Business

HSBC has warned business banking customers that personal identification documents submitted during account applications may have been compromised following unauthorised access to a third-party platform. In an email sent to customers earlier this month, the bank confirmed that identity documents, images and contact details provided when opening a business account were exposed in the breach. HSBC stressed that its own …

Islamabad: Pakistan’s leading digital microfinance bank, Mobilink Bank, has collaborated with TPL Life, a digital insurance provider, to extend much-needed healthcare support to flood-affected communities across Punjab. The partnering institutions set up medical camps across Pakpattan, Sialkot, and Minchinabad (Bahawalnagar) to deliver essential healthcare to people who had lost access to medical facilities – either destroyed or rendered inaccessible by …

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant prospect for small businesses — it is already here, reshaping day-to-day operations and opening up new opportunities for growth. According to new research from YouGov, 31% of UK SMEs are actively using AI-powered tools, while a further 15% say they plan to adopt them in the near future. Just as AI has …

The UK economy slowed sharply in the second quarter of 2025, with official figures confirming growth of just 0.3% between April and June, a marked deceleration from the 0.7% expansion in the first quarter. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that while the latest quarterly figure was unrevised, revisions to earlier estimates suggest growth in much of …

The British Business Bank has committed €20 million (£17.3m) to Notion Capital’s new €114 million (£98.6m) growth fund, Notion Capital Opportunities III. The investment strengthens the partnership between the state-backed bank and the London-based venture capital firm, which has a track record of backing high-growth UK and European software companies. The British Business Bank has been a long-standing backer of …

Scottish cleantech spinout SeaWarm has secured £550,000 in funding to accelerate the rollout of its renewable heating technology, designed to cut fossil fuel use and lower carbon emissions across communities. The University of Edinburgh venture received £250,000 from angel investment syndicate Equity Gap, £250,000 from Scottish Enterprise, and £50,000 from Old College Capital, the university’s in-house venture fund. SeaWarm’s modular, …

Thousands of taxpayers risk falling foul of HMRC’s rules this autumn, with two crucial deadlines approaching in October. Missing either of them could leave households facing an instant £100 fine, with penalties spiralling to as much as £1,600 for serious delays. Andrea L Richards, accountant and chief executive of Accounts Navigator, has urged individuals to act swiftly to avoid unnecessary …

Speculation over government tax reforms is beginning to cast a shadow over the upper end of the UK housing market, according to new figures from Zoopla. The property portal reported that demand for homes priced above £500,000 has slipped by 4 per cent compared with last year, while the number of buyers searching for £1 million-plus homes has fallen by …

Electronic Arts, the gaming giant behind FIFA / EA Sports FC, The Sims and Battlefield, is set to leave the public markets under a record-setting leveraged buyout valued at $55 billion. The deal, announced on Monday, will see EA delisted from the Nasdaq and become a privately held company under a consortium led by Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment …

YouTube has agreed to a $24.5 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed over the platform’s suspension of his account in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. Under the terms, $22 million will be channelled “on Trump’s behalf” to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit that is overseeing the construction of …