Business

In 2025, foreign-exchange markets are as lively, and as unforgiving, as ever. Sterling still whipsaws when the Bank of England surprises, shipping invoices still land in dollars, and your CFO’s inbox still fills with “exclusive rate” emails from brokers promising to beat the market. If you’re a UK business owner or finance lead, you know the pain: every tenth of a penny on a £5 million transfer can decide whether the quarter ends in the...

Molly McDonald, founder of Blue Door Productions and a seasoned YouTube content specialist who has worked with Red Bull, KSI and the BBC, has praised YouTube’s latest efforts to clamp down on mass-produced, low-quality AI content, calling the move a vital step in protecting human creativity and authentic storytelling. The platform is rolling out new monetisation rules that restrict revenue opportunities for creators who rely solely on AI-generated content. The update, set to take effect...

You don’t need another lecture on why relying on a single revenue stream is risky; the last five years have given every UK entrepreneur a front-row seat to inflation spikes, supply-chain crunches and currency swings. The real puzzle is how to create meaningful additional income without sabotaging the day-to-day running of your core business. After working with hundreds of founders, I’ve boiled the options down to three high-impact, high-leverage strategies that won’t require you to...

Lee Castleton, one of the most high-profile victims of the Horizon IT scandal, has launched a £4.5 million lawsuit against the Post Office and Fujitsu, alleging malicious conduct, abuse of process, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The legal action, which represents the first individual claim of its kind against both organisations, was revealed through newly published court documents. The claim sets out forensically detailed losses and raises the prospect of a damaging...

The future of the TSB brand has been thrown into doubt after shareholders in Banco Sabadell approved the £2.65 billion sale of the UK high street bank to Santander, paving the way for the historic British lender to be fully integrated into the Santander UK group. The deal marks a major shift in the UK banking landscape and is expected to lead to branch closures and a phasing out of the TSB name, which dates...

OpenAI, the San Francisco-based developer behind ChatGPT, is reportedly in early-stage discussions over a potential share sale that could see the artificial intelligence company valued at $500 billion, surpassing Elon Musk’s SpaceX in market worth. According to Bloomberg, the proposed transaction would involve the sale of shares held by current and former employees, with existing investors — including Thrive Capital — exploring a buy-in at the higher valuation. If completed, the deal would increase OpenAI’s...

The Bank of England is widely expected to reduce interest rates to 4% today, marking its fifth rate cut in a year, as the central bank responds to signs of a slowing UK economy despite a recent uptick in inflation. The anticipated quarter-point cut, from 4.25% to 4%, would continue the Bank’s gradual unwinding of monetary tightening after borrowing costs peaked at 5.25% in August 2024. The decision will be announced at midday following a...

UK construction activity declined at its sharpest rate since the early months of the Covid pandemic in July, driven by a collapse in housebuilding, according to new data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The latest UK construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 44.3 in July from 48.8 in June — the lowest reading since May 2020, when the first national lockdown brought much of the industry to a standstill. A reading below 50.0 indicates...

Meet Stuart Davis, the creative force behind Dubs Universe—an award-winning, sustainable footwear brand on a mission to reinvent how we think about kids’ shoes. Founded during lockdown and inspired by his young daughter’s fast-growing feet, Dubs is designed not only for comfort and style but with purpose: to reduce landfill waste and teach the next generation that sustainability can look cool. Built from recycled plastic bottles and planet-friendly materials, Dubs trainers are specially engineered to...

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out further tax increases in the upcoming autumn Budget, as leading economists warn Labour faces a £50 billion shortfall in the public finances by the end of the decade. The Prime Minister said that the government would focus on improving living standards, but declined to confirm whether Labour will uphold its manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, VAT, or corporation tax. “The focus will be living standards,”...