Could this be Britain’s most expensive shed? August 7, 2025 As we report today, there’s been a nationwide downturn in construction. The issue is especially acute in London – the place housing is needed most – where the number of new home starts is hurtling towards zero. At this rate, there is just no way the government will meet its target of building 1.5m new [...]
‘My boss knew I’d leave Freshfields from my first week in’: Nnamdi Emelifeonwu on setting up legal tech firm Definely August 7, 2025 Freshfields lawyer Nnamdi Emelifeonwu left law to set up legal tech firm Definely. He takes us through his career in Square Mile and Me.
London hit with a slowdown in mid-market deal activity August 6, 2025 Mid-market private equity investment in London suffered a fall in the first half of this year, as economic uncertainty and wider geopolitical issues affected investment activity. According to fresh analysis from professional services giant KPMG, the volume of mid-market private equity investment fell 14 per cent in the capital, with just 168 deals completed. KPMG’s [...]
AI-for-Excel firm Tracelight raises $3.6m to streamline finance work August 6, 2025 UK founded AI company, Tracelight, has raised over $3m in seed funding as it bids to hand laborious finance work over to AI tech. The London based company raised $3.6m (£2.7m) in seed funding from a series of venture capital firms, led by Chalfen Ventures with participation from Acequia Capital, Inovo and EF City AM [...]
BNY Investments team get game face on for City AM Triathlon Team Challenge August 6, 2025 The Square Mile has long upheld the “work hard, play hard” mantra and the BNY Investments trio taking on the City AM Triathlon Team Challenge this weekend are doing their bit to honour that tradition. Data analyst Matt Stearn, control and resiliency director Anthony Guinot and software engineer Ben Pudsey will be representing the global [...]
Adanola valued at £400m as Kendall Jenner favourite sells stake August 6, 2025 Adanola, the athleisure brand worn by the likes of Kendall Jenner, Molly-Mae Hague and Maya Jama, has been valued at around $530m (£398m) after securing a new backer. Story3 Capital Partners has acquired a minority stake in the Manchester-based label which was founded by Hyrum Cook in 2015. Other well-known personalities who are fans of [...]
Simmons: Bar chain owed millions to OakNorth, tax collectors before entering administration August 6, 2025 Simmons owed millions of pounds in debts to OakNorth bank and tax collectors before it was put into administration, fresh corporate documents have revealed. The London-based cocktail bar chain has made at least 30 staff redundant alongside closing several sites as founder Nick Campbell battled to secure rescue funding to buy the company in a [...]
Metro Bank trebles profit amid pivot to specialist lending August 6, 2025 Metro Bank more than trebled its profit in the first six months of the year as its transformation strategy gained pace. The high street lender recorded an underlying profit before tax of £45m, compared with £12.8m in the second half of 2024. Revenue grew 22 per cent to £286m whilst operating costs fell eight per [...]
The Bank of England’s trouble-free decision to cut interest rates August 6, 2025 The Bank of England has long suffered from the accusation of groupthink. Reforms have been mooted – and some have been implemented – but it has struggled to shake off the charge. Economists at the Cato Institute and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) have, for example, pointed the blame at Threadneedle [...]
Labour urged to come clean on exit tax August 5, 2025 Labour ministers have been urged to clarify whether the government will introduce an exit tax as Tax Policy Associates chief Dan Neidle warned rumours could be “damaging” for the UK economy. Chancellor Rachel Reeves looks poised to raise more than £20bn in taxes later this year amid a shortfall in the fiscal headroom left by [...]