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Clydesdale Bank owner Virgin Money has announced a "profitable and positive" first quarter of the year.  In the three months to the end of 2020, the bank's customer deposits rose slightly by almost 1% to £68.1 billion as customers spent less and businesses maintained healthy balance sheet

With exactly four weeks to the day until the Chancellor delivers his Budget speech, Chris Sanger, EY's head of tax policy, has set out his predictions. While it’s been nearly a year since last Budget, the Chancellor has arguably spent more time delivering the series of mini ‘Covid-19 cri

The final quarter of 2020 saw consumer confidence in Scotland fall by a further two percentage points, to -18%, as the country headed into the New Year under fresh lockdown restrictions, according to the latest Deloitte Consumer Tracker. With the exception of personal finances, all other measures of

Andrew Pollard, director of Falkirk-based business consultancy Ahead Business Consulting, discusses how planning ahead can help businesses as the year unfolds. 2021 is a highly uncertain year. We know more about COVID-19 and how both the NHS and Government will respond, but not much about new varian

First-time buyer transactions bounced back strongly in the second half of 2020, up 69% from 89,6000 in H1 to 16,226 in H2 once the housing market reopened, according to the latest figures released by Bank of Scotland.

Inverness-based fresh produce provider Swansons Food Wholesalers has joined the growing number of employee-owned businesses in Scotland, with over 40 staff given a stake in the business.

New data released today by BDO shows how lockdown is taking its toll on medium-sized businesses, with more than a quarter (27%) warning that they could cease trading in less than two months if restrictions do not ease. If the current lockdown lasts a further three months into April, 83% say they wou

CarMoney, the rapidly expanding Motherwell-based motor finance business, saw a sharp increase in profitability in the year to 31 December 2019 which was driven by a 21% uplift in turnover. During the year to 31 December 2019, the company, which employs 74 people, saw turnover rise to £4.1 mill

TranSwap, a cross-border payment platform based in Singapore, has officially launched in Scotland – the company’s fifth market after Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia. The UK office and global R&D centre are in Edinburgh, where they expect to create 54 jobs over the next t

Finance secretary Kate Forbes has urged businesses eligible for a top up grant from the Strategic Framework Business Fund to apply to their local authority by the final deadline of Friday 5 February. The one-off payments are available to eligible hospitality, leisure and non-essential retail busines

A new £7.75 million funding package announced by the Scottish Government will offer support to fishermen, seafood businesses and ports and harbours threatened by the ongoing effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU Exit. The package includes £6.45m for the Seafood Producers Resilience Fu

Scottish startups continued to flex their strengths in 2020 with tech companies across the country raising a collective £345 million in venture capital funding, according to new data by Tech Nation, the growth platform for tech companies and leaders, and job search engine Adzuna.

More than 150,000 job seekers across the UK will benefit from new employment support, helping them build their interview skills, find local vacancies and quickly get back into work.

Ambulance drivers in Naples are calling for police protection after the local mafia ordered them not to use their sirens and flashing lights because they disturbed drug deals.

Housebuilder and offsite timber systems manufacturer Stewart Milne Group has bounced back to profitability following a “transitional” financial year in 2018/19 which was adversely impacted by poor market conditions and exceptional items of £43 million. Historic accounts for a&