Search: financial focus

Edinburgh-headquartered Rhizocore Technologies, a biotechnology company which uses fungi to improve tree growth and survival rates, has secured £4.5 million in investment to scale its innovative approach to forestry and woodland restoration. The funding round was led by The First Thirty, a spe

Scottish ministers have extended a consultation on new mental health moratorium rules amid efforts to improve debt protections for people struggling with mental illness, writes Ahsan Mustafa. On 14 November, Ivan McKeen, minister for public finance, extended the consultation on the draft Mental Heal

Scottish accountancy firm Henderson Loggie is urging Scottish charities to take early action as changes to both the audit threshold and the Charities SORP 2026 create a new and more complex reporting landscape. The Scottish Government has announced that the statutory audit threshold will rise for th

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has appointed Katie Close CA as its new director of tax. Katie Close will lead the ICAS tax team, overseeing technical content and resources for over 24,000 members working in more than 85 countries.

Deborah Freeman-Watt, Rachel Gwyon, Michael Stewart, James Withers and Amanda Young have been appointed as board members of Crown Estate Scotland (CES).

Glasgow-headquartered Wbg is developing its own internal entrepreneurial ecosystem in response to a record boom in Scottish startups. The initiative launches ahead of Global Entrepreneurship Week (17-23 November).

Digital product consultancy Waracle has secured a long-term agreement with People’s Partnership, provider of People’s Pension, in a multi-million-pound deal that will help create the next-generation digital experience for the not-for-profit organisation. The agreement will see Dundee-hea

Insolvency-related activity rose by 17% in Scotland last month, according to R3. The restructuring, turnaround and insolvency trade body's analysis of data provided by CreditSafe indicated an increase in insolvency-related activities from 106 in September to 124 in October.

Scotland’s labour market is facing “growing pressures” amid a complex economic backdrop, according to the latest figures. While data shows a challenging picture for employment, cooling wage growth across the UK has fuelled speculation of a pre-Christmas interest rate cut from the B

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has called for cyber insurance to become a part of every organisation’s modern risk management strategy, as its latest figures show £197 million was paid out to help businesses recover from cyber incidents in 2024. Data from firms participating i

Investors in new stocks & shares ISAs ramped up their contributions in the third quarter of 2025, according to data from Scottish Friendly. The data shows that contributions to new ISAs increased by 13% quarter-on-quarter in Q3, despite the ongoing squeeze on household finances.

KPMG is reducing the pay ranges for new and promoted staff in its UK offices near London, aligning salaries in commuter belt towns such as Reading and Watford with regional centres like Birmingham and Manchester. The shake-up means individuals joining or achieving promotion in these locations may be

The UK government is facing a fresh internal row after Chancellor Rachel Reeves reportedly informed the fiscal watchdog of plans to raise income tax, breaking a key 2024 manifesto pledge.

Johnston Carmichael has appointed Glen Small as head of construction and property, strengthening its commitment to supporting one of the UK’s most vital and dynamic sectors. Glen Small joined the independent accountancy and business advisory firm in April 2022, bringing extensive experience fr

Scottish SMEs have been warned they could be missing out on up to £10,500 relief on their National Insurance (NI) contributions by failing to claim their full Employment Allowance following a recent change in the rules. Nicola Campbell, head of accountancy and business advisory services with A