Exclusive: Treasury and Regulator to Hold Crunch Talks with UK Fintech Unicorns
Top UK fintech unicorns, including Monzo, Revolut and Oaknorth, will meet Treasury minister Lucy Rigby and FCA chief Nikhil Rathi during fintech week. The Innovate Finance Unicorn Council aims to turn regulatory rhetoric into concrete reforms, especially around deregulation and London listing incentives. A separate summit led by payments platform Zilch at the Emirates Stadium will focus on scaling globally. The talks come after Wise’s decision to move its primary listing to New York, raising doubts about the UK’s ability to retain high‑growth fintech IPOs.
UK Launches £500m Sovereign AI Fund as Kendall Backs ‘British Winners’
The UK government announced a £500 million (≈$630 million) Sovereign AI Unit, a state‑backed fund designed to help British artificial‑intelligence companies scale globally. The fund will provide capital, access to national supercomputing resources, procurement pipelines and regulatory guidance, addressing the long‑standing “scale‑up...
KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Harvest Funding PLC
Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK (KBRA) has issued preliminary ratings for seven classes of notes issued by Harvest Funding PLC. The notes are backed by a static residential mortgage‑backed securitisation (RMBS) containing roughly £2 bn (about $2.5 bn) of first‑lien UK mortgages,...
Reeves Says Diplomacy Is ‘Best Economy Policy’ as UK Tax Burden to Mount
Chancellor Rachel Reeves told CNBC in Washington that de‑escalating the Middle East conflict, especially reopening the Strait of Hormuz, is the “best economic policy” for the UK. She made the remarks after the IMF warned the UK’s tax burden will...
London Lions CEO: We’d Love to Be in NBA Europe but We Have a Reason to Exist Anyway
London Lions CEO Lenz Balan says the upcoming NBA Europe franchise in London is an opportunity, not a threat, and that multiple clubs can grow the sport’s market. The Lions are chasing a domestic quadruple while still owing more than...
Talon.One Releases Integration With Adobe Experience Platform to Power Real-Time Loyalty and Promotions for Enterprise Brands
Talon.One, the incentives platform behind more than 300 enterprise brands, has launched a native integration with Adobe Experience Platform (AEP). The connector links Talon.One to Adobe Real‑Time CDP and Journey Optimizer, allowing loyalty and promotion logic to run instantly across...
PwC Moves to Unify Global Services as AI Reshapes Consulting Sector
PwC is drafting a global blueprint to standardise its consulting services as AI accelerates change across the sector. The plan calls for unified service offerings, shared technology platforms, and greater use of staff in low‑cost locations, notably India. In the...
Acumetis Launches as a Single Integrated Brand to Transform Life Sciences Commercialization
Acumetis launched today as a unified global commercialization firm for life‑sciences companies, merging five specialist consultancies—Herspiegel, Adivo Associates, Decisive Consulting, Fiecon and Sixsense Strategy Group. The new entity brings together commercial, insights, medical, market‑access and patient‑strategy capabilities under a single...
Rachel Reeves’ Wealth Fund Pumps £600m Into Rolls-Royce SMR
The UK National Wealth Fund, chaired by Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, has pledged a £599 million (≈$760 million) financing package for Rolls‑Royce’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme in partnership with Great British Energy. The deal targets the construction of the country’s first...
UK Fintech Wise to Downgrade London Listing This Quarter
Wise confirmed it will move its primary listing from London to the United States this quarter, publishing its next‑year results in dollars. The fintech reported a 26% jump in cross‑border volumes to roughly $63.5 bn and a 22% rise in active...
Tech Bosses Line up for Cabinet Under New Whitehall Plans
Hundreds of business, tech and former military leaders will be fast‑tracked for senior Whitehall positions through a new programme run by the Centre for Government Reform. Chaired by Conservative peers Lord Nash and Lord Agnew, the initiative aims to train...
“War in Iran Will Come at a Cost,” Reeves Warns UK Businesses
Chancellor Rachel Reeves warned that the escalating conflict in Iran will directly raise costs for British businesses, as disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz tighten global oil supplies. Higher gas prices are already feeding through to manufacturers, threatening to reignite...
Ovo Sues Talktalk over Failed Broadband Customer Deal
Ovo Energy has sued TalkTalk over a 2022 deal that transferred about 135,000 broadband customers. TalkTalk stopped paying the agreed instalments after high churn reduced the transaction's value. The dispute comes as Ovo seeks £300 million in new funding while reporting...
New Insurance Products for Female Sports Stars Must Cover Fertility Care
Insurance products for elite female athletes are being reformed after the Independent Review of Women’s Football, adding coverage for pregnancy, contraception and menopause. However, the reforms still omit fertility support, a critical gap as two‑thirds of professional athletes experience irregular...
Oil Prices Could Race Past $150 as Ceasefire in ‘Difficult Phase’
Oil analysts at Kpler warn that Brent crude could surge past $150 per barrel if the flow of ships through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained as the US‑Iran ceasefire enters a difficult phase. Brent currently trades around $94, reflecting...
