News

National Savings & Investments (NS&I), which operates premium bonds and other savings products, has apologised to customers for its poor service after admitting that it took an average of 20 minutes to answer the phone in the autumn of last year. NS&I said it had been severely impac

As mainland Scotland entered the third coronavirus lockdown under national guidelines, the housing market braced itself for another slowdown following attempts to catch up due to the four-month shut down which commenced in March 2020. To restart the housing market, encourage vendors to increase thei

Jonathan Smith, an Aberdeen-based coach and facilitator with peer-to-peer business networking platform The Alternative Board (TAB), discusses how businesses could benefit from 'free' training for their staff. Most learning comes from real-life, on-the-job experience and that presents a big opportuni

Stephen Bird, the CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen, has informed staff that they should not expect bonuses or a pay rise unless they are "star performers". Mr Bird has reportedly told staff that the bonus pool this year would be smaller as he attempts to cut costs and focus on rewarding the most succes

Edinburgh-based financial services company Nucleus Financial Group has launched a fully integrated, low-cost, outcomes-based managed portfolio service which has been designed to align client goals directly with their investments. The solution – called IMX – introduces a positiv

More than 4,000 digital files stolen from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in a cyber attack over Christmas have now been illegally published online after the public body rejected a ransom demand.

The UK's public sector net borrowing is estimated to have reached £34.1 billion in December 2020, £28.2bn more than in December 2019, which is both the highest December borrowing and the third-highest borrowing in any month since monthly records began in 1993.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published proposals to introduce a price cap on the fees claims management companies (CMCs) charge their customers in relation to claims for financial products and services. Some consumers currently pay fees of more than 40% of the redress they receive. The

UK retail sales volumes edged up a weaker-than-expected 0.3% month-on-month in December after a temporary opening up of non-essential retailers following November’s lockdown, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The UK's manufacturing sector lost its momentum in the first quarter of this year, as the nationwide lockdowns continued to take effect, according to the January CBI Industrial Trends survey.

New data from Barclaycard has revealed that contactless technology has emerged as one of the big winners of 2020, accounting for nine in ten (88.6%) of all eligible card transactions. As the safest, fastest and most responsible way to pay in-store, tap-and-go has become the obvious choice for both c

The Scottish Government has unveiled proposals for a new model of green ports focused on inclusive growth, fair work practices and delivering a net-zero economy. The Scottish Government is developing plans to establish fair, sustainable, green ports. These would adapt the UK government’s freep

One of the world's rarest single malt whiskies is predicted to become the most expensive bottle ever sold when it is put up for auction next month.

Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group’s Glasgow team has appointed Barry Stewart and George Lafferty as directors. They bring with them a combined 55 years’ experience to the firm's Waterloo Street office in Glasgow. It takes the firm's team numbers in the city to 12.

Independent accountancy and business advisory firm Johnston Carmichael has strengthened its restructuring team with the progression of Graeme Bain to an appointment-taking director. Mr Bain, a licensed insolvency practitioner, joined Johnston Carmichael as a director in 2017, can now be appointed to