-
UK fintech investment has fallen to its lowest decade level. KPMG recorded £1.8bn across 205 deals in the first half of 2026, although investment in AI fintech increased as capital became more selective.
-
Hardies has acquired Glasgow quantity surveying practice Storrier and Donaldson. The private deal adds an established cost management team and strengthens the surveying group’s capacity across Glasgow and western Scotland.
-
UK regulators are examining FirstCash’s planned acquisition of Ramsdens today. The CMA is gathering initial views but has not yet formally opened a Phase 1 merger investigation.
-
UK regulators have cleared Danone’s planned acquisition of Huel. The Phase 1 decision removes a major competition hurdle from the high-profile functional nutrition transaction.
-
Basware data shows finance automation performance remains uneven globally. Its transaction-based benchmark identifies substantial gaps in autonomous processing, AI decision accuracy, payment performance, and financial controls.
-
CVC is preparing a potential bid for challenger bank Aldermore. The sale could allow separate offers for the lender’s banking operations and its MotoNovo motor-finance business.
-
Standard Life is expanding its UK pension risk transfer capacity. The insurer has assembled a consortium-backed platform with commitments of up to £2bn as competition intensifies for larger defined benefit schemes.
-
EFG will sell Harris Allday client assets to Canaccord Wealth. The £3.1bn wealth-management operation will transfer as EFG concentrates its UK business on high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients.
-
Pinewood has agreed a £545m takeover backed by Ridgeview Partners. The £4.48-a-share offer would take the automotive software company private as investment requirements increase across AI, data, and international expansion.
-
Tax advisers face a new mandatory registration deadline this autumn. HMRC’s second rollout phase covers advisers with Self Assessment or Corporation Tax accounts but without an agent services account, with registration required by 18 November.