News

Aberdeen Asia Focus, which invests in Asia’s smaller listed companies with long-term growth prospects, said net asset value in the year to the end of July outperformed all its peers over several periods. The strong performance was put down to good stock selection, diversification and disciplin

Liz Airey, chair of Aberdeen UK Smaller Companies Growth Trust, has written to shareholders outlining the case for the merger with JP Morgan UK Small Cap Growth & Income, announced last month. The merger will be implemented via a scheme of reconstruction. Dividends per share increased to 14p, an

Dame Debbie Crosbie, chief executive of Nationwide Building Society, will become the first woman to receive the Chartered Banker Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She is only the fifth recipient of the award, which is conferred in exceptional circumstances on individuals whose careers ha

The adoption of AI to improve efficiencies will see Barclays cut staff numbers by around 5000 by the end of 2026. The bank employed in the region of 93,000 people at the turn of the year, with the cuts affecting around 5% of staff.

The Scottish National Investment Bank has appointed Graeme Sands as its first Chief Portfolio Officer (CPO). Mr Sands (pictured) will lead the bank’s post-investment function, working closely with investee company leadership teams to drive performance and support long-term growth.

Aberdeen Group reported a 4% rise in assets under management to £578.9 billion from the year-end, driven by positive market conditions and acquisitions. In a third quarter update, the interactive investor platform saw strong growth with £2.5bn in net inflows for the quarter, a 32% year-o

The unexpected rise in inflation in September is likely to prompt the Bank of England to increase interest rates next month. According to the Office for National Statistics, inflation jumped 0.4% to 3.5% - higher than expectations.

The UK Government's National Wealth Fund has committed more than £2.8 billion of capital to projects in Scotland, new figures show, accounting for more than a quarter of capital deployed so far. The Fund’s commitments have so far helped to drive a total of £6.6bn of public and priv

River UK Micro Cap (RMMC) has reappointed Liontrust Investment Partners as the company’s investment manager. The company will be co-managed by UK equity fund managers Anthony Cross and Hugh Sergeant, who have more than 60 years’ experience between them.

CBI chief executive Rain Newton-Smith will today urge the Chancellor to avoid adding to the tax burden on the financial services sector, insisting it would be an "own goal for our competitiveness." Ms Newton-Smith will warn that taxes in the UK are already higher than in other global centres and ris

AAB, the professional services company founded in Aberdeen, has acquired specialist capital allowances advisory firm Veritas Advisory. The deal expands AAB's reach across the investment, real estate and private capital markets.

Nearly two thirds (63%) of Chartered Accountants are urging Chancellor John Healey to prioritise tax certainty in next week’s Budget and avoid further pressure on businesses. A new ICAS survey found just 3% of members support higher taxes on businesses or employers.

More than four in five (82%) finance leaders in the UK and Ireland say they feel under pressure to adopt AI in their finance function faster than they are currently comfortable with, according to new research. According to a survey carried out by AccountsIQ, which delivers cloud accounting software

Chancellor John Healey will not increase capital gains tax in next week’s Budget despite pressure from some of his Cabinet colleagues. Wes Streeting and Louise Haigh have been among those wanting to see a rise in the tax imposed on the profit made when an asset has been sold, such as shares in

The Royal Bank of Scotland has named Robert Begbie as Executive Chair, Scotland and Senior Advisor, Commercial & Institutional. He takes on the newly-created position from 1 January 2027.