Applications by business owners for personal guarantee insurance (PGI) rose 62% year on year in the third quarter of 2026, according to new data from Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance. Applications were also 9% higher than in Q2, making Q3 2026 the second-busiest quarter recorded since 2021, behind only Q1 2026. The data is a measure…
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LHV Bank has appointed Damian Thompson as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. He will join the Bank on 4th January 2027, subject to regulatory approval. Thompson has more than 30 years of experience across UK banking, structured finance and financial services. After almost 2 decades in senior roles at NatWest Markets, he joined Starling…
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Nearly a quarter (26%) of small businesses say they are forecasting growth for the final three months of 2026, with 50% forecasting no change in trading outlook, and 23% of enterprises fearing they will either contract or struggle to survive the winter months, according to new research from Novuna Business Finance. These new findings, for…
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has entered a new management era, with organisations shifting their focus from whether AI works to how it is governed, secured and managed at scale, according to KPMG’s latest Global AI Pulse survey. The quarterly global survey of C-suite and senior business leaders, including 100 in the UK, found that organisations are…
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Retailers face a £440 million increase in electricity costs this year, despite their energy use remaining virtually unchanged, a new report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reveals. The trade body has raised concern that this will feed directly into consumer prices, raising the cost of living for millions of families. The industry report, Counting…
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FTS Recovery has announced three appointments as it builds its London presence, adding experience in complex restructuring, corporate insolvency, and support for businesses in financial difficulty. Natalie Rose joins as Director alongside Restructuring Manager Michael Conway and Elena Lysandrou, who joins as a Recovery Executive. Rose brings almost 30 years’ experience in restructuring and insolvency,…
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A noodle bar franchise boss who kept running his business after being disqualified as a company director has been sentenced and handed a fresh 10-year ban. Desmond Pheby continued managing Wok & Go Franchise UK Limited, which sold franchises for the Wok & Go noodle takeaway chain, despite an earlier seven-year director disqualification for failing…
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UK business confidence has suffered its most prolonged downturn since the global financial crisis, as recovery hopes for Q3 were toppled by a resurgence of geopolitical tensions, a survey of 1,000 business leaders by ICAEW has found. Sentiment during the quarter was on course to return to positive territory for the first time since Q4…
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Business lending growth is forecast to more than halve from 5.3% last year to 2.1% this year, then rise modestly to 2.8% in 2027, according to a new EY UK Bank Lending Outlook analysis. Higher costs and economic uncertainty weigh on investment demand. From 2027, stronger spending on AI and wider digital technology is expected…
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UK SMEs are facing growing cash flow pressure, with 40 per cent saying they have been forced to cut customer payment terms to protect their own finances, according to the latest SME Confidence Tracker by the UK’s largest independent invoice financier, Bibby Financial Services (BFS). With the Commercial Payments Bill yet to be passed, and…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism over prospects for the UK economy, fell to -54 in September, from -49 in August 2026. In contrast, business leaders became significantly more optimistic about the prospects for their own organisations, with confidence rising to +10, from -5 in August. The data showed that…
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The UK economy expanded by 0.5% in the second quarter, an upgrade from the initial 0.4% estimate and following 0.6% growth in Q1, official figures from the Office for National Statistics show. Annual growth was also revised higher to 1.4%, although the estimate for full-year 2025 growth was reduced to 1.2%. Consumers continued spending during…
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Prime Minster, Andy Burnham has announced plans to reform the state pension triple lock from 2030, with the changes intended to generate savings to help fund a proposed national care service in England. The Prime Minister said the triple lock – which sees pensions rise each year by whichever is highest of inflation, average earnings…
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