Shoosmiths to give staff extra £1m after hitting AI target December 16, 2025 Law firm Shoosmiths will give staff an extra £1m in bonuses after they hit the firm’s annual target for 1m Microsoft Copilot prompts more than four months ahead of schedule, City AM can reveal. The firm told City AM in April that it had set a “clear and ambitious annual target” of 1m on its [...]
Housing market set for ‘return to normality’ after year of uncertainty December 16, 2025 UK house prices have dropped around £2,000 in the last year despite improved access to mortgages and lower interest rates. The average price of a home in the four weeks to 6 December was £358,138, which is 0.6 per cent ( £2,059) lower than the same period a year ago, according to Rightmove. Last year, meanwhile, house [...]
UK investors spooked by tax hikes on dividends and savings December 16, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ Budget decisions have raised alarm bells among DIY investors after they were hit with tax hikes and cuts to incentives, despite the Chancellor’s aim to push more funds into public markets. Over 70 per cent of investors said they were concerned about the increased basic and higher rates of taxes on dividends, property [...]
Monzo snaps up UK mortgage broker in first major acquisition December 16, 2025 UK fintech Monzo has made its first major acquisition with a deal to snap up a digital mortgage broker in a bid bulk up its “all-in-one” superapp. The digital bank announced on Friday it had snapped up Habito, a fintech firm which uses tech to accelerate the home-buying process with free online advice. The deal [...]
Why your next marketing crisis is going to be self-inflicted December 16, 2025 Most 2026 plans ignore marketing’s geopolitical exposure, the aggressive monetization of platforms, and the erosion of trust, requiring leaders to shift from chasing reach and automation to strategic discipline, internal alignment, and building direct customer relationships, says Paul Armstrong Most 2026 marketing plans are already built on assumptions that no longer hold, not because the [...]
KKR and Premialab Announce A $220m Strategic Investment To Power Next Phase Of Global Growth December 16, 2025 Premialab, a global provider of data, analytics and risk management solutions for quantitative investing, today announces a significant $220m growth investment from funds and accounts managed by KKR, a leading global investment firm. Under the terms of the agreement, KKR will lead a significant growth investment alongside existing investor Balderton. Founded by Adrien Géliot and [...]
Subsidised jobs won’t fix youth unemployment December 16, 2025 The young do not need moral lectures. They need chances. And chances come from businesses that are free to hire, free to experiment and free to take risks, not from the state, says Matthew Bowles Last weekend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, announced on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg [...]
‘Picking winners? This is about backing champions’ – Reform’s Zia Yusuf on a radical approach to business December 16, 2025 Reform has by any measure enjoyed an incredible 2025. But for much of the poll-topping year, its economic vision has remained an unknown entity. Ali Lyon met policy chief Zia Yusuf to hear, for the first time, his party’s plans for Britain’s flatlining economy and the millions of businesses in it. Zia Yusuf is feeling [...]
Starling revs up Engine with City hiring spree December 16, 2025 Starling is motoring into 2026 with its foot firmly on the pedal, injecting a fresh pump of gas into the group’s technology arm. The UK fintech veteran is planning to shift its software-as-a-service (Saas) banking platform into top gear with a major hiring spree across London. The platform, known as Engine, is a subsidiary of [...]
Starmer addresses leadership rumours amid bond market warnings December 15, 2025 Keir Starmer has acknowledged that speculation over his leadership is “rife” amid fresh concerns that a change in Prime Minister could spark panic in the bond markets. The PM vowed to take action on leaks and briefings coming from Downing Street over the last few months, adding that he had previously dismissed officials for sharing [...]