Financial services are not prepared for AI risks January 20, 2026 The Bank of England, the FCA and the Treasury must be proactive in protecting the system against this rapidly developing technology’s potential worst-case scenarios. If not, they are exposing the stability of the UK’s financial system to significant risks, says Meg Hillier It feels like discussion and debates about the AI revolution have reached fever [...]
Small businesses ditch green agenda as ‘survival’ becomes priority January 20, 2026 Small businesses are ditching green finance initiatives as “ensuring survival” becomes a bigger focus for firms amid the pressures of rising costs. The latest business growth tracker from Natwest showed prioritising of sustainability was at an all time low among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by the end of 2025. Just 30 per cent of [...]
Zurich makes £7.7bn play for Beazley after FTSE 100 firm rejected first offer January 19, 2026 Zurich Insurance Group has launched its second public pursuit of Lloyd’s of London prominent underwriter Beazley with a revised proposal at 1.280 pence per share, valuing the firm at just under £8bn. At the start of the month, Zurich privately submitted a proposal to the Beazley board to acquire 100 per cent of the company [...]
CVC and AIG forge landmark $3.5bn investment alliance January 19, 2026 Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners announced a $3.5bn (£2.61bn) strategic partnership with American International Group (AIG) to support “long-term investment objectives”. As part of the agreement, announced on Monday, AIG will act as a ‘cornerstone investor’, a private equity secondaries evergreen platform, contributing up to $1.5bn from AIG’s existing private equity portfolio. This aims [...]
Logistics Reply Announces the Launch of Its Warehouse AI Agent Builder, GaliLEA Dynamic Intelligence January 19, 2026 Logistics Reply, the Reply group company specialising in innovative solutions for supply chain execution and warehouse management, announced today the release of GaliLEA Dynamic Intelligence, the new AI Agent Builder, part of its agentic AI solution natively embedded within the LEA ReplyTM Platform, the microservices-based platform for warehouse and supply chain execution. This press release [...]
Big Tech wants to access your health records January 16, 2026 OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT Health this month is set to capitalise a behavioural pattern that has already taken hold. Millions of people use AI chatbots to make sense of symptoms, test results and medical jargon, often even before speaking to a qualified clinician. The difference is that now, as of just last week, the technology [...]
Urban Pubs & Bars launches acquisition spree after strong Christmas sales January 16, 2026 Urban Pubs & Bars has embarked on an aggressive acquisition spree as the London-based hospitality group toasted strong demand over the Christmas season. This week the company announced it had acquired The Birdcage in East London from Brewdog, marking its sixth acquisition of 2026. The deal follows the recent completion of five premium hospitality venues [...]
CPP Investments Increases Commitment to Canadian Market through Northleaf Capital Partners January 16, 2026 Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and Northleaf Capital Partners (Northleaf) today announced a significant expansion of their longstanding Canadian investment partnership, supporting the growth and scaling of domestic private companies. CPP Investments has committed to invest an additional C$750 million through its established Canadian mid-market program managed by Northleaf, bringing CPP Investments’ cumulative [...]
Wellington Management Appoints Alex Behm to Strengthen Secondaries Capabilities January 16, 2026 Continued expansion of the firm’s Venture Growth Evergreen platform
Everest Appoints Christopher Kujawa as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer January 16, 2026 Everest Group, Ltd. (NYSE: EG), a global underwriting leader providing world-class reinsurance and specialty insurance solutions, announced today that Christopher Kujawa has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, effective January 20, 2026. Mr. Kujawa will report to Jim Williamson, President and CEO and will serve on Everest’s Executive Leadership Team. He [...]