Starling Bank snaps up UK fintech firm in small business push August 19, 2025 Starling Bank has snapped up its UK fintech peer Ember in a bid to ramp up its services for small business customers. The London-based firm said as part of the takeover, Ember’s tax and bookkeeping software will be built into Starling’s app and online bank. The deal, which Starling did not disclose the price of, [...]
Soho House: How billionaire Tyler Morse and his former boss are buying up London August 19, 2025 Soho House marked the end of its four-year spell on the Nasdaq this week after it reached an agreement to be taken private by US hotel giant MCR in a $2.7bn (£2bn) deal. The swish members’ club, which was founded in Soho’s Greek Street by restauranteur Nick Jones in 1995, has grown into a sprawling [...]
UK growth revised up two years late August 19, 2025 The UK economy grew slightly more in 2023 than previously assumed due to a change in how official statisticians calculate research and development (R&D) data, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Reflecting the difficulties in adding up output and consumption figures, the ONS said it was including new figures on tax data for R&D [...]
Great Portland Estates calls in lawyers to investigate culture August 19, 2025 Shares in Great Portland Estates (GPE) have recovered some losses this morning after reports surfaced of a whistleblower complaint about culture at the FTSE 250 office landlord over the weekend. GPE, which has a London office portfolio worth £2.9bn, has since called in lawyers to investigate the allegations in light of the complaint by a [...]
Just how many non-doms are leaving the UK? August 19, 2025 Since the Chancellor announced her non-dom crackdown, advisers, campaign groups and economists have warned an exodus of wealthy foreigners is afoot. But after a report claimed that departures were less extreme than feared, Ali Lyon digs into the data. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Popularised by Mark Twain, the phrase describes people’s tendency [...]
Boots on the ground in Ukraine? Brits don’t want to fund it August 19, 2025 With an electorate that doesn't back higher defence spending, Healey's promise to put troops in Ukraine looks like political grandstanding.
Horizon fallout: How the SRA is turning up the heat on City firms August 19, 2025 Following the Post Office Horizon scandal, the SRA is turning up the heat on in-house solicitors. Here's what it means for City firms.
Audit costs for English councils soar as bankruptcies mount August 19, 2025 Audit costs for English councils have more than tripled, during a time many councils have fallen into bankruptcy or taken on greater debt.
London businesses optimistic for future economic growth, KPMG says August 18, 2025 The vast majority of private business owners in London have recorded rocketing optimism about their growth prospects, but concerns surrounding the impact of inflation remain, according to the latest KPMG private enterprise barometer survey. Following a challenging first financial half of the year, with businesses hit with tariff turmoil and ongoing geopolitical tensions, confidence in [...]
Rental crisis in London worsens: ‘Payments border on the obscene’ August 18, 2025 Rents in London are taking up a larger portion of tenants’ earnings again after three years of improvements. Private renters on a median household income in the capital paid 41.6 per cent of their earnings on rent last year, up from 38 per cent in 2023 and the highest figure since 2021. The cost of [...]