HMRC claws back £1m cutting ties with outside tech suppliers July 5, 2026 HMRC has cut contractor costs by £1m a year after replacing a decades-old outsourcing model, as ministers face pressure to find £14bn of efficiency savings across Whitehall. Whitehall risks missing Labour’s £14bn efficiency savings target unless departments stop repeatedly buying the same digital expertise from outside suppliers, according to a British technology consultancy working across [...]
Exclusive: Top FTSE executive recruiter goes bust after AI platform launch July 4, 2026 A City-based boutique recruitment consultancy which has won executive-level talent for a host of FTSE firms has plunged into insolvency after pumping investment into an AI platform, City AM can reveal. Savannah Group, which has recruited directors and executives for the likes of Starbucks, hospitality giant Fullers, Burger King, Aston Martin, and global cruise titan [...]
Formula 1’s governing body wants more races in China and Asia July 3, 2026 Formula 1’s governing body has insisted it wants more races in China and Asia as part of a Far East pivot ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) told City AM that Asia had become a key growth market for the not-for-profit motorsport governing body, which this [...]
Arendt Investor Services Enters a New Phase of Development With BlackFin as Majority Shareholder July 3, 2026 Arendt Investor Services (AIS) announces today the completion of its acquisition by BlackFin Capital Partners, following regulatory approval by the CSSF. This transaction marks the start of a new phase of development for AIS, with a clear ambition to accelerate its growth through international expansion and selective acquisitions, while further investing in technology, including AI, [...]
Natwest boss becomes latest City figure caught in AI social media scam July 3, 2026 The boss of Natwest has become the latest City figure to be depicted in an AI scam across social media. Paul Thwaite – the chief executive of the FTSE 100 bank – was posted on X alongside journalist Emily Maitlis in a deepfake picture attempting to create a BBC radio interview. The picture was shared [...]
The shift from black box to glass box in AI translation July 3, 2026 AI is transforming global business faster than most organisations can govern it. Few functions illustrate that challenge more clearly than translation. Content that once took weeks now moves in hours. Costs have fallen and multilingual communication now scales at unprecedented speed. But as AI accelerates, visibility is disappearing. Across global organisations, AI increasingly generates multilingual [...]
UK fintech Starling to axe 130 roles in AI-powered simplification drive July 3, 2026 Starling is gearing up to cut some 130 roles in a bid to streamline its operations following a fall in profit over the last year. The London-based fintech told staff this week it would restructure its banking and tech operations as it leveraged AI across operations ahead of an influx of new projects. It said [...]
Inside the trippy French vineyard owned by ousted Claridge’s billionaire July 3, 2026 Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst have designed pieces for Chateau La Coste, France’s totally surreal vineyard, the vision of the billionaire who formerly owned Claridge’s. Adam Bloodworth on the trippiest Provençal escape Resting on the side of a dirt road at Chateau La Coste, a vineyard and country estate half an hour outside of Marseille, [...]
Halon Begins Next Chapter as an Independent Creative Production Company July 3, 2026 Halon Entertainment, the award-winning creative production company known for its work across film, episodic, games, immersive entertainment and advertising, today announced that it is becoming an independent company through a management buyout led by CEO Chris Ferriter. Founded in 2003, Halon has built a reputation as a trusted creative partner, working alongside directors, supervisors and [...]
4chan ridicules Ofcom again as watchdog chases unpaid £520k fine July 2, 2026 4chan has again mocked Ofcom after the regulator renewed demands for the controversial image generator to pay its £520,000 Online Safety Act fine, prompting its lawyer to respond with another AI-generated hamster. Preston Byrne, the US lawyer representing 4chan, posted on X on Thursday: “Ofcom wrote. Again. Demanding that 4chan pay its fine. Sent us [...]