News

Taxpayer-owned NatWest Group, formerly the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, saw pre-tax profits triple to £1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2021. Results announced today reveal that the banking group recorded operating profit before tax of £1,074 million, attributable profit of £67

Edinburgh-based fintech startup Aveni has announced the appointment of Elizabeth Gooch MBE as its chief revenue officer. Hot on the heels of its recent funding round, the speech analytics company also announced a raft of key design and engineering appointments from some of the world’s leading

The best of Scotland's financial and professional services industry was celebrated in Edinburgh last night at the 2021 Scottish Financial Services Awards, held in-person for the first time since the pandemic.

Chartered accountants Wylie & Bisset is advising SMEs to consider raising prices in the face of a rising cost burden coupled with supply chain uncertainty. Scottish firms raised prices last month at the sharpest rate since 1999 in the face of severe inflationary pressures, with the latest Royal

Businesses in Scotland have seen a marked increase in levels of businesses experiencing advanced financial distress in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the previous quarter as the pressures of the pandemic took their toll following two years of restrictions and lockdowns. The latest Red Flag Al

Scotland’s development agency for the Highlands and Islands has published its annual report and accounts for the year 2020-2021. The report shows that Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) activity was dominated by its response to the pandemic, both in supporting hard-hit businesses and commu

Dundee-based wholesaler and convenience retailer CJ Lang & Son has reported an increase in pre-tax profits to £3 million in 2020/21 as it continues to implement its strategy for growth. Turnover grew to £212.5m, up 9.4% on the previous year, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pa

A filling station in the Highlands is charging 184.9p for a litre of diesel, believed to be the highest price in Great Britain. The Cluanie Inn on the A887 is also selling unleaded petrol for 165p a litre, according to The Times.

China has restricted smaller cities in the country from building "super high-rise buildings", as part of a larger bid to crack down on vanity projects.

Edinburgh-headquartered private bank Hampden & Co has appointed Angus Macpherson to its board as a non-executive director. Mr Macpherson, who is the CEO of investment bank Noble & Co, also based in Edinburgh, is also chairman of Henderson Diversified Income PLC, chairman of Pacific Horizon I

Scottish businesses will welcome yesterday's Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, financial experts have said. Andrew Howie, managing partner for Grant Thornton UK LLP in Scotland, said businesses "will breathe a sigh of relief" after being spared tax rises.

Edinburgh’s hotel sector is showing strong signs of recovery from the impact of the pandemic, even before COP26 room rates are taken into account, according to PwC’s UK Hotels Forecast 2021-2022. The Scottish capital was among the hardest hit cities in the UK when the country spent much

Income generated by Scottish Enterprise’s equity and debt investments exceeded £50 million during the last financial year, new figures show. Seven trade exits contributed to income totalling £56m in FY2020/21, as did a partial realisation of the economic development agency’s

The number of corporate insolvencies seen across Scotland rose by 40 percent in the third quarter of 2021, as inflation and supply-chain pressures started to bite and government Covid-19 support measures began to unwind, new analysis shows. Interpath Advisory analysed notices in The Gazette to find

Michael Reid, insolvency practitioner and managing partner at Aberdeen-based chartered accountants Meston Reid & Co, considers the role of a licensed insolvency practitioner. Anyone asked about the daily tasks performed by a licensed insolvency practitioner (LIP) might guess they include busines