Bank of England: UK economy risks ‘large and overlapping’ shocks April 1, 2026 The Bank of England has issued a major warning that the financial system is facing increasing risks of “large, frequent and potentially overlapping shocks” amid the volatility from the Middle East war‘ and ongoing market risks’s impact on energy and global markets. In the latest meeting of the central bank’s Financial Policy Committee top officials [...]
Rightmove accused of ‘bullying’ estate agents in £1.5bn legal battle April 1, 2026 Property giant Rightmove has been accused of “bullying” its members into making payments, as hundreds of estate agents support a £1.5bn legal claim against the firm. The FTSE 100 company has been accused of charging excessive and unfair fees to the estate agents and new home developers that used its property listing portal as part [...]
Oracle chops headcount as AI reshapes Big Tech workforce April 1, 2026 Oracle has begun a new round of global job cuts, as the software giant ramps up spending on AI infrastructure and follows a broader wave of layoffs across Big Tech. Employees across multiple divisions, including cloud, health, sales and Netsuite, were informed on Tuesday that their roles had been eliminated with immediate effect. In a [...]
Cavendish warns Iran conflict could damage long-term growth April 1, 2026 Heightened geopolitical tensions, including the Iran war, could damage investor confidence and suffocate long-term growth if they persist, UK investment bank Cavendish has warned. The AIM-listed group noted that while certain “macroeconomic conditions had been trending more positively”, including gradually declining interest rates and rising capital allocation into European markets, investor sentiment continued to be [...]
Samsung Research Reveals Over Half of Europeans Admit to Looking at a Stranger’s Phone Screen in Public – With Nearly a Quarter Doing so out of Sheer Curiosity April 1, 2026 From dating apps to financial details, respondents report seeing a wide range of highly personal information on others' screens 56% of people admit to having looked at strangers’ phone screens accidentally, whereas 24% have done so out of curiosity. 57% identify public transport as the most likely place to notice someone else's screen. While 48%* feel confident they can keep their phone activity private when using it in crowded places, another 52%** acknowledge it is easy to see someone’s screen who is next to you in a public place without trying to look. 33% say they have seen personal content on a stranger’s phone in public. Some smartphone users who have looked at a stranger’s phone screen in public ignore and continue what they were doing (28%) or look away immediately (27%), but others (7%) admit to continuing to look discreetly. The new Samsung Galaxy S26 Privacy Display1 limits side-angle viewing of your screen to protect your privacy in any setting.
Forget ‘price gouging’ – this is where competition is really failing April 1, 2026 Rachel Reeves is scapegoating supermarkets for rising oil prices while ignoring algorithms that can learn ant-competitive pricing strategies, says Paul Ormerod The government is desperately trying to convince the public that it is doing something about the potential economic crisis which is unfolding. The public finances are a severe constraint on its ability to throw [...]
The student loan book is disguising the real size of the national debt April 1, 2026 The market value of the student loan book is approximately £33bn lower than official government accounts suggest. As a result, our national debt is higher than we’re being told – disguised by billions in loans that are much less valuable than they appear, says Sebastian Charleton Britain’s young are the most educated generation in our [...]
Is AI slowing your business down? April 1, 2026 Plenty of companies have now completed their AI experimentation stage. It's the need to now commit that's slowing them down.
Monzo and Revolut take banking battle to the playground April 1, 2026 Banks are turning their attention to the younger generation and in this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at the money to be made with Gen Alpha. The Tooth Fairy is losing her magic touch. After centuries of cultural dominance in the under-the-pillow money market, the primary dealer of calcium-for-cash faces a hostile takeover. [...]
Options Technology Completes Acquisition of Crossvale, Expanding Private Cloud and AI Modernization Capabilities March 31, 2026 Options Technology (Options), the leading provider of institutional-grade infrastructure, market data, and managed services for global financial services, today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Crossvale, a US-headquartered leader in application and platform modernization. The completed acquisition strengthens Options’ ability to help financial services firms modernize legacy environments, reduce technology debt, and accelerate [...]