The British Business Bank has reached a landmark milestone by unlocking £200m of debt finance for smaller businesses across Scotland, under its Growth Guarantee Scheme. Over a thousand (1283) Scottish businesses have benefited from the finance, delivered through 32 lenders operating throughout Scotland, including a number of independent Scottish lenders. The wholesale and retail sector received most finance (£30.9m), followed by administrative and support-service activities (

Hampden Bank, which is headquartered in Edinburgh, has announced the appointment of two new business-development directors. Graeme Mann joins the Edinburgh office from Coutts and Paul de la Salle joins the bank’s London office from City Finance Brokers. Graeme has more than 25 years’ financial-services experience, specialising in relationship management, commercial growth and customer experience. Mark Prentice, head of banking (Scotland), said: “Experienced professionals of G

Commenting on the news that inflation has fallen to 2.8 per cent, Alex Beavis, interim director of retail banking at LHV bank says: "A fall in inflation is welcome news, and the first sign in months that the pressure on household budgets may be starting to ease. But people should remain cautious about the outlook for inflation. Prices are still rising, just more slowly. "Now is the moment to act. Take an hour this weekend to give your money a real spring clean. What feels lik

AXA UK has launched a domestic-abuse support fund to provide employees who are experiencing domestic abuse with financial assistance to help them get out of an abusive situation. The fund provides a one-time payment, aimed at helping with urgent needs, such as securing safe accommodation, as well as transport and food costs. It is a further enhancement to the insurer’s existing package of domestic-abuse support for employees. Employees or their line managers can confidentiall

Ticker and ShareSoc have announced a joint initiative to support and strengthen investor participation in the UK public markets. Ticker, a platform dedicated to democratising access to stock-market data and insights, joins forces with ShareSoc, a not-for-profit membership organisation for individual investors. ShareSoc's mission is to ensure that the voice of the individual investor is heard and respected in the UK’s financial markets. The partnership will see Ticker supp

New research from Starling Bank has revealed sole traders’ growing reliance on AI for financial advice. A quarter (26 per cent) have used an AI platform for guidance on HMRC’s new 'Making Tax Digital' initiative, while one in five regularly use it for tax and accounting support. The vast majority said they trust advice from AI (88 per cent), with 55 per cent expecting to rely on it more in the year ahead. Speed of information is the top reason sole traders are choosing AI (3

Research by specialist business bank, Redwood, has indicated that charities may be able to improve financial resilience through smarter approaches to saving. The bank surveyed 413 UK charities with annual incomes between £50,000 and £10m. The research revealed that many charities hold substantial cash reserves, yet almost half lack confidence in their long-term financial stability. Redwood said that the study highlights an opportunity for charities to make their money work ha

A new Edinburgh mortgage firm, Munro Mortgages, has launched, providing mortgage advice to home movers, first-time buyers and property investors, across the city and surrounding areas. Founded by Randal McLister, a mortgage and protection broker with more than 20 years’ experience, the brokerage offers access to lenders across the entire UK mortgage market to help clients secure the most suitable deals. Randal said: “With rates constantly being repriced due to ongoing glo

A new report from TheCityUK reveals that financial and related professional-services exports from Scotland grew by 16.3 per cent to reach £12bn in 2023 (the latest available data), underlining the nation’s continued strong contribution to one of Britain’s most important export industries. The report, Exporting from across Britain : Financial and related professional services 2026 , also reveals that in 2023, almost half (49 per cent) of the industry’s exports originated outsi

AXA UK & Ireland has announced the creation of a new general-insurance business, AXA Insurance UK, bringing together its UK commercial and retail business units under a single leadership structure. The new unified commercial and personal-lines business will be led by AXA commercial chief executive, Jon Walker, who assumes the role of chief executive, AXA Insurance UK. Jon has overseen AXA’s retail business on an interim basis since the end of last year. Tara Foley, chief ex

Law firm, Pinsent Masons, reports that the number of companies graduating from AIM to the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market is at its highest level for nearly a decade. Six companies transferred from AIM in the last 12 months, compared with two the year before, the firm noted. Nicholas Holmes, partner and head of the firm’s equity capital markets practice commented: “The increase in transfers is an early vindication of the FCA’s recent listing reforms and shows that compani

Starling Bank has made its ‘Making Tax Digital’ income-tax tool available to business customers for free, ahead of new HMRC rules coming into force on 6 April. Sole traders and landlords turning over more than £50,000, who will be the first cohort required to start making quarterly tax reports online, can now start getting used to the tool as part of their regular accounting practice. It is also available for sole traders with lower turnovers. The new tool is integrated into

Standard Life plc (the Group), which focuses solely on retirement saving and income, has completed its name change from Phoenix Group Holdings plc. To mark this milestone, Standard Life has set a new target to help three million more customers over the next 10 years, to take action towards a better retirement. To meet this commitment, the Group will provide support and solutions designed to ensure that more people are on track to build sufficient pension savings and that mor

Royal London has announced a new partnership with charity, Groundwork, with an £800,000 commitment to support urban, nature-recovery initiatives throughout the UK and Ireland. In its first year, the work of the partnership will focus on creating, enhancing and stewarding local nature sites. The funding from Royal London will be directed towards a variety of initiatives aimed at improving, protecting and restoring green spaces, as well as boosting biodiversity in urban setting

A new study reveals that more than half (55 per cent) of the UK population have no investments and that a third (33 per cent) of those who do not invest say it’s because they don’t know enough about investing. The research, by Aviva, shows that 39 per cent are put off by thinking investing is too risky and they worry that they’ll lose money, compared to leaving it in a current or savings account. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) lack confidence to begin investing and say they d

Responsible-finance provider, Social Investment Scotland (SIS) is bringing its nationwide Funding Socials programme to Edinburgh, offering third-sector leaders the opportunity to connect with fund managers, sector specialists and peers. The event, to be held at Out of the Blue on 12 February, will help charity and social enterprise leaders from across the region explore new approaches to income generation and build valuable networks. Attendees will have the chance to hear dir

A new report calls for an overhaul of pensions policy and financial advice to address the current pensions gap, which sees women accumulating 75 per cent less in their defined-contribution (DC) pension pots by age 60 than men , according to DWP figures . The report, from the University of Edinburgh, supported by wealth manager, Evelyn Partners, calls on the financial-services sector to recognise hidden systemic, social and situational factors preventing women from saving and

New research from Aviva reveals a ‘worrying gap’ in retirement planning among the UK’s self-employed, freelancers and digital nomads. According to the study, around a third (34 per cent) of digital nomads (those who use technology to work remotely while travelling and living in various locations) are actively saving into a pension or retirement plan. The research revealed a similar picture for the self-employed and freelancers, with just 38 per cent and 40 per cent, respec

Lloyds Banking Group has announced the appointment of Peter Fitzgerald as chief investment officer, succeeding Kevin Doran, who will leave the group early next year after a successful tenure shaping its investment proposition. In his new role, Peter will oversee investment strategy and fund management across Scottish Widows and the recently acquired Schroders Personal Wealth business, supporting the group’s ambition to deliver market-leading solutions for customers. Peter joi

Research from Standard Life UK has found that UK adults are prioritising holidays over pensions. While the survey of 6000 people found that managing day-to-day finances was their main concern (cited by 40 per cent), this was followed by saving for holidays (31 per cent). Just 15 per cent said that contributing to their pension is one of their top financial priorities. Almost a third (28 per cent) said they prefer to live for today rather than plan for the future. Nearly hal