Accountancy body reverts to in-person exams over AI cheating fears December 29, 2025 The UK’s accounting body, which has almost 260,000 members, is planning to halt remote exams amid a surge of students cheating with AI. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has said that from March it will no longer allow students to take online exams, except in exceptional circumstances. Remote testing, like in many universities [...]
Financial services to plough cash into UK defence in 2026 December 29, 2025 Financial services are planning to pump cash into the UK’s defence sector next year after facing pressure to ramp up investment amid increased geopolitical tensions. Nearly two-thirds of financial services leaders expect the sector to increase investment in UK defence in 2026, with more than a quarter anticipating that investment will rise “much more” over [...]
Who still gets hired in the 2026 workplace? December 28, 2025 Britain’s labour market has probably never felt more precarious than it does now, as the struggling economy and the rapid rise of AI take effect. Redundancies are at their highest since the pandemic, unemployment has risen to 5.1 per cent, and entry-level opportunities, the traditional stepping stones for grads and young workers, have all but [...]
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 [...]
Interest rate cut likely after inflation undershoots expectations December 17, 2025 Inflation dropped far below market expectations in November, official data has shown, easing Bank of England doves’ nerves a day before a decision on whether to cut interest rates is revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said inflation hit 3.2 per cent in the year to November, staying well above the Bank’s 2 per [...]
SK Capital Announces Definitive Agreement to Invest in Swixx BioPharma AG to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Global Expansion December 15, 2025 SK Capital Partners, LP (“SK Capital”), a New York-based private investment firm focused on the life sciences, specialty materials, and ingredients sectors, today announced that its affiliate has reached an agreement to invest in Swixx BioPharma AG (“Swixx” or the “Company”) to accelerate the Company’s next phase of growth and global expansion. The investment values [...]
Sumer Group, champions of SMEs, leading the way towards economic growth December 12, 2025 They tackled Brexit head-on, survived Covid, coped with the impact of the war in Ukraine and battled rising costs. The latest growth forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility presents a further challenge with the OBR reducing their expectations for productivity growth by 0.3ppts to 1 per cent. In times of uncertainty these businesses have [...]
On this day: the arrest of Bernie Madoff December 11, 2025 On 11th December 2008, financier Bernie Madoff was arrested for the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, writes Eliot Wilson The 1990s had been an economic boom time for much of the West, with America growing at more than three per cent a year. It seemed as if the post-Cold War world might be one of [...]
Black Friday boost fails to materialise for Britain’s high streets December 9, 2025 UK retail sales failed to meet shops’ expectations this Black Friday as pre-budget jitters dampened spending. Retail sales increased by 1.4 per cent year on year in November, against a decline of 3.3 per cent in November 2024 and below the 12-month average growth of 2.5 per cent, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]
Reeves is betting big on AI, but does the public back her? December 9, 2025 Rachel Reeves is betting the UK’s economic future on an AI-driven productivity surge, but there are serious questions about the plausibility of this bet given the UK’s weaknesses in implementation, scaling capacity, talent retention and public pessimism, says Paul Armstrong Rachel Reeves has placed an enormous bet on AI rescuing the UK’s dwindling economy. Fraser [...]