Search: financial focus

The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has imposed a financial penalty of £10,625,000 on U K Insurance Limited (UKI Limited) in connection with a miscalculation of their Solvency II balance sheet during 2023 and 2024. This resulted in UKI Limited overstating its solvency to the PRA and to t

The Financial Conduct Authority has fined Wood Group £13 million after concluding that a "poor operating culture" at the Aberdeen-based engineering firm led it to publish misleading financial information to investors over a three-year period.

Edinburgh-based software firm Craneware, a provider of financial performance solutions for the US healthcare sector, has posted a 14% increase in adjusted profit before tax to $23.5 million (c. £17.7m), supported by a 6% rise in revenue to $105.7m (c. £79m). These results, for the six mo

The corporate finance team at AAB has been ranked as Scotland’s most active M&A financial adviser for 2025. The firm maintained its top position by advising on 27 transactions during the year, according to the latest Experian MarketIQ report, narrowly ahead of Azets on 26 and K3 Capital Gr

New UK standards for sustainability and climate-related financial disclosures are positive but "should go further", ICAS has said. The highly-anticipated UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (SRS) were published by the UK's Department for Business and Trade this week.

Lenders could have access to more comprehensive information to support lending decisions, under new proposals by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).  The FCA is consulting on designating certain credit reference agencies (CRAs). If a lender shares credit information with one designated consu

BAE Systems has reported a robust financial and operational performance in its 2025 full-year results, underpinned by a record order backlog of £83.6 billion. Amidst escalating global security challenges, the company achieved a 10% increase in sales to £30.7bn and a 12% rise in underlyin

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed the appointment of KPMG as the independent assessor responsible for evaluating proposals to establish a new standards-setting body for UK open banking APIs. This 12-week assessment is designed to identify which organisation is best positioned to le

Scottish renewable energy projects with the capacity to generate 1.4GW of electricity have been awarded a Contracts for Difference (CfD) in the latest UK government auction process. The CfD scheme is a financial agreement that supports low-carbon electricity generators by providing a guaranteed pric

The Scottish distilling industry is facing a deepening crisis as new data from financial advisory and restructuring firm BTG has revealed that 19% of Scotland’s distilleries are now in financial distress. In Scotland, 69 distillers, and a further 217 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland,

Rising tax and cost pressures forced one quarter (25%) of SME bosses in Scotland to lay off staff last year, according to Rathbones. SME founders, owners and senior executives across Scotland disclosed cost pressures and national insurance contributions are weighing heavily on firms and driving up r

People who pay monthly for their insurance are saving around £157 million a year, with over half the firms the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reviewed as part of a market study lowering the cost of premium finance.

New figures released by Scotland's Chief Statistician provide a comprehensive overview of local government financial activity across the country for the 2024-25 period, covering service delivery costs, infrastructure investment, and overall debt levels. During this financial year, local authorities

Lloyds Banking Group has announced a fresh £1.8 billion share buyback after a robust performance in the 2025 financial year, where pre-tax profits jumped 12% to £6.7bn. The banking giant surpassed internal expectations of £6.4bn, demonstrating resilience despite the Bank of England

Profits at Nairn’s Oatcakes rose to £4.9 million in the 2024-25 financial year, driven by robust sales growth across both domestic and international markets. The Edinburgh-based firm saw turnover increase by 6.6%, climbing from £47.5m to £50.6m.