a sharp rise in revenue in its latest quarter as it gears up for a potential take-private bid by Lord Rothermere. Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) said its group revenue grew by a quarter in the three months to the end of June. This was driven [...]
Covid lockdowns cost UK creative industries £12bn July 21, 2021 Repeated coronavirus lockdowns have cost the UK’s creative industries an estimated £12bn and more than 110,000 jobs, new figures have revealed. Data released today by Oxford Economics showed businesses in the creative sector generated around £104bn in gross value added value in 2020, down from £116bn the previous year. This was also well below the [...]
Glastonbury scraps plan for one-day September festival July 21, 2021 Glastonbury has ditched plans to hold a one-day event in September, the festival’s organisers have announced. Earlier this year Mendip district council granted a licence application for a one-off show with a maximum capacity of 50,000 people – a quarter of the festival’s usual capacity. But in a post on Instagram organiser Emily Eavis said [...]
BT takes multi-million-pound stake in US cyber firm Safe Security July 21, 2021 BT has taken a multi-million-pound stake in a US cyber firm as the telecoms giant looks to ramp up its presence in the cybersecurity sector. The FTSE 100 company will be the largest investor in a funding round in Safe Security, which specialises in cyber risk management. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the company’s platform allows [...]
Apple to double down on 5G for 2022 iPhone line-up July 21, 2021 Apple will reportedly release only 5G-enabled iPhones from next year and revamp its budget handset for the first time in two years as the company looks to boost sales of its flagship product. The tech giant will not introduce any new 4G models in 2022 and will instead begin selling a 5G version of its [...]
Media group Future shares jump as it hikes profit forecasts July 21, 2021 Shares in Future pushed higher this morning after the magazine publisher said it expected its full-year profit to be “materially” ahead of market expectations. The media group, which owns titles such as Country Life, Four Four Two and Tech Radar, today said it had continued to perform strongly in the second half despite challenges posed [...]
Power of 10: UK more than doubles number of $10bn companies amid tech boom July 21, 2021 The number of UK tech businesses worth at least $10bn (£7.3bn) has more than doubled in the last six months, marking the latest sign of a boom in the British tech sector. Fintech darling Revolut, recently-listed Wise and online grocery giant Ocado are among the businesses to gain the title of decacorn in the first [...]