Search: financial focus

Aberdeen City Council is set to discuss a proposed 7% tourist tax this week, the highest suggested rate in Scotland.

Ayr-based JST Ports & Logistics Holdings Ltd has acquired Essex firm RFS Works Ltd, with backing by £11.7 million funding from Cynergy Business Finance. The transaction enables JST to enhance the breadth of its port and rail logistics service offering, whilst expanding its operations

Armstrong Watson’s corporate finance team has almost doubled in size and successfully completed deals worth a combined total of more than £55 million over the last 12 months. Throughout 2024, the team continued to see a high level of activity across a variety of sectors, including manufa

Private equity (PE) investment in Scotland surged by over a third (35.6%) in 2024, reaching £9.4 billion, according to KPMG UK's latest Private Equity Review. The findings reflect a period in which the UK experienced a more stable economic climate, with interest rates and inflation falling; gr

The Bank of England (BoE) has lowered interest rates to 4.5%, a 0.25% reduction, amidst concerns about rising inflation and sluggish economic growth. The BoE's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-2 in favour of the cut, aiming to alleviate pressure on borrowers. However, the bank halved its 2025

Scotland's Chief Statistician has published the local government finance figures for 2023-24. Councils' net revenue expenditure, which covers the annual cost of delivering services, totalled £14,296 million. Education and Social Work accounted for the largest portions, at £6,960m and &po

Peter Ryder discusses the outlook for Scotland's property market in 2025 and what both buyers and sellers can expect. As we look ahead to 2025, Scotland's residential property market appears to be navigating a series of challenges and opportunities, with many factors contributing to a cautiously opt

Housing associations face a challenging insurance market amid huge increases in premiums, research commissioned by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has found.

New research from Grant Thornton UK LLP has revealed that, while many businesses expect they will need to secure additional funding to support their growth this year, the majority are currently finding it difficult to access the funding required. The firm’s research which surveyed 800 business

The Scottish Borders benefited from an economic boost of nearly £2.5 million from hosting a stage of the 2024 Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men, according to research by YouGov.

KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, and EY, have significantly reduced graduate hiring and shed thousands of jobs as they grapple with a prolonged downturn in the professional services sector.

A new survey from HSBC UK explores how people in the UK are managing their finances, shedding light on a variety of spending priorities, saving habits, and barriers to saving and investing.

The number of new UK technology incorporations in Scotland rose 5% in 2024 compared to 2023 figures, in contrast to the UK data, which saw a 5% reduction in the number of new tech incorporations, according to analysis by audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK. The data shows a total of 1,663 new tech

Research amongst 1,500 UK parents with children aged 0-15 years, conducted by 3Gem on behalf of Scottish Friendly, shows six out of 10 (58%) of parents are concerned their child won’t be able to afford to live independently. With over half (55%) worried that the cost of the deposit for a rente

Scottish soft drinks maker AG Barr saw its shares climb after reporting a 5% rise in annual revenue, driven by strong performances from its core brands. Turnover for the year ending 25 January is expected to reach approximately £420 million, up from £400m the previous year. Irn-Bru, Rubi