Greg Jackson spins off Kraken from Octopus Energy September 18, 2025 Greg Jackson’s Octopus Energy has announced the spin-off of its technology arm Kraken to become a standalone business. The group said the move is aimed at “speeding up the platform’s expansion across the globe” and allowing Kraken to “fast-track investments into its technology, expand into new energy markets and regions, and drive innovation”. Kraken has [...]
Aon’s tech startup approach is redefining life insurance September 18, 2025 When Michelle Lister joined Aon to startup a life consulting practice, she didn’t expect to find a high-performing GPU based life actuarial software ready to use for her projects. But that’s exactly what happened. “The draw was the excitement of having this startup of a business within a global corporate,” says Lister, now UK/EMEA head [...]
The “Living Bridge”: Cultivating a new golden era in UK-India relations September 18, 2025 The India Business Group (IBG), an independent strategic advisory company, was established in 2014 by Amarjit Singh to foster the special relationship between India and the UK. The founder and CEO of the India Business Group is a commercial solicitor by background and set up the organisation after observing a palpable interest from UK small [...]
The great big merger: Chasing elite status in the legal world September 18, 2025 The ever-evolving legal market continues to expand, particularly when it comes to law firm names, which have become longer as a result of a flurry of recent mergers. The ambition to join the ‘Global Elite’ continues to drive change, as two major firms have recently followed A&O Shearman’s lead by merging with New York law [...]
Reeves considering ‘staggered stamp duty payments’ to boost housing market September 18, 2025 A proposal to spread stamp duty payments across several years, in an effort to drive growth and boost the housing market, is among changes to property tax being considered by the Treasury ahead of Budget discussions with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Suggested reforms to stamp duty would allow house buyers to pay the [...]
Starmer and Macron face a shared Waterloo September 18, 2025 Facing crippling national debt and a politically divided public, both Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have proved unable to implement necessary economic reforms, and both are heading for a downfall driven by market forces, says Helen Thomas A country gripped by the highest debt levels since the Second World War; an unpopular leader facing a [...]
Labour warned Employment Rights Bill will damage jobs market September 17, 2025 Labour’s Employment Rights Bill must be changed immediately to prevent the UK’s jobs market crisis from worsening, top business groups have warned Peter Kyle in a last-ditch attempt to secure growth-focused changes. The government’s workers’ rights reforms have faced strong opposition from thousands of businesses across the UK, with bodies representing their interests claiming changes [...]
Industrial strategy vs journalism: The battle for UK university funding September 17, 2025 The future of journalism courses in UK higher education is under threat after the government confirmed plans to divert funding away from media and communications courses and towards subjects more directly tied to its industrial strategy. In May, ministers announced a £108m cut to the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) for 2025-26 – reducing the total [...]
Como 1907 partners with Stokes-backed Players Fund September 17, 2025 Serie A club Como 1907 has launched a startup and investment platform powered by the Ben Stokes-backed Players Fund. Como Ventures will use the athlete-led venture capital firm – which enjoys the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Stuart Broad and Allyson Felix as investors – to help create a “founder-first launchpad”, which will see start-ups “gain [...]
Hawks vs Doves: Bank of England’s MPC will hold interest rates – but expect dissent September 17, 2025 In the last year, the Bank of England has cut interest rates five times on the expectation that price rises were easing in the UK. When inflation hit a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in October 2022, policymakers at the Bank warned that its fight to battle inflation was “sacrosanct”. The relentless spiralling of [...]