IBM’s consulting chief warns AI will ‘implode’ unprepared rivals Consulting IBM Consulting, under Mohamad Ali, claims to have surged ahead in AI by pioneering a human-plus-digital workforce and transforming its own operations before selling innovative solutions to clients, leaving less-prepared consulting rivals scrambling to keep up, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. IBM’s consulting chief, Mohamad Ali, warns that AI will “implode” unprepared rivals, claiming the group has [...]
Lloyds taps $160bn fintech giant to boost small business tech Banking Lloyds Bank has sealed a partnership with a $160bn (£119bn) fintech giant to ramp up its payments tech for small-business clients. The blue-chip banking giant has agreed a tie-up with Stripe that will see Lloyds leverage the fintech’s payment infrastructure to provide a suite of tools for its small-business customers. The new offering, named Lloyds Accept, [...]
Deloitte and KPMG challenge PwC’s iron grip on FTSE 100 clients Prof Services For the first time in nearly eight years, three of the Big Four giants, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, are locked in a dead heat for FTSE 100 client dominance. A boardroom reshuffle has loosened PwC’s iron grip on clients from London’s blue-chip index, forcing a historic three-way tie at the top of the FTSE 100 [...]
Small cap tech firm quits LSE to cut costs in latest market blow May 27, 2026 Small-cap semiconductor firm Nanoco Group is quitting the London Stock Exchange in a bid to save £700,000 a year, in the latest setback for Britain’s struggling public markets. The Manchester-based tech business said the annual costs of maintaining its listing had become too burdensome for a company of its size, as it blamed weak liquidity [...]
Mia Drennan: I was selling Macks in Debenhams – now I run a unicorn May 26, 2026 It took Mia Drennan 400 meetings to get her loan agency off the ground. Over 15 years later, she speaks to Ali Lyon about the recent investment that took the firm to fabled unicorn status, and what lies next. It is half-past-five on a balmy Thursday evening and in a cavernous central London office, a [...]
London leads European investment despite wider UK decline May 21, 2026 London retained its crown as the most attractive destination in Europe for foreign direct investment last year, despite a fall in UK projects and overall numbers across the continent tumbling. Greater London outperformed both the wider UK and Europe by recording a five per cent year on year increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) projects [...]
Job cuts at Big Four firms fuel worker burnout May 20, 2026 Job cuts at professional services firms are resulting in overworked staff, but the pressures – combined with increased reliance on AI – risk damaging firms’ reputations through mistakes, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The professional services industry, especially the Big Four giants, has faced its fair share of job cuts, with thousands of roles laid off in [...]
Deloitte set to boost UK staff bonuses and promotions May 19, 2026 Big Four giant Deloitte’s UK staff are set to be given higher bonuses and larger salary increases over the course of the year as the firm is set to surpass its profit targets. The firm’s UK chief executive, Richard Houston, said today that bonus funds would be upped by 14 per cent, while salaries would [...]
EY coughs up over £100m to settle NMC Health court conflict May 18, 2026 Big Four giant EY is understood to have paid over £100m to settle a High Court claim brought by former FTSE 100 company NMC Health that collapsed during a fraud scandal. Both EY and the healthcare provider reached a confidential agreement in February to settle the claims, which were brought four years ago against EY for [...]
European Aerospace, Defense Firms Advance Modernization May 14, 2026 Companies innovate with AI and new approaches to engineering and operations, ISG Provider Lens® report says