55% of global banks plan to increase spending on trade finance platforms

Banks are accelerating their investment in trade finance technology to unlock growth, according to research by FIS. The research found that over the next 12 months, 55% of global banks surveyed plan to increase spending on their trade finance platforms. For all survey respondents, key priorities include improving operational efficiency (28%), enhancing customer experience (28%),…

Read more

FOS expects to resolve 20% more cases this year

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has announced that it expects to resolve 270,000 cases in 2025/26, a 20% increase from the previous year. The FOS’ commitment comes despite recent surges in complaints, most notably the influx of cases related to motor finance commission. These account for nearly half of the current stock of around 190,000…

Read more

Small business confidence remains sluggish

New data from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveals that small firms’ confidence levels are in a rut amid a rising tide of costs and taxes. FSB’s latest Small Business Index (SBI) for Q1 2025 shows a modest improvement in small business confidence, now at -40.7 points, compared to -64.5 in Q4 2024, though…

Read more

Business leaders are adopting a ‘wait and see ‘approach to Trump’s tariffs

A snap poll of 562 Institute of Directors members following President Trump’s tariffs announcement has found that over a third (37%) of business leaders expect to be impacted by the tariffs and of those, over two-thirds (70%) expect their profits to decrease as a result. In response to the tariffs, 35% of members will be…

Read more