News

The UK economy experienced a period of stagnation in the final quarter of 2025, with official figures revealing a modest expansion to GDP of just 0.1%. This sluggish performance, confirmed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), fell short of the 0.2% growth anticipated by City economists.

Nearly 80% of Chartered Accountants do not have confidence in the health of the Scottish economy and are calling for government action to make Scotland a more attractive place to do business, a new survey from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has revealed. In the first poll

Nearly nine in 10 (87%) private business owners in Scotland are confident about growth in 2026, according to KPMG’s annual Private Enterprise Barometer. The annual survey captured the perspectives of 1,500 privately owned businesses, including 119 in Scotland, from across various industries in

The Scottish Government has unveiled a strategic investment initiative designed to anchor high-growth life science firms within the nation. Spearheaded by Scottish Enterprise, the £35 million Life Sciences Accommodation Programme aims to resolve the current shortage of affordable, specialised

Edinburgh-based entrepreneur John McClarey, founder of corporate charity sports events company Business Fives, is to appear on an upcoming episode of Dragons’ Den. Business Fives was founded in Scotland a decade ago by Mr McClarey without seed investment, starting as a single charity sports ev

The membership body for UK lenders, UK Finance, is to delay implementation of its new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook. The introduction of the updated handbook, which will be hosted on a new, sign-in platform, has been postponed from 2 March until the end of June 2026. The current handbook will con

Surveyors reported a busy start to the year for the Scottish housing market as both demand and supply levels were on the up. Looking at demand, the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey reveals a net balance of 21% of respondents in Scotland report that new

A manufacturing blunder in China has resulted in a windfall for a factory worker whose error birthed an unlikely cultural icon in the form of a crying horse plushie.

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

In response to insights from over 900 finance leaders, ACCA has created the Technology in Finance certificate series – a four-part programme designed to give finance teams the practical, future-ready tools to thrive in a fast-evolving world. Technology is transforming finance, from data and AI

A former employee of PwC who brought an age and disability discrimination case against the company with support from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland will receive a £150,000 settlement. The woman had worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers Services Ltd for more than 40 years and held the

Richard Gardiner of Thomson Cooper has been appointed as the liquidator of G4 Claims Limited. His appointment comes following a court order issued at Hamilton Sheriff Court on 3 December 2025. The winding-up process was initiated after a petition was presented by HMRC, with the court finding that th

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 Community Wealth Building Bill has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. It will support investment in communities with councils, health boards and other public bodies focusing on the generation, circulation and retention of wealth in local and regional economies.

W1M Scotland has surpassed £1 billion in assets under management, represents a doubling of assets since 2021, when the firm was established following Waverton’s acquisition of the award-winning Cornerstone Asset Management. The firm, which caters to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-wort