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Mid-career stagnation is reshaping Millennial workforce expectations. Rising stress data and weaker income progression suggest a structural shift, not generational fragility, as mid-level leaders confront slower advancement and economic uncertainty.
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Europe is drawing a hard line around teen social accounts. After Prague signalled support for an under-15 ban, Slovenia began drafting legislation, Greece said it was “very close” to acting, and Spain set out an under-16 prohibition. Marketers now face a structural shift in reach, data, and measurement this year.
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January’s US M&A opened 2026 with cash, speed, and scale. From streaming to medtech and power, buyers chased certainty and category leverage. Five headline deals, led by Netflix’s $82.7bn Warner Bros. push, signalled a market willing to pay up for assets that shorten timelines, widen moats, or lock in demand.
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January’s UK M&A signalled confidence, but buyers stayed disciplined overall. A £7.7bn approach for Beazley set the tone, while EQT’s Coller deal and Accenture’s Faculty acquisition underscored private markets’ pull. Healthcare remained strategic, and take-private logic persisted. For leaders, readiness, clarity, and integration discipline mattered more than bravado this month.
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January reopened Europe’s deal engine, with scale back in focus. From Zurich’s £7.67bn approach to Beazley to Deutsche Börse’s €5.35bn Allfunds agreement, buyers prioritised distribution, fee resilience, and control. Private markets consolidation accelerated, while mining mega-merger talks reminded boards that 2026 could still deliver surprises. Across the continent, scrutiny intensified.
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Data privacy is enterprise’s next big competitive battlefield in 2026. Data Privacy Day has expanded into a full week as AI adoption, supply chain scrutiny, and shifting regulation push privacy from compliance into core operations. Leaders now need evidence, not policies, to sustain trust.
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British travellers’ destination choices are revealing the growing commercial weight of data-led marketing. In 2025, Forward data showed Dublin up 130%, Amsterdam down 13%, signalling how targeted promotion and sustainability branding are reshaping Europe’s tourism landscape.
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Inflation edges up as business costs persist. The first rise in UK inflation in six months has renewed scrutiny of consumer-facing industries, with travel, hospitality, and retail businesses absorbing persistent input costs even as headline inflation pressures had been easing.
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The UK labour market ended 2025 on a plateau. Employment has stalled, wage growth is slowing, and young people are finding it harder to enter work. Business leaders say easing cost pressures and restoring hiring confidence will be key to reigniting momentum.
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Business owners planning to sell within 18 months face a tax trap. Rubric Law’s James Howell warns that even short delays could expose sellers to higher Capital Gains Tax when the Business Asset Disposal Relief rate rises in April 2026.