News

AAB, tech-enabled business critical services group, has announced the acquisition of May Figures Ltd to expand its R&D tax credit services offered across the UK and Ireland. Established in 2013 by Julia May and Dr Mark Graves, May Figures Ltd has grown across the UK, building a track record deli

A man has been rebuked for dialling 999 in a row over pumpkins. West Yorkshire Police shared an audio recording of the call on Twitter as it pleaded with members of the public not to call except in a life-or-death emergency.

Financial watchdogs should not enjoy immunity from civil suits in cases in which consumers lose out because of a regulator's negligence, MPs have said. An amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Bill has been laid before Parliament by three SNP MPs and will be debated today.

CMS is bolstering its competition and trade practice with the appointment of Wendy Nicolson as a partner based in its Edinburgh office. Ms Nicolson joins the firm from Pinsent Masons and has extensive experience advising clients across the UK on public procurement and related competition issues, inc

An HMRC investigation is underway into suspected fraudulent use of the research and development (R&D) tax relief scheme intended to promote investment into technology and innovation. So far, eight individuals have been arrested over their alleged misuse of government tax incentives. They al

Scottish clothing brand Meander Apparel, which recently secured £350,000 investment, has increased its retail footprint in Edinburgh and London. The outdoor lifestyle brand which has traded on George Street, Edinburgh, since opening as a pop-up store in October 2020 is moving to a permanent st

In today's results NatWest revealed a £1.1 billion profit before tax in its Q3 results for the three months ended 30 September 2022. This is an increase of £110 million, or 11.2%, from £976m for Q3 2021. Similarly to Bank of Scotland owner Lloyds' outlook, the bank has predict

UK Assets Under Management (AUM) are expected to fall by almost a tenth (9.9%) this year – the biggest annual decline since 2008 – according to the latest EY ITEM Club Outlook for Financial Services. Only a modest reversal is expected in 2023 (to 2.5% growth) due to the difficult global

A woman in the New Town in Edinburgh who painted her door pink has incurred the wrath of locals. Miranda Dickson, 48, departed from the mandated black to paint the front door of her Drummond Place property a shade of Champagne pink, leading to the council threatening her with a £20,000 fine.

As the skills gap continues to impact SME growth, and small and medium-sized accountancy practices (SMPs) face an ongoing shortage of available talent, ACCA has extended its support through a new employer toolkit. The SMP Talent Management Toolkit provides a wealth of advice and resources for SMPs o

Aberdein Considine has boosted its senior management team. Julie Thomson has been appointed as the firm’s new chief financial officer and Mike Fergusson has been hired as Aberdein Considine’s first chief operating officer.

Aberdeen house prices have risen 3.4% in the last quarter, according to the latest report from Aberdeen Solicitors’ Property Centre Limited (ASPC) and the University of Aberdeen, Business School, Centre for Real Estate Research. With published statistics for the third quarter of 2022, the Aber

Investors in UK publicly listed companies are set to receive £5.7 billion more in dividends as a result of the weakening of the Pound Sterling against the US Dollar. The boost to dividends shows how UK companies with a significant portion of their earnings coming from abroad are benefiting fro

Northern Irish private investment company Wirefox has acquired the Ardgowan Hotel through its Marram Hotels business, expanding the leisure portfolio to Scotland. The privately owned St Andrews property was acquired from the McLachlan family on Monday for an undisclosed sum.

Bank of Scotland owner Lloyds has reported a 26% drop in profits in its Q3 results as it braces for more defaults on bad loans. Profits were down to £1.5 billion, lower than the average forecast of £1.8bn as analysts expected a significantly small drop in profits of around 9.5%. However,