News

HM Treasury, following the advice of the board of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has appointed Christopher Woolard as interim chief executive. Mr Woolard will take on the chief executive role following Andrew Bailey’s departure to become governor of the Bank of England.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is urging the government in its forthcoming budget on 11 March to cut the rate of Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) and ease the squeeze on families and businesses who do the right thing by taking out insurance. The government currently earns more from IPT than it

In a comprehensive review of the future of UK payments, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has set out how the transition to a ‘less cash’, but not cashless, digital economy can be managed to protect the vulnerable and spread digital opportunities widely and fairly. The

Jordan Belfort, the subject of Martin Scorsese's 'The Wolf of Wall Street', has brought allegations of fraud against the production company of the movie.

The Big Four accounting firms are engaging in talks with the audit regulator regarding a self-imposed break-up in an attempt to get ahead of government enforcement action. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is currently drawing up guidelines for the separation of audit and consulting operations a

Edinburgh-based technology firm Appointedd has launched a new Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) scheme for its staff with support from accountants Chiene + Tait (C+T). Founded in 2011 by CEO Leah Hutcheon, Appointedd provides clients with an intelligent and efficient online booking tool. Th

Oil and gas engineering firm Hunting PLC has appointed Scottish energy sector executive Bruce Ferguson as its new group finance director as Peter Rose announces his retirement. Mr Rose has notified the board of his intention to retire as group finance director and a member of the board at the conclu

James Kergon, a partner and head of KPMG's deal advisory team in Scotland, looks back at 2019 and previews 2020 from an M&A perspective, focusing on how data and tech are going to drive a lot of future Scottish activity. In recent years, Scotland’s business community has become increa

Glasgow-based investment business Nevis Capital did not complete any deals in the latest year naming the unrealistic price expectations of sellers as the principal reason. The company, founded by John and James Pirrie, said that the price expectations of some sellers caused complications in the mark

An uplift in housebuilding and infrastructure spending is expected to boost Scottish construction activity during 2020 after a quieter end to 2019 saw workloads flatten in Q4, according to surveyors.

Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) has appointed Sree Kochugovindan as its new senior research economist and Robert Gilhooly as senior emerging markets research economist. As part of the ASI Research Institute, Ms Kochugovindan and Mr Gilhooly will work alongside a team of economists and researcher

Businesses are in a period of stasis with global and domestic factors all contributing to subdued levels of confidence and investment, according to the latest Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) Quarterly Economic Indicator (QEI) survey for Q4 of 2019. The quarterly survey was carried out between No

The proposed Non-Domestic Rates Bill risks significant damage to investment in Scotland’s student accommodation sector, the Scottish Property Federation (SPF) has warned. Student accommodation, like any domestic premises, is exempt from business rates. However, the SPF said this principle is c

Alastair McCoan, building consultancy partner at Knight Frank Glasgow, discusses how businesses can avoid being hit with a large dilapidations bill when making an office move. A new year, a new office – it can be an exciting time for any business as it embarks on an expansion, with some stylis

Aviva has begun the search for a new chairman as Sir Adrian Montague announces his retirement. Sir Montague informed the board of his decision to retire as chairman of the company in 2020 once a successor had been appointed.