Business

Online gambling continues to gain traction, especially as digital platforms become more accessible. Players aren’t just looking for entertainment; they want platforms that operate transparently, process payments securely, and follow legal standards. Regulation has become central to that experience. Businesses that rely on trust and long-term customer engagement have a lot to gain from understanding how licensed online casinos operate. These platforms show how regulation and transparency can support both compliance and commercial success. Why...

Expanding into new markets often exposes teams to payroll hurdles that slow growth and create compliance risks. Different countries have unique tax laws, payment systems, and employment rules that make managing payroll across borders complex. An Employer of Record (EOR) helps simplify these challenges so growing teams can stay focused on business goals instead of payroll headaches. As companies scale across regions, they face new obstacles related to paying staff accurately, managing currencies, and meeting...

PPE Medpro, the company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone, has been wound up after a court ruling that makes it unlikely the government will recover most of the £148 million owed over a failed pandemic PPE contract. The Insolvency and Companies Court ordered the company into liquidation on Thursday, just months after it lost a High Court battle with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) over the supply of 25 million surgical gowns...

Mental health in the workplace has become a central concern for Australian businesses, with organisations increasingly recognising that employee wellbeing directly influences productivity, retention, and company culture. While mental health initiatives often focus on counselling services, flexible working arrangements, and stress management programmes, one fundamental element is frequently overlooked: the physical environment in which employees spend their working hours. Here’s a startling reality: the average office worker spends 1,700 hours per year sitting at their...

Shoppers are paying significantly more for Christmas food this year, with festive chocolate treats costing up to 70 per cent more than last Christmas and the price of a turkey rising by as much as £15, according to new research from consumer champion Which?. The organisation analysed the cost of key ingredients for a traditional Christmas dinner alongside popular seasonal treats such as mince pies, sparkling wine and chocolates. It found that while overall grocery...

Amazon is reportedly in discussions to invest as much as $10 billion in OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, in a move that could value the business at more than $500 billion and further intensify competition in the global AI market. The talks, first reported by The Information and subsequently confirmed by multiple sources, are said to be at an early and fluid stage. News of the potential deal pushed Amazon shares up around...

Senior ministers and MPs have warned that the UK’s recent agreements with Donald Trump are dangerously fragile, after it emerged that the flagship deal to avoid US tariffs on pharmaceuticals has no detailed legal text beyond high-level political statements. The “milestone” UK–US pharmaceuticals agreement announced earlier this month, under which the NHS is expected to pay more for medicines in exchange for zero tariffs on exports to the US, currently rests on little more than...

Thousands of hospitality businesses risk losing their right to Covid-related insurance compensation unless the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) intervenes to extend a fast-approaching claims deadline, industry leaders have warned. In an open letter to the regulator, disputes firm Stewarts, alongside major hospitality trade bodies representing more than 155,000 businesses, has called on the FCA to require insurers to extend the business interruption (BI) claims deadline by two years. Without intervention, many firms fear they will...

Two of the world’s largest auction houses have signalled a return to growth in the global art market, offering early evidence that a prolonged downturn in demand may be easing. Sotheby’s, headquartered in New York, said it expects sales to rise by 17 per cent in 2025 to around $7 billion. Auction sales alone are forecast to increase by more than a quarter year on year to $5.7 billion, alongside what the company described as...

The Bank of England has cut interest rates for the fourth time this year, lowering borrowing costs to their lowest level in almost three years as policymakers forecast that inflation will fall back to the 2 per cent target by spring. Members of the Bank’s nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) voted narrowly, by five votes to four, to reduce the base rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.75 per cent, down from...