Business

Evoke, the heavily indebted gambling group that owns William Hill in the UK as well as the 888 brand, has put itself up for sale as it grapples with rising costs and regulatory pressure. The company said it is undertaking a review of its strategic options, which includes the possibility of selling the business. Investment banks Morgan Stanley and Rothschild …

UK companies could be hit with fines of up to £60,000 per worker under proposed changes that would require right-to-work checks to be carried out on freelancers and other casual workers, a move that many business owners remain unaware of. Under current rules, employers have been legally required since 2008 to carry out right-to-work checks on employees engaged under traditional …

The UK economy unexpectedly contracted for a second consecutive month in October, underlining the fragility of growth as households and businesses reined in activity ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget. Gross domestic product fell by 0.1 per cent in October, matching the decline seen in September, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics. Economists had expected the …

The British Design Fund (BDF) has secured a £5 million commitment from the British Business Bank to support early-stage UK businesses designing and manufacturing physical products, strengthening access to equity finance for product-led innovation across the country. The investment, made through the British Business Bank’s Regional Angels Programme, will support BDF’s mission to back founders building scalable, UK-based product businesses …

Lahore: Fatima Fertilizer has received significant international recognition by winning four major awards at The Drum Awards 2025 in London reflecting impactful purpose-led communication for the Salam Kissan campaign and the company’s strategic partnership with UNDP. The Silver award won for ‘Sustainability & Climate Action – Leading Sustainable Change for Pakistan’ recognized Fatima Fertilizer’s partnership with UNDP. Fatima Fertilizer has …

KARACHI: The Pakistan Freelancers’ Association (PAFLA) has planned an initiative to empower journalists with freelancing skills in collaboration with press clubs and associations across Pakistan, following its first capacity-building session at the Karachi Press Club (KPC). The nationwide initiative aims to equip Pakistani journalists with in-demand freelancing skills, enabling them to diversify income streams, build global clients, and generate sustainable …

The founders of UK fintech GoCardless are set for a significant financial windfall after the payments company agreed to be acquired by Dutch rival Mollie in a deal valued at €1.05bn (£920m). The transaction is expected to deliver a major payday for GoCardless chief executive Hiroki Takeuchi, as well as fellow co-founder Tom Blomfield, one of Britain’s most prominent technology …

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has been targeted by almost a quarter of a million cyber attacks over the past year, a dramatic surge that comes just weeks after the fiscal watchdog accidentally leaked the Chancellor’s Budget online. Freedom of Information data obtained by the Parliament Street think tank shows the OBR faced 238,678 hostile incidents in the past …

Modern truth has ceased to be the ultimate authority. The word “post-truth” became Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year back in 2016, defined as a condition in which “objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” In the years since, the situation has only deteriorated. Experts now describe an epidemic of informational …

As 2025 comes to a close, the UK’s online casino industry has a lot to think about. Stricter regulation and upcoming tax increases are causing companies to begin considering cutting costs and reducing their staff levels. This year has seen the UK’s gambling industry continue to record impressive figures. Even the introduction of new maximum stakes for online slot games …