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Sole traders spend 27 hours yearly on tax admin. With Making Tax Digital approaching, Monzo Business has launched a free built-in tax tool to help sole traders and landlords meet new HMRC requirements, as research shows many remain underprepared and lose significant working time to compliance tasks.
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Oxford Science Enterprises will trade on London’s new private market. The £1.3bn venture capital firm, known for backing tech spin-outs from Oxford University, will debut on the London Stock Exchange’s Private Securities Market, marking a milestone for the Pisces framework.
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UK SMEs are leaning on AI, and disputes are rising. A dispute resolution lawyer says ‘almost right’ outputs and jurisdictional blind spots can harden positions and inflate costs.
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UK finance hiring plans climb as AI skills remain scarce. Robert Half says 58% of employers expect permanent headcount growth by summer 2026, while 43% plan interim hires.
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NatWest eases lending restrictions amid energy security pressures. The bank has relaxed its fossil fuel lending policies, reflecting increased energy security concerns and shifting national priorities despite global climate goals.
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Federal judge halts expanded US merger disclosure requirements. A Texas court has blocked a rule that would have significantly broadened the information companies must provide in US merger filings, marking a setback for federal antitrust regulators and creating fresh uncertainty around the future direction of disclosure reform.
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KKR acquires Arctos Partners for $1.4bn, reshaping private equity. The acquisition offers immediate access to a diversified sports portfolio and highlights a shift in private equity towards more sophisticated structures and governance amid increasing regulatory scrutiny.
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AI adoption in finance reaches near-universal industry penetration. New research from Finastra finds just 2% of financial institutions report no use of artificial intelligence, as organisations shift from experimentation to scaled deployment across risk, customer service, and compliance functions.
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SLR acquires sustainability advisory firm SB&CO to expand sustainability solutions. Founded in 2020, SB&CO specialises in strategy, ESG, and decarbonisation planning, aiming to serve global clients’ needs effectively.
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Advent and FedEx have agreed a $9.2bn takeover of InPost. The consortium deal will take the European parcel locker operator private, reshaping ownership of one of the region’s fastest-growing last-mile logistics platforms.