Business & Tech
The latest stories from independent business & tech media.
Weekend Essay: The Great Wealth Transfer and the great family fallout
When it comes to family, I’ve always considered myself very lucky. That doesn’t mean things are always smooth. As the youngest of three, I can confirm that sibling rivalry has occasionally involved, erm, robust exchanges of views. Being the little brother can be an invidious
Former Labour deputy Tom Watson joins Palantir as £330M NHS deal nears break point
US spy-tech firm insists its new UK senior vice president is there to 'build things, not to open doors'
KPMG tech cuts come with a severance sum some staff call insulting
AI, Cyber, SAP and Testing teams caught in latest reshaping of Big Four consultancy's Advisory arm
Microsoft fixes the fix that broke Excel paste – partly
Hotfix covers only Excel 2016 and may still come unstuck around conditional formatting
The ideal database for AI agents doesn't exist yet, says Percona CEO
Iterative workloads caught vendors off guard, but requirements for a clean-slate solution remain unclear
AAIF adds "sandbox" phase to catch early-stage projects
"The most interesting projects are early, they’re not fully baked."
British Army spends £16M on 1,000 pocket-sized eyes in the sky
Surveillance and training drone systems will come through three UK suppliers, though some are built overseas
Royal Society slams UK.gov science shake-up
Whitehall changes a 'big mistake' as anything going in with Business department gets squeezed
FCA to take AML supervision of 60,000 legal and accounting firms
The FCA will take on anti-money laundering (AML) supervision of 60,000 entities across the legal and accounting sectors from the end of 2028, as it prepares to expand its risk-based approach to professional firms.
PPI: Understanding pension outcomes through different working lives
The UK is entering a new phase of pensions policy. Two decades after the first Pensions Commission, automatic enrolment (AE) and a simpler state pension are now embedded in the system. The policy debate is now moving beyond whether people are saving for retirement to
Paul Smith boss brands Frasers’ Harvey Nichols deal ‘dubious’
Paul Smith executive chairman Ewan Venters has questioned the ethics of Frasers Group’s takeover of Harvey Nichols, as suppliers face recovering just a fraction of the money they are owed.
Platforms target paperless transfers by December
The UK’s leading investment platforms have committed to eliminating paper-based documents and cheques from investment transfers by December, where operationally feasible, under a new industry Transfers Charter.
Techie fixed Wi-Fi dead zone with a drill
When wires and wireless mix, the combination can be electric
AI risks make some insurers wary of corporate liability
RAND wants better data to price machine-made mishaps, apocalypse not included
AWS confesses its console causes cloudy confusion for new users
Improved signup experience for ‘AI builders’ hides complexity and includes spending cap
USA’s Venezuela takeover comes with bonus exposure to Chinese AI surveillance tech
Think tank points out that companies banned by Washington will help run the regime that Uncle Sam now controls
Columbia offers hikers ‘cash for feet pics’ in Peakfreak launch campaign
Columbia Sportswear is offering hikers cash for photos of their bare feet as part of a new social campaign marking the launch of its latest Peakfreak hiking shoes.
The Week in Brief – 14 Sept to 18 Sept
’s must-reads: Top 10 stories of the week New entrepreneurial ventures and unexpected C-suite shakeups have been hitting the headlines across the UK wealth management sector this week, with Tony Wickenden wasting no time unveiling a new business after SJP closed Technical…
The Morning Briefing: FCA to take AML supervision of 60,000 legal and accounting firms; Understanding pension outcomes through different working lives
Good morning and welcome to your Morning Briefing for Friday 18 September 2026. To get this in your inbox every morning
Marvell pushes GlobalFoundries to light up wafer production
It might be the next trillion-dollar company, but it'll need some help on the supply side to do it
FCA cracks down on illegal crypto trading in London
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has taken action to shut down an illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading operation in three suspected premises across London.
Ex-PayPal CEO Harris unveils AI-powered personal finance app
Former PayPal and Intuit CEO Bill Harris has unveiled his latest venture, a personalised AI-powered financial advice app called Evergreen.ai.
74% of top 50 North American investors are assessing climate risks - Ceres
Data from non-profit sustainability-focused organisation Ceres found that the top 50 North American investors are continuing with climate action quietly.
Ex-Monzo execs’ Sync Savings completes funding round
UK payroll savings platform Sync Savings has been backed by leading female investors to make saving easier and more accessible to consumers.
Consumer confidence edges up ahead of crucial golden quarter
UK consumer confidence improved marginally at the end of the summer, although shoppers remain cautious about the economy and big-ticket spending ahead of the crucial golden quarter.
Amazon calls for ‘rigorous testing’ as AI safety concerns mount
Amazon has waded into the growing debate over artificial intelligence safety, calling for “rigorous testing” and stronger safeguards before new AI models are released.
M&S makes London Fashion Week debut in push to bolster style credentials
M&S is set to make its London Fashion Week debut, with the goal of upping the company’s fashion credentials. It will mark 100 years in fashion with a catwalk show featuring 57 menswear and womenswear looks inspired by pieces from its archive.
Next boss urges Chancellor to rule out tax rises at Budget
Next boss Lord Simon Wolfson has urged Chancellor John Healey to avoid further tax rises at next month’s Budget, warning they risk putting additional pressure on consumer spending and economic growth.