Covid-19

With First Minister Nicola Sturgeon having announced a limited lockdown in Aberdeen, CBI Scotland has today set out six ways in which to build confidence for those businesses, local authorities and communities affected, if their local area comes under new temporary restrictions. Understanding and aw

Targeted measures to build a stronger, fairer and greener economic future for Scotland in the wake of coronavirus have been announced by the Scottish Government. Publishing responses to the advisory group on economic recovery report and the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board report, economy secre

UK Government financial support schemes to aid businesses recovering from coronavirus have paid out £2.3 billion to 65,000 firms in Scotland, according to the Treasury. Announced in April, the bounce back loans scheme offers between £2,000 and 25% of the turnover of small and medium busi

Hiring activity in Scotland continued to decline substantially in July, although the labour market downturn softened slightly compared to previous months this year, according to the latest Royal Bank of Scotland Labour Market Report.

The UK economic decline caused by the coronavirus pandemic will be less severe than first anticipated, however, recovery will also take longer, according to the latest data from the Bank of England (BoE). The bank currently expects the UK's economy to shrink by 9.5% this year. While this contraction

Metro Bank has posted a pre-tax loss of £240.6 million in the first six months of this year. The loss is a dramatic drop from the bank’s £3.4m profit reported for the same period last year.

UK new car registrations rose for the first time this year as pent-up demand from the coronavirus lockdown helps to lift the market, according to figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Venture Capital (VC) investment in Scottish scale-ups remained robust and resilient in the second quarter of 2020, as the number of deals increased during lockdown despite growing economic and political uncertainty. The latest data from KPMG Private Enterprise’s Global Venture Pulse Survey rev

The majority (90%) of medium-sized businesses in Scotland can only continue trading for up to nine months with current funding arrangements, according to new research from accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO. BDO’s second Re-thinking the Economy survey reveals that medium-sized busines

The closure of courts due to the coronavirus lockdown led to a complete halt in the prosecution of high-value fraud cases in Scotland during the first half of 2020, according to data from KPMG. The firm’s bi-annual Fraud Barometer measures fraud cases with losses of £100,000 or more reac

A survey of more than a thousand businesses across the Highlands and Islands shows a marked decline in confidence in Scotland’s economic outlook.

NatWest Group has allocated an extra £2.8 billion to cover potential losses from an increase in bad loans issued during the coronavirus crisis. The bank's interim results have revealed that NatWest has suffered an operating loss before tax of £770 million compared to the bank's £2.

TSB Bank has posted a £66 million pre-tax loss for the first half of this year as it allocates £87.5m for bad coronavirus loans. The bank's interim results revealed the bank had seen a statutory loss before tax of £65.5m, compared to a pre-tax profit of £21.1m in the first ha

The majority of Scottish firms say they plan to make redundancies once the UK Government's furlough scheme comes to an end, according to Addleshaw Goddard's latest survey of Scottish companies. The Addleshaw Goddard Scottish Business Monitor, produced in partnership with the Fraser of

Two new funding packages from the Scottish Government worth £15 million will support the tourism sector as it continues to feel the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A £14 million Hotel Recovery Programme will help to secure up to 3,000 jobs at Scotland’s larger hotel