The UK is a financial world leader, so why are our numeracy levels so poor? May 21, 2025 Poor numeracy skills have real financial consequences. If the City is to remain a financial powerhouse, we must address the nation’s deteriorating maths, writes Andy Haldane on National Numeracy Day Financial services is a numbers game. Success in finance requires mastery of a wide range of skills, professional and interpersonal. But without a command of [...]
Cyber and AI fuel surge in UK tech M&A deals May 21, 2025 The UK’s software M&A market has hit a record high, with £13.2bn deployed across 420 deals over the past year, marking a 27 per cent year on year rise and revealing the nation’s pivotal role in Europe’s tech investment scene. A recent survey from BearingPoint Capital found that despite escalating macroeconomic headwinds and growing valuation [...]
Reeves’ taxes push inflation to 3.5 per cent in ‘Awful April’ May 21, 2025 Inflation bounced back up to 3.5 per cent in April, official data has revealed, underlining the cost burden firms are taking on after Chancellor Reeves’ tax hikes on employers and rise to the national living wage came into effect. Consumer price inflation rose by 1.2 per cent on a month-on-month basis, higher than the last [...]
UK SMEs could ‘unlock £78bn’ by using AI May 21, 2025 The UK’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) could unlock up to £78bn for the economy over the next decade through greater adoption of generative AI. Despite the transformative potential of AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and other large language models (LLMs), uptake among SMEs remains limited. Less than one in five small businesses are currently [...]
Firms must be at heart of red tape overhaul, CBI boss says May 21, 2025 The government’s efforts to slash red tape and regulation in a bid to boost growth are doomed to fail if they do not consult the very firms that “live and breathe” the UK’s regulatory barriers, according to the boss of Britain’s largest lobby group. In a speech at Singer Capital Markets, Rupert Soames, president of [...]
Insolvency levels hit highest level in eight months in Awful April May 20, 2025 April insolvency levels soared to their highest level in in eight months, official data has shown, reflecting businesses’ helplessness in the face of higher employment costs and the looming threat of President Trump’s tariffs. Over 2,000 companies collapsed last month, with most owners filing for voluntary liquidation and some 105 firms going into administration. If [...]
Goldman Sachs AM: Investors are fleeing US stocks May 20, 2025 Clients at Goldman Sachs Asset Management are increasingly asking the investment giant to move their money away from the US, bosses in the firm have warned. “The US is not thought to be as safe and dominant as it was six months ago,” Matt Gibson, head of client solutions at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, told [...]
Interest rate cuts need to slow down to curb inflation, says Huw Pill May 20, 2025 Interest rate cuts are fuelling inflation and need to slow down, the Bank of England’s chief economist Huw Pill has warned ahead of the release of fresh data set to show a jump in price growth in April. The Bank‘s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a slim majority to cut interest rates to 4.25 [...]
Greene King vs Spoons: Who is winning the great British pub battle? May 20, 2025 There are few well-populated areas of the UK where you can’t find either a Greene King or JD Wetherspoon pub. The two titans of the British pubs industry together operate thousands of locations each across the country and are staples of most urban areas. Both are major contributors to the UK economy – providing employment [...]
Is HSBC turning its back on Europe? May 20, 2025 When Georges Elhedery took the helm at HSBC, he wasted no time making his mark on the firm. Elhedery plotted a “simpler, more dynamic and agile organisation” in his sweeping restructure first announced in October 2024. One significant change introduced by the new bank chief was splitting the business into “eastern markets” covering the Asia-pacific [...]