NatWest Group has opened applications for the second year of its Fintech Programme, calling on UK-based fintechs that are using artificial intelligence to reshape the future of customer experience in financial services. The 2026 programme will run for 12 weeks and is aimed at pre-Series A and Series A fintechs with proven product-market fit and commercial traction. Successful applicants will ...
Some of Britain’s most recognisable retailers and visitor attractions are bracing for dramatic swings in their business rates bills from next April, as the 2026 revaluation lands with what has already been dubbed across the sector as “Reeves’ Christmas tax”. Fresh analysis from global tax firm Ryan reveals a retail landscape increasingly defined by extremes, with destination-led and seasonal attractions ...
Expected tax revenues from the abolition of non-dom status have been dismissed as “fantasy economics” by a former government economist, amid warnings that the Chancellor is relying on deeply flawed assumptions to plug future gaps in the public finances. Fresh post-Budget analysis published today by economic consultancy ChamberlainWalker suggests that forecasts underpinning the non-dom reforms are increasingly detached from reality. ...
Northern Ireland is facing the prospect of new car shortages and higher motoring taxes as post-Brexit provisions under the Windsor Framework come into force at the start of 2026, triggering concern across the automotive sector. From January 1, all new cars sold and registered in Northern Ireland will have to comply with European Union vehicle standards rather than those applied ...
A London-based veterinary start-up aiming to bring greater price transparency to pet care has raised £15 million to accelerate its expansion across the UK. Hello Vet, which allows owners to stay with their pets as they go under and wake up from anaesthesia, plans to open at least 20 to 25 new clinics and hire around 200 vets and veterinary ...
On the first day of Christmas, my mentor taught to me, resilience as a growth strategy… Christmas is a time for slowing down, relaxing, and resetting for the year ahead. For the SME leaders we work with on our Help to Grow: Management Course, it provides the opportunity to reflect on the year gone by and think about the new ...
Modern truth has ceased to be the ultimate authority. The word “post-truth” became Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year back in 2016, defined as a condition in which “objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” In the years since, the situation has only deteriorated. Experts now describe an epidemic of informational ...
Cash shortages can disrupt even well-managed companies, often at moments when stability matters most. A delayed client payment, a sudden drop in seasonal revenue or an unexpected opportunity requiring immediate capital can place pressure on operations long before traditional funding becomes available. For UK businesses trying to maintain continuity in challenging periods, strengthening cash flow management for small businesses becomes ...
The European Union’s planned ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 is set to be watered down, according to senior figures in the European Parliament, in a move that is likely to trigger fierce opposition from environmental campaigners. The decision, which is expected to be outlined by the European Commission this week in Strasbourg, would ...
Fast-food chain Leon is set to close a number of restaurants and cut jobs after entering administration, just weeks after being bought back by its co-founder John Vincent in a deal reported to be worth between £30 million and £50 million. The business has applied for an administration order to enable the formulation of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), which ...