News

Spending on contactless cards in the first half of 2016 has already outstripped contactless spending for the whole of 2015, new figures show.

Professional job availability in Scotland’s temporary sector has increased by 20 per cent year on year to July 2016 according to research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

Peter McGregor Peter McGregor from ESPC Mortgages offers his thoughts on the mortgage market and whether Brexit has made any impact so far.

Agreeing access to the EU Single Market and negotiating trade deals with non-EU countries should be the Government’s main priorities as it negotiates the UK’s exit from the European Union, according to a post-referendum survey of SMEs, conducted for PwC’s My Financepartner (MFp).

UK freelancers and micro-businesses still need more information about the government’s plans to make tax digital, according to new research by Edinburgh-based cloud accounting software provider FreeAgent.

Joanne Brown Grant Thornton has proposed a ‘national conversation’ involving Scotland’s business, political and public sector leaders, to address future housing needs.

A secret meeting that was supposed to end a legal dispute between Royal Bank of Scotland and investors who claim they were misled over the lender’s 2008 £12 billion rights issue has failed to yield an agreement.

The Scottish Government has claimed that leaving the European Union is projected to cost the economy north of the border up to £11.2 billion per year and Scottish public finances up to £3.7 billion per year.

Royal Bank of Scotland is to charge major financial institutions for cash it holds on their behalf for trading purposes, in a move which other banks seem sure to follow. The move follows the decision by the governor of the Bank of England on 4 August to cut interest rates from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 p

Susie Simpson PwC Scotland is refocusing its commitment to the private business/SME market with the appointment of a new three-partner group to broaden and focus their joined-up Tax, Assurance and Deals offering to the Scottish private business market.

Amanda Young Standard Life Investments has strengthened its ESG Investment Team with the hire of Marc Brammer and Sophie Rahm as Responsible Investment Analysts.

David Waddell Handelsbanken has opened second branch in Glasgow – its 10th branch in Scotland.

Lawrence Tomlinson RBS is facing yet more legal action – this time over the activities of its controversial Global Restructuring Group.

A post-Brexit survey of Scottish SMEs by PwC has found that Scottish firms fear costs will rise during the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. While the thoughts of Scottish businesses largely mirrored the rest of the UK, some differences stood out:

A former Scottish restaurateur has been barred from becoming a director of any UK company for eight years for failing to keep adequate financial records – after running up debts of almost half a million pounds. The disqualification follows an investigation by the Insolvency Service into the busine