FTSE 100 leader Vodafone and Google expand AI partnership October 8, 2024 The agreement will mean Vodafone's customers in 15 countries - as well as partners in 45 more - will see additional storage, security features and AI assistance.
S&U fires barbs at regulator after motor finance probe dents profit October 8, 2024 Specialist lender S&U fired another salvo at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today as it blamed regulatory pressure for the “uninspiring performance” of its motor finance business in the first six months of the year. Pretax profit across the London-listed firm slumped by nearly half to £12.8m for the six months to 31 July, down [...]
The dirty, dangerous and ‘obsessive’ world of mudlarking October 8, 2024 Once the domain of Victorian street urchins, the art of mudlarking has gone mainstream. Lucy Kenningham investigates
‘Challenging policy’: What the pushback to private school VAT plans reveals October 8, 2024 VAT… easy as ABC? It may not quite be Blair’s ‘education, education, education’ mantra, or Michael Gove’s multi-academy trusts. But for Sir Keir ‘my-father-was-a-toolmaker’ Starmer, there’s been one education policy that’s been front and centre of his manifesto and the first 100 days. This is, of course, the plan to impose VAT on private school [...]
Meet the founder searching for the ‘holy grail’ of cancer treatment October 8, 2024 Jennifer Sieg speaks with Hilmar Warenius about how his discovery of a new type of cancer treatment could be well on its way to revolutionising the pharmaceutical industry
Social impact investors demonstrate ‘stability’ as market hits £10bn October 8, 2024 Britain’s social impact investment market has “once again” grown, as investors show confidence within impactful investments, a new report has revealed. According to an annual assessment by one of the UK’s largest impact investors, Better Society Capital, the social impact investment market jumped seven per cent in 2023 to £10bn, up from £9.4bn in 2022. [...]
Adopt new fiscal rules to break UK’s low-growth trap, IPPR says October 8, 2024 The current set of fiscal rules, the UK's ninth, has come under fire from a range of different quarters for their perceived impact in disincentivising government investment.
Businesses ‘clearly anxious’ as budget approaches, survey shows October 8, 2024 The BCC's quarterly economic survey showed that 48 per cent of firms cited taxation as a worry, up from 36 per cent the quarter before.
Oasis tickets and discounts ensure September spending doesn’t slide away October 8, 2024 Retail sales in the UK have held up despite a dip in confidence, driven by widespread discounts and a spike in entertainment spending after Oasis‘ tickets went on sale. Consumer card spending increased 1.2 per cent year on year in September, after returning to growth in August, according to data from Barclays. Discounting pushed spending [...]
Pension death tax an ‘area to target’ experts say October 8, 2024 In a new report, the industry body discussed the wide range of changes to pension taxes which Reeves is rumoured to be considering ahead of the budget, warning there were "no easy solutions".
