Search: financial focus

Scotland’s most successful big investment fund in recent years The Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust has seen a 24 per cent fall in its earnings per share. Returns for the £3.4 billion trust managed by James Anderson and Tom Slater at Baillie Gifford as more companies are reducing the cash paid

Scotland’s small and medium-sized businesses believe the economy is in better shape today than before the recession, with investment levels growing as a result, according to new research by Clydesdale Bank. The new survey reveals SMEs intend to invest, on average, seven per cent of their annual tu

Hugh Little Hugh Little, the head of acquisitions at Aberdeen Asset Management is to retire this summer, the Granite City-based wealth manager has announced.

Alastair Christmas New research carried out by Glasgow-based Clydesdale Bank suggests that the majority of small and medium-sized businesses in Scotland are underestimating their true worth by not taking into account the value of assets such as trademarks, patents and intellectual property.

Edinburgh-based planar display systems maker Pufferfish has closed a new round of funding in conjunction with the Scottish Investment Bank. The successful drive will see around £600,000 invested in further product development and in targeting increased penetration of markets in the USA and Canada.

A new campaign by Scotland’s national and international economic development agency Scottish Enterprise aims to alert businesses – particularly SMEs – to potential supply chain opportunities in the energy transition sector.

Investor confidence in Glasgow's city centre market is growing, with 89% of investors anticipating increased investment opportunities over the next year, research by Lismore Real Estate Advisors has shown.

High interest rates, continued uncertainty and low productivity could see the UK struggle to keep its head above water in the second half of the year – with GDP growth forecast at 0.4% in 2023 and 0.3% in 2024, according to KPMG’s latest UK Economic Outlook.

Fintech firm Ferovinum has sealed a landmark £100 million deal with NatWest and BCI Capital, marking a transformation in capital deployment within the UK wine and spirits industry. This is the first time NatWest has led portfolio funding arrangements for a wine and spirits inventory finance pl

Royal Bank of Scotland has announced a new two-year partnership extension with the Kiltwalk, Scotland’s largest mass participation walking event. The agreement continues a longstanding relationship which has seen the bank help the public, colleagues and customers raise funding for charitable c

Independent pharmacy business Porter Pharmacy has purchased two pharmacies as part of its ongoing growth plans. Porter Pharmacy, which is owned and run by husband and wife team Andy and Lynne Porter, have added two pharmacies to their existing group of outlets, with the company now operating a total

The latest EY Future Consumer Index has found that nearly half of UK consumers (43%) expect to spend less over the festive season compared to 22% for the same period last year. The 11th edition of the survey of over 1,000 UK consumers found that falling consumer confidence due to the cost-of-living

The Scottish-European Growth Co-Investment Programme (SEGCP) has delivered £6.12m of equity investment to the first cohort of companies to come through the process, facilitating investment rounds totalling £16.26m. The Programme is delivered by the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) –

Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy Paul Wheelhouse MSP has attended a Falkirk Economic Partnership meeting to discuss the progress of the Grangemouth Investment Zone and related developments.

A new report from PwC and games entrepreneur, Ian Livingstone, has revealed that while UK creative industries are thriving, making a strong contribution to the UK GDP with growth ahead of the broader UK economy itself, more must be done if it is to cement its success as one of the UK’s prized asse