Search: financial focus

An arsenal of planned reforms to boost competition and shield the public from rip-offs as the UK builds back fairer from the pandemic have been unveiled by the UK Government's business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

Following a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) review of the practices of debt packager firms, five firms have stopped providing regulated debt advice until further notice and the FCA has used formal powers to stop another firm from providing regulated advice. The FCA has also published correspondenc

More than one in four businesses that deferred tax payments during the initial lockdown last year still owe HMRC billions of pounds. A total of 156,500 out of 590,000 businesses that utilised Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s VAT deferral between March and June have failed to make contact with HMRC to

The Artisanal Spirits Company (ASC), the owner of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), has reported a 20% growth in total sales to £7.9 million at the time of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) last month.

Rod Paris is set to retire as chief investment officer of abrdn at the end of 2021. In response to his departure, abrdn, formerly Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI), has outlined a structure for its investment management team, organised around pillars of strategic importance for clients – pub

A solicitor who prepared false invoices for non-existent work in order to steal more than £12,500 from clients’ accounts and who pleaded guilty to embezzlement has been ordered to carry out unpaid work. Louise Sutherland, 60, took the money while employed at Graeme Murray & Co Solici

Susannah Donaldson, legal director at Pinsent Masons, considers the impact of the pandemic on gender pay gap figures reported by large construction businesses. The Covid-19 pandemic has somewhat skewed gender pay gap (GPG) figures reported by large construction businesses for the year 2020

The UK government will undermine devolution if they establish freeports in Scotland and Wales without reaching agreement with devolved governments, according to Scottish and Welsh ministers. The devolved governments said that while they were committed to working with the UK government, UK ministers

A new European grant secured by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will help the agency to support innovation in the UK's marine sector. The funding will be used to support and encourage collaboration, particularly in areas relating to low carbon.

Scotland's property prices continue to rise, with the highest annual increase in house prices recorded in over a decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a property boom, reaching its peak in May, which has led to a 12.1% rise in property prices in Scotland.

The Trump Organisation has removed its finance chief Allen Weisselberg as the director of several of its subsidiaries, including the Trump International Golf Club in Aberdeenshire. Mr Weisselberg and the Trump Organisation were charged with tax fraud earlier this month in a 15-fount indictment, accu

Glasgow-headquartered RJ McLeod has been awarded the “balance of plant” contract by Hamilton-based employer, Banks Renewables for its 15-turbine Kype Muir wind farm extension project near Strathaven in South Lanarkshire. Around 20% of RJ McLeod’s employees are based in Lanarkshire.

Premier Inn opened a new 85-bedroom hotel in Thurso last week. This latest addition to the Whitbread network is the fourth new Premier Inn hotel to open in Scotland this calendar year and is the most northerly in the network.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined LBGI (Lloyds Bank General Insurance Limited, St Andrew’s Insurance Plc, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Limited and Halifax General Insurance Services Limited) £90,688,400 for failing to ensure that language contained within millions of home

Finance advisory specialists Hutcheon Mearns are expanding into a Dundee and Angus, adding two key hires to support increased demand. Tina Maguire joins the team as resourcing manager. With nearly 40 years of experience in banking and finance recruitment, she specialises in recruiting for finance an