News

The UK’s data protection watchdog has fined the owner of image-sharing platform Imgur nearly £250,000 after finding serious failures in how the site handled children’s personal data. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed a £247,590 penalty on MediaLab.AI, Inc, concluding that the company allowed children to access Imgur for years without putting in place even basic age-checking safeguards required under UK data protection law. Following a long-running investigation, the regulator found that MediaLab failed...

Chinese state-owned carmaker Chery is pressing ahead with its rapid UK expansion by launching a fourth brand in the British market, underlining its ambition to become a long-term player in one of Europe’s most competitive automotive landscapes. The group confirmed it will introduce vehicles under the Lepas brand, a new line focused on battery-electric and hybrid SUVs aimed at younger families. While Lepas is being developed primarily with Europe in mind, the UK will be...

Investment in UK film production hit a record £2.8bn last year, driven overwhelmingly by Hollywood studios and global streaming platforms, according to new figures from the British Film Institute (BFI). However, industry leaders are warning that growth is likely to slow in 2026 as Netflix shifts production back to the United States amid political pressure and plans for a blockbuster acquisition. The BFI said that 91 per cent of the £2.78bn spent on UK film...

Swish is a Swedish electronic payment solution. It has now introduced a joint blocking feature to limit and prevent fraud. The most popular electronic payment service in Sweden, Swish, has now been granted the right to introduce a joint blocking feature. The aim of the joint blocking function is to prevent fraud, and it will allow banks to block users from the entire Swish system. This makes it much more difficult for fraudsters to exploit...

It’s not the model. It’s not the team. It’s the unit economics. Venture capital poured a record $202 billion into AI startups in 2025, capturing half of all global funding. Yet the math remains brutal: 90% of AI companies will fail, a rate significantly higher than the 70% seen in traditional tech startups. According to Alexander Kopylkov, a venture capital investor focused on long-term business fundamentals, this failure rate is not driven by lack of...

Cutting net migration to zero would deliver a short-term boost to living standards but ultimately prove “fiscally unsustainable”, leaving the UK economy smaller, public finances weaker and the deficit permanently higher, according to new analysis. The warning comes from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), which said a zero net migration policy would shrink the economy by 3.6 per cent by 2040 and reduce the workforce by around 2.5 million people compared...

UK-based artificial intelligence voice company ElevenLabs has raised a further $500 million in fresh funding, pushing its valuation to $11 billion and cementing its position as one of Britain’s most valuable private tech firms. The latest round was led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and actor Matthew McConaughey. The deal more than triples ElevenLabs’ valuation from a year ago and brings total funding raised since its 2022 launch to...

UK-founded legaltech business Lawhive has raised $60 million (£47m) in Series B funding as it accelerates its expansion across the US consumer legal market and doubles down on its AI-driven operating model. The round was led by Mitch Rales, co-founder of Danaher Corporation, one of the world’s most successful public companies. Existing and new backers participating in the round include TQ Ventures, GV, Balderton Capital, Jigsaw, Anton Levy and LTS. The raise comes less than...

UK wealth-tech Sidekick has raised £7.8m in Series A funding as it looks to expand access to investment products traditionally available only through private banks. The round was led by Eos Ventures and the Development Bank of Wales, with participation from Koro Capital and existing investors including Seedcamp, MS&AD Ventures, TheVentureCity, PactVC, Blackwood, 1818 Venture Capital and Semantic Ventures. Founded in 2022, Sidekick targets professionals whose financial needs have become more complex as incomes and...