News

Edinburgh-based financial services company Nucleus Financial will be acquired by James Hay for £145 million under plans which have now received regulatory approval. James Hay CEO Richard Rowney will lead the combined group, which will have over £47 billion of assets under administration

Edinburgh-based private bank Hampden & Co has reported a strong first half with year-on-year double-digit increases in income, deposits and lending. In the six months to 30 June 2021, income was up by £1.2 million or 24 per cent against the first half of the previous year to £6 milli

Aberdeen and Dundee-based finance and accounting specialist Hutcheon Mearns has launched a new global digital platform to match businesses with freelance finance professionals. Nexus Finance is solely dedicated to qualified accounting and finance professionals globally and ims to revolutionise the w

More than two-thirds of UK SMEs feel positive about the UK's economic outlook – though there is more optimism in London and the south than in Scotland, according to SME accountancy firm Azets. According to a new survey, 87% of UK SMEs expect to be trading in a year whilst a further 68% feel po

Ardgowan Distillery has announced plans for a new bespoke centre for Blackwoods gin at their Inverkip site following a loan of up to £5 million from UK drinks specialists Distil plc. An initial tranche of £3 million has been approved by shareholders of the London-listed firm, with the po

Bellshill-based Kick ICT, the single source IT group led by technology entrepreneur Tom O’Hara, has acquired Turnkey Business Software (TBS) and Turnkey Infrastructure Solutions (TIS) from the Turnkey Group. Founded in 2015, the deal is Kick’s sixth and seventh in six years as the busine

The Scottish property market continued its upward trend during May, June, and July 2021, as buyers flocked to secure homes across Edinburgh, Lothians, Fife, and the Borders, ESPC reports. The average selling price rose to £275,623 – up 7.6 per cent on the same period in 2020.

Law firm Brodies LLP saw profits rise from £38.5 million to £39 million in the 12 months to 30 April 2021. The firm also reported revenue of £82.5m, up from £82m in the previous year while cash balances grew to £30.7m from £25.4m.

Fast food giant McDonald's is facing a lawsuit from an Orthodox Christian who claims its advertising pushed her to break her month-long fast for Lent.

Law firm Murray Beith Murray has announced internal promotions and a recruitment appointment within the firm’s tax group.  Laura Brown, who has been with Murray Beith Murray since 2016, has been promoted to director of tax. Ms Brown, an accountant by profession, is a tax specialist and ha

HMRC has been hit with accusations of “rushing” investigations into people who have allegedly not paid the right amount of tax or are facing fines for late returns after figures released by the tax authority revealed that two in three demands were overturned on appeal. Figures published

Estate agency Savills has posted record profits before tax of £63.8 million, up £56.1m from the £7.7m recording in H1 2020. The group's revenue reached £932.6m, compared to the £791.4m posted in the first half of last year.

Unity Trust Bank has reported pre-tax profits of £5.2 million for the first six months of the year, up 65% on the same period in 2020. The bank has also reported an increase in total net lending of more than £68m in its half-year results.

Jack Anderson, financial and professional services consultant at Core Asset Consulting, discusses the importance of transferable skills. Sometimes overlooked, transferrable skills are a key part of your development and career – and often you have far more to showcase in your CV or at an interv

Edinburgh students are the most reliant on parents or family to fund their student lifestyle, according to the 2021 Royal Bank of Scotland Student Living Index. Students at the Scottish capital expect to receive 53% more from their family than the average UK student, working out at an extra £1