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Aviva has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire rival insurer Direct Line for £3.6 billion after its third takeover bid was accepted.

The corporate and M&A team at Harper Macleod advised on 42 transactions in October as business owners and acquiring companies acted ahead of Labour’s first budget in 14 years. With businesses anticipating a hike in capital gains tax (CGT) and other tax raising measures, the team saw a mark

UK government borrowing hit £17.4 billion in October, the second-highest figure for the month on record. This surge, driven by increased public sector wages and rising debt interest payments, raises concerns about potential future tax hikes.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour's first budget in 14 years, unveiling a series of tax increases and spending commitments aimed at bolstering public services and stimulating economic growth.

Glasgow-based Revive Eco, a start-up using innovative technology to create a palm oil alternative from used coffee grounds, has secured a significant contract with French firm SAS Pivert, which will see chemistry and biotech specialists take the company’s upcycling process to an industrial sca

Summerhall, the Edinburgh Fringe venue facing closure earlier this year, has been issued a winding-up petition by HMRC for unpaid corporation tax. Founder Robert McDowell disputes the claim, stating that tax is only owed on profits and not on investments and asset sales.

A Japanese snack company has issued a public apology after raising the price of its popular puffed corn snack for the second time in 45 years. Umaibo (literally translated as 'delicious stick'), the snack known for its affordability and nostalgic appeal, has been a staple since 1979, originally cost

The Murray Income Trust plc, the £1bn investment company focused on UK equities, reported its annual results to 30 June 2024. Key highlights include:

SOLASTA Bio, a Glasgow-based agri-biotech firm, has successfully raised $14 million (c. £10.7m) in Series A funding to advance its groundbreaking nature-inspired bioinsecticides. The investment round was led by Forbion via its BioEconomy fund strategy, with co-lead investment from agricultural

Deloitte has decided to reintroduce in-person interviews for its UK graduate scheme, responding to concerns from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over online cheating. The Big Four firm will return to face-to-face interviews from September for graduate and apprenticeship programmes.

Scotland's Finance Secretary Shona Robison has unveiled plans for up to £500 million in spending cuts to balance the Scottish government's budget amid "enormous and growing" financial pressure. Ms Robison told parliament that this fiscal year Scotland is projected to face an additional £

Scotland's private sector showed solid growth in July, driven mainly by the service sector, according to the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The bank's latest Regional Growth Tracker data shows private sector firms across Scotland signalled a solid rise in activity at the start of the second half

Global accountancy body ACCA has called for the Scottish Government to increase the threshold at which charities have to complete an audit, to relieve time and cost pressure on hard-pressed charities. ACCA highlighted some of the problems facing charities requiring an audit, with smaller charities p

NatWest Group's shares surged to 7.5% in Friday's morning trading after the bank reported positive first-half results, raised its annual outlook, and announced a £2.5 billion mortgage portfolio acquisition from Metro Bank. Despite a 7.7% drop in total income to £7.13 billion, NatWest's p

A new image sharing platform which caters specifically for astronomers and astrophotographers has been launched by an Ayrshire entrepreneur following a six-figure investment. Picastro has been created by Tom McCrorie who has combined his passion and astrophotography skills with his career as a creat