News

The latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have revealed that the number of people accessing their pension as a flexible income has increased by 56% between April and September this year. However, withdrawals of all types still remain below 2019 levels.

The Crieff Hydro Group has invested £500,000 in its distillery as the Perthshire hotel prepares to relaunch its gin brand 1881. The investment arrives as the sixth generation of the hotel group’s owners, the Leckie family, has been appointed to operate the distillery and accele

A new petition calling for the Scottish Government to ‘tweak the tiers’ is already gaining momentum after it was launched last week by the Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG).

Finance secretary Kate Forbes has called on the UK Government to prioritise public services and economic recovery through a fresh fiscal stimulus package of £98 billion, ahead of the Spending Review on Wednesday. This support, which is at least 5% of GDP, would be on par with the economic reco

Cynergy Bank, the former British arm of the Bank of Cyprus, has secured a deal with Google and Wipro Limited to provide a 'digital relationship bank' which combines digital and personal banking services. The trio has said that their service will differ from other start-ups as it will

A coalition of small business leaders, tax experts and company directors have detailed the measures needed to address a government shortcoming which has left thousands with no income support throughout months of COVID-linked disruption.

The Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will be convening an industry working group to facilitate investment in productive finance. Investment in productive finance refers to investment that expands productive capacity, furthers sustainable growth and can make an

The Scottish Government has launched a survey to gather views on designated economic zones such as Enterprise Areas and the freeport model. Businesses, stakeholders and public sector organisations are being consulted on the use of place-based zoning incentives to boost economic recovery and growth i

A broken pocket watch once owned by Mahatma Gandhi has been sold at an auction for £12,000. It was estimated that the silver-plated Swiss watch would sell for up to £10,000 at the East Bristol Auctions last Friday.

Financial services firm Aviva has unveiled a groundbreaking solar energy station in the car park at its Perth office, but plans to accompany it with a £3 million wind turbine have been knocked back by Scottish Ministers.

Dundee woman Liz Blackburn has been re-elected to the global council of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Ms Blackburn, who works for NatWest Group in Edinburgh, joined the global council in 2017 and her re-election was confirmed at its online AGM.

Payments start-up Modulr, based in Edinburgh, London and Dublin, has secured £9 million in investment from PayPal Ventures. Modulr is a Payments-as-a-Service API platform which enables digital businesses and software platforms across lending, banking, fintech, travel, employment services and a

Glasgow-based real estate developer Simply UK has expanded its senior management team with the appointment of Andy Curran as commercial director and Alistair Murray as head of procurement. They will be based from the company headquarters in Baillieston.

A former global CEO of accountancy giant KPMG has been appointed as chair of a new strategic board by the new Centre for Business, Climate Change and Sustainability (B-CCaS) at the University of Edinburgh. Mike Wareing CMG is an honorary professor at Edinburgh Business School, as well as former glob

Graeme Williams, director of M&A at KPMG in Scotland, considers the state of the deals market in Scotland. The last twelve months have taken their toll on Scotland’s economy with no sector or business left unscathed by the Covid-19 pandemic.