Business

Interest rates will need to rise quickly to head off the threat of inflation, according to the Bank of England’s chief economist. Huw Pill told an audience in Edinburgh that there were “dangers” in waiting for firmer evidence of the impact of conflict in the Middle East, reports ou

Scottish margins are being squeezed as rapid growth in employment and wages clashes with weakening pricing power, according to the latest Royal Bank of Scotland Growth Tracker. Scotland was the only nation in the UK outside of Northern Ireland to record payroll growth in July with employment rising

Business activity fell across Scotland’s private sector midway through the second quarter, the latest Royal Bank of Scotland Growth Tracker has revealed. The headline RBS Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output

A growing number of Scottish businesses say trading conditions are deteriorating, according to fresh data from MFMac’s business sentiment tracker, The View. The biannual survey of Scottish corporates found that one quarter (25%) of respondents said their most recent financial year had gone wor

Cyber risk has surged to the top of the business agenda, with 40% of business leaders saying cyber is the top risk they are unprepared for – up from 23% in 2025, according to a new report from BDO. BDO’s Global Risk Landscape 2026 report found that cyber risk had jumped as organisations

New lending data from Funding Circle has signalled a shift in how SMEs use external finance, with borrowing for tax payments, working capital and debt refinancing all rising significantly, while growth-focused lending loses ground. The findings, based on analysis of 2025 data, carry practical implic

Business confidence in Scotland rose two points during May to 50%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Bank of Scotland. Companies in Scotland reported higher confidence in their own trading outlook month-on-month, up nine points at 62%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy

Scottish businesses are demonstrating remarkable resilience and optimism, outpacing the rest of the UK in commercial confidence despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties. According to Barclays’ Q1 2026 Business Prosperity Index, 85% of Scottish firms are confident about their five-year prospe

More than half of Scottish businesses say a combination of supply chain pressures and higher energy and fuel costs are among their biggest challenges as they grapple with the impact of conflict in the Middle East, according to new research from accountancy and advisory firm BDO LLP. The bi-monthly s

Scotland's mid-sized businesses could add over £500 million to annual economic output if they were able to make key decisions more quickly, according to FRP Advisory. The findings form part of FRP's Decision Economy report, produced in partnership with Development Economics, which examines the

Scottish jam and marmalade maker Mackays has narrowed its annual losses, with the Arbroath-based business reporting a pre-tax loss of £958,455 for the year ended 31 December 2025, compared to a restated loss of £1.22 million in the prior year – a reduction of around 22%. Turnover r

Scottish business confidence experienced a three-point dip in April, falling to 48%, according to the latest Bank of Scotland Business Barometer. The decline was driven by a ten-point drop in firms' outlook for their own trading prospects, which now stands at 53%, though a four-point rise in general

Scottish Bakers has launched its Bakery Category Insight Reports 2026 in collaboration with global bakery supplier Dawn Foods, revealing that Scotland's combined sweet and savoury bakery market is now worth more than £1.45 billion. The data-led resource draws on consumer panel data from NIQ, c

The percentage of small businesses in Scotland predicting growth for the next three months (22%) has remained largely unchanged on last quarter (23%), according to Novuna Business Finance. Whilst historically, the spring months each year usually offer a seasonal boost to small business growth foreca

Bad debt and late payment are hammering Scottish SMEs' cashflow and profitability, according to new data from Bibby Financial Services (BFS). BFS’s latest SME Confidence Tracker revealed that 39% of Scottish SMEs, equating to around 139,000 businesses, experienced bad debt in the past 12 month