News

The UK government has commissioned an independent review to examine the real-world impact of bank branch closures and determine whether legislative intervention is required to protect access to physical services. Led by Richard Lloyd OBE, the former Which? director and Financial Conduct Authority (F

KPMG’s US leadership team is conducting regular tours of Silicon Valley to identify and collaborate with early-stage artificial intelligence start-ups before they become large enough to disrupt the Big Four firm’s business. In an effort to accelerate technological adoption, US chief exec

Scotland’s economy experienced a sluggish start to 2026, with onshore GDP growing by just 0.1% in the first quarter, falling significantly behind the UK's overall 0.6% expansion, according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician. Despite consecutive economic contractions in January a

Colleges, charities and other third sector organisations should urgently review how they treat publicly funded projects for VAT purposes in light of a landmark court ruling, Azets has warned. The Court of Appeal decision in the case of HMRC vs Colchester Institute Corporation could have far-reaching

Scottish finance professionals have revealed that purpose, not pay, is a defining factor in how they make career decisions, choose employers and measure their own success. The insight comes from ACCA's annual talent survey of more than 11,000 finance professionals across 160 countries and Scottish a

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust has reported a strong set of annual results, with its share price returning to the November 2021 high it set before the 2022 growth-stock crash, as a soaring valuation for Elon Musk's SpaceX powered the Baillie Gifford flagship to its full recovery.

Angel‑led investment in Scotland has supported more than 41,000 jobs at a lower policy cost per job of any comparable UK policy initiative, new analysis of early‑stage investment over three decades has found. The report provides the first comprehensive analysis of the Scottish angel investment m

The Paris Mint has announced that it will soon begin selling solid-gold investment coins, marking its first such issue since it stopped producing the famous Napoleon and Louis coins over a century ago. Four versions of the new Marianne coins will go on sale on 16 June, ranging from one-tenth of an o

Sumer, one of the UK’s largest accounting firms, has paused its potential £1 billion auction despite attracting significant market interest from private equity investors. Founded in 2022 by former KPMG chief operating officer Warren Mead, the firm has rapidly expanded through a consolida

Knight Frank has appointed Steve Dunbar to lead it's new ratings advisory service, with the deadline for the latest appeals process fast approaching. Mr Dunbar has joined Knight Frank as rating advisor, spearheading the new offering. Based in the firm’s Aberdeen office, he will provide support

Edinburgh hosted the Official Institutions Conference last week, marking the first time in 11 years that the prestigious event has been held in the Scottish capital. Convened by Royal Bank of Scotland-owner NatWest Group, the event brought together a range of global investors and national banks from

The Edinburgh Tokenisation Summit is set to take place tomorrow at the University of Edinburgh’s Informatics Forum, gathering senior figures from global banking, asset management, and regulation to address the implementation of on-chain real-world assets in the UK. Organised by Blockchain Scot

More than half of Scottish businesses say a combination of supply chain pressures and higher energy and fuel costs are among their biggest challenges as they grapple with the impact of conflict in the Middle East, according to new research from accountancy and advisory firm BDO LLP. The bi-monthly s

The financial services watchdog will hold its annual public meeting in Edinburgh for the first time as it seeks to raise its profile in Scotland.

RSM UK has appointed Rosemary Ford as a partner in its consulting team in Edinburgh, specialising in forensic accounting investigations. Ms Ford has over 16 years’ experience advising on complex and sensitive matters. Her expertise covers financial misconduct, accounting irregularities, suspec