By: Maria Ward-Brennan

Senior Reporter Maria Ward-Brennan is a senior reporter focused on law and professional services. Contact her via email on maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or X (Twitter) @MariaW_B

All 1362 Articles

Tough year ahead as businesses face compliance and investigation storm

Business

A wave of complex regulations and cross-border probes is set to test the resilience of businesses worldwide in the coming year; at the same time, resource constraints expose vulnerabilities. A staggering 82 per cent of global businesses fear being hit by cross-border or multi-agency investigations this year, according to a new report by law firm [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as oil takes hit; YouTube, BBC strike deal

Markets

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. How big of a win was yesterday for Rachel Reeves? The economy grew 0.3 per cent in November – faster than expected – as Jaguar Land Rover roared back to life following a costly cyberattack that halted supply chains across the UK. But while this [...]
Nick Ephgrave announces surprise retirement from Serious Fraud Office

Legal

Nick Ephgrave will step down as director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) two and a half years before his first term was due to finish. The former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was appointed as the SFO’s director, taking over from Lisa Osofsky, who oversaw several errors during her tenure. Ephgrave was the [...]

FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges amid Trump tensions; JLR leads growth rebound

January 15, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Rachel Reeves’ report card for 2025 has received another dim review with fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing growth came in at a sluggish 0.1 per cent in the three months to November 2025. This was led by a modest rebound [...]
Insurance giants are no longer afraid to sue competitors over ‘team poaching’

January 15, 2026

London’s insurance sector is becoming increasingly litigious as the battle for niche talent intensifies, after a wave of High Court cases suggests ‘team poaching’ has become a legal flashpoint. If, like me, you are glued to the court filing system, you’ll have seen a noticeable uptick in lawsuits over restrictive covenants going to London’s High [...]
Top London five star hotel faces legal action from HMRC

January 15, 2026

One of London’s best-known five-star hotels is being taken to court by the UK’s tax authority over unpaid sums, City AM can reveal. Hotel Cafe Royal, a top-tier venue popular with the capital’s rich and famous, has been issued with a winding-up petition by HMRC, according to court filings seen by City AM. A winding-up petition [...]
Game, set, appeal: Wimbledon’s £200m expansion hits the court

January 14, 2026

The battle over Wimbledon’s £200m expansion has reached match point: while tournament chiefs aim for a net gain of 39 new courts, a campaign group is fighting back by dragging the planning decision to the Court of Appeal. The All England Lawn Tennis Ground plans to build 39 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium [...]
Baker Tilly hits record $6.8bn revenue following surge in tax advice

January 14, 2026

Baker Tilly International has reported a landmark year, with 2025 revenues surging 21 per cent to $6.8bn (£5.05bn), but it was its tax division that stood out. Over 2025, North America was the fastest-growing region at 37.5 per cent, underpinned by the Baker Tilly (US) and Moss Adams merger in June 2025, followed by EMEA [...]
FRC chief urges audit reform before next corporate scandal

January 13, 2026

The boss of the accountancy regulator has issued a direct warning to the government, urging them to pass audit reform legislation during “peacetime” rather than waiting for a major corporate collapse or scandal. Speaking on the latest episode of the Following the Rules podcast, Financial Reporting Council (FRC) CEO Richard Moriarty, said: “Given the thinking that’s gone [...]
CVC-backed Teneo establishes New Zealand footprint via PwC deal

January 13, 2026

Advisory firm Teneo is to acquire PwC New Zealand’s business restructuring services unit as part of its Asia-Pacific expansion strategy. The deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close at the end of February 2026, will see 22 members of PwC New Zealand’s business restructuring services team join Teneo. This [...]

Close Brothers: How the motor finance scandal reshaped one of ‘Europe’s least cost-efficient lenders’

The Jenga Effect: Why professional rugby’s collapse has already happened

Ariana Grande tickets for London musical ‘could easily go over £300’

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

All 1362 Articles

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