After a ‘stunning’ update, what does the future hold for long-suffering BP? April 30, 2026 BP wowed shareholders with its first quarter results – doubling profit and bolstering its balance sheet. But with an activist breathing down its neck, its new boss Meg O’Neill isn’t out of the woods yet, writes Ali Lyon As she sat down to pen her first email to BP’s 100,000 staff, Meg O’Neill opted against [...]
Big Bash League set for split as states reject Hundred-style sell-off April 30, 2026 Cricket Australia will explore a partial sell-off of the Big Bash League after objections from some states forced it to shelve plans to seek investors in all eight teams. Queensland Cricket joined NSW Cricket in opposing proposals to copy the England and Wales Cricket Board’s sale of 49 per cent stakes in The Hundred franchises. [...]
Bank of England signals interest rate hikes ahead despite April hold April 30, 2026 The Bank of England has all but confirmed that interest rates will be hiked in the coming months as oil prices have shot up, despite opting to hold them in a meeting on Thursday. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee warned interest rates could climb back to 5.25 per cent from the current level of 3.75 [...]
Truespeed and Freedom Fibre Complete Strategic Merger April 30, 2026 Freedom Fibre and Truespeed have today confirmed the completion of their merger, following regulatory approval, creating the Freedom Truespeed Group: a scaled, capital-efficient full fibre platform with an expanded regional footprint across the UK. The transaction brings together two highly complementary full fibre networks, with the combined business serving more than 412,000 premises Ready for [...]
‘Disappointing day’: Edinburgh Worldwide admits defeat to Saba Capital April 30, 2026 Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust had conceded defeat to Saba Capital, bringing its 17-month long battle with the US hedge fund to an end. In its annual general meeting (AGM) update released on Thursday morning, the investment trust admitted that it expects that there will be “insufficient votes” in favour of the resolutions relating to the [...]
Buses, shoes and air ambulances: The F1 tech influencing everyday life April 30, 2026 F1 may have been away from our screens for over a month, but its technology has been all around us. Matt Hardy digs deeper. Ever sat on the famously busy – and traffic heavy – 149 bus route from London Bridge to Edmonton Green, the one that weaves its way through the City before heading [...]
Soho Square Agrees Exit of Investment in CreateFuture Following Period of Strong Growth April 30, 2026 Soho Square Capital LLP (“Soho Square”), an investment firm focused on financing established and growing UK and European SMEs, is pleased to announce that it has agreed to exit its investment in CreateFuture (the “Company”), a leading digital transformation consultancy, to Version 1, a global leader in digital transformation. The transaction is subject to customary [...]
How does a Pokemon card fetch £12m? Inside the lucrative world of rare trading cards April 30, 2026 The Pokemon and Matchattax cards you had when you were a kid could fetch big bucks now. From multi-million price tags to Premier League brand deals, Matt Kenyon digs into this unlikely new asset class. At a glance, it looked a bit like Comic Con. But in reality, Fort Knox would have been a better [...]
Standard Chartered registers $190m charge on Iran war April 30, 2026 Standard Chartered’s impairment charges jumped in the first quarter as the bank set aside a hefty sum to cover volatility in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 giant booked $296m in credit impairment charges, with $190m of this coming from “precautionary management overlays” related to the war in Iran. The Asian-focused bank’s activity in the [...]
Unilever beats analyst expectations but food spin-off costs up to €500m April 30, 2026 Unilever beat analyst expectations to record nearly three per cent volume growth, despite a €500m hit from its food spin-off and falling revenue. The FTSE 100 consumer goods giant said it will face between €400m and €500m (up to £433m) of “stranded costs” after it offloaded its food brands – including Marmite and Hellman’s – [...]