Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, discusses the impact of the rising cost of living on the ability to save. The cost-of-living crisis is impossible to ignore. At the start of the year, inflation reached its highest recorded level since 1992 and the affordability of goods and services ha
Search: financial focus
Scottish businesses are struggling to recruit accountants with high-level expertise in blockchain technologies and AI which can supercharge C-suite decision making and increase profitability. This is according to the annual salary guide published by Core-Asset Consulting. The report is a forensic re
Two events taking place next month will enable University of Edinburgh-supported start-ups to pitch their companies to an audience of investors, grant funding bodies and fellow entrepreneurs. The AI Accelerator Showcase and Venture Builder Incubator Demo Day take place in Edinburgh on 17 and 25 Marc
Perth-based insurance giant Aviva has announced a proposed return of capital of £3.75 billion to the holders of its ordinary shares. The shares will be returned by the way of a B share scheme. This is in addition to the £1 billion share buy-back which is underway
A ground-breaking research project at Heriot-Watt University is set to be commercialised with £77,600 of funding from Scottish Enterprise’s (SE) High Growth Spinout Programme. The project, which has developed an advanced camera technology with consistent, full colour, HD resolution at mi
Kevin Ellis, the UK chair and senior partner at Big Four firm PwC UK, has said that criticism of the accountancy sector from MPs and regulators is hindering the sector's ability to recruit new staff. In an interview with the Financial Times in late December, Mr Ellis highlighted that retaining quali
Scotland’s onshore GDP grew by 0.2% in October, according to statistics announced today by the Chief Statistician.
The Aberdeen New Dawn Investment Trust plc, a company managed by abrdn, has seen its Net Asset Value (NAV) total return drop by 0.7% in the six months ended 31 October 2021. This is compared to a rise of 43.4% in the year ended 30 April 2021.
Anderson Anderson & Brown (AAB), the tech-enabled business-critical services group, is building on the existing support it provides to Scotland’s tech sector through a series of innovation hubs and accelerator sponsorships. AAB’s established Tech team is located across AAB’s of
Clydesdale Bank owner Virgin Money has launched a new business current account aimed specifically at small businesses. M Account for Business comes with no monthly fee and free digital transactions, and has been designed for entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses with an annual turnover of un
Digital bank Monument has announced that the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority have lifted deposit restrictions on its licence, so it can now operate as a fully-licensed deposit taking bank. Monument is the first neo-bank to be launched in the UK specifically to me
Barclays has posted its third-quarter results for the year, revealing profits before tax of £6.9 million, compared to £2.4m in the third quarter of 2020. The bank's net interest income dropped by 7% throughout the quarter to £5.8m, while its total income dropped slightly from &poun
Edinburgh-based investment manager Par Equity has won Best EIS Manager at the prestigious 2021 EISA (Enterprise Investment Scheme Association) awards. The firm was also highly commended in the EISA Impact Award.
The average fraudulent insurance claim has risen by 6% since 2019, with figures reaching £12,000, according to the latest figures published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). According to the figures, the number of detected fraudulent claims fell to 96,000 down 10% on 2019 to the lo
Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business, has today announced a new programme of investment. The purchase of the Standard Life brand in May 2021 from abrdn is strategically important to Phoenix Group as it pursues a growth strategy that w
