Zara turns to AI-edited models amid shop closures December 18, 2025 Zara is using artificial intelligence to edit images of human models for its e-commerce platforms, City AM understands, as the fast-fashion giant looks to cut costs amid a tough retail backdrop. Models who have previously shot campaigns for Zara have since been contacted by the Spanish retail giant and asked for permission for their images [...]
Elliott turns the page on London’s IPO drought with Waterstones listing plan December 18, 2025 Elliott Management is preparing a multibillion-pound flotation of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, with a listing expected next year and London edging out New York as the preferred venue. The US hedge fund has reportedly begun sounding out advisers ahead of a potential IPO, with banks likely to be appointed in early 2026. While no [...]
Warner Bros to snub Paramount’s takeover in favour of Netflix December 17, 2025 Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is preparing to urge shareholders to reject a $108bn (£81bn) hostile takeover bid from Paramount, after one of its key financial backers pulled out of the deal. Affinity Partners, the investment firm owned by Jared Kushner, said it would no longer support Paramount’s offer, citing a shift in circumstances. “The dynamics [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Inflation eases more than expected ahead of rate decision December 17, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. We’ve had the latest inflation data this morning, which has shown the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to November 2025. This eased from 3.6 per cent in October 2025. It also beats figures pencilled in by economists, [...]
‘If we’re serious about growth this is the lever to pull’, says Treasury adviser December 17, 2025 UK founders are launching businesses faster than ever, yet many still feel undervalued, underfunded, and overlooked. The 2025 UK StartUp Report showed that only 29 per cent of founders believe entrepreneurship is seen as a desirable career while just 27 per cent feel successful founders are celebrated. And, perhaps worst of all, only around a [...]
BBC charter review opens with trust broken and money running out December 16, 2025 The government has fired the starting gun on a charter review that will determine how the BBC is governed, funded, and held to account. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy on Tuesday launched the formal review of the BBC’s Royal Charter, setting out a broad consultation on trust and long-term funding as audience behaviour continues to shift [...]
US puts UK tech deal on ice after Budget digital tax move December 16, 2025 Washington has paused the flagship US-UK tech pact just weeks after Rachel Reeves doubled down on Britain’s digital services tax in her Autumn Budget, sharpening fears that the levy has become a pressure point in wider trade talks with Trump’s administration. The so-called Tech Prosperity Deal, unveiled during Trump’s state visit back in September and [...]
Private landowner sends Lime an £8k bill as e-bike row escalates December 16, 2025 A London property firm has invoiced Lime nearly £8,000 for removing, storing and returning dockless e-bikes left on its private land, City AM understands, amid struggles to contain the capital’s bike clutter problem. Russell Gray, director of property firm Shiva Ltd, personally returned around ten Lime bikes to the firm’s depot on Thursday, handing staff [...]
Mickey Mouse puts copyright woes to bed with Disney-OpenAI deal December 16, 2025 Disney’s $1bn investment in OpenAI, coupled with a three year licensing deal for over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters on Sora, constitutes a seismic shift in how Hollywood thinks about content creation and copyright. Last week’s announcement, long anticipated since CEO Bog Iger hinted at AI plans, marks the first time a [...]
Ofcom targets BT and Three as summer outages exposed emergency call risk December 15, 2025 The UK’s telecoms regulator has launched investigations into BT and Three after network failures this summer left customers unable to make calls, including to the emergency services. Ofcom said on Monday that the probes will assess whether the two operators complied with their legal dutiesm after separate incidents caused nationwide disruption. Telecoms giant BT notified [...]
