Scottish Financial Review

Troubled Aberdeen-based engineering and consulting giant John Wood Group announced that it will extend to April 17 the deadline for Dubai-based firm Sidara to come up…

UK government borrowing in the financial year to February 2025 was £132.2 billion — £14.7 billion more than at the same point in the last financial…

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) announced a funding package for the University of Dundee to address “immediate financial challenges.” The SFC said: “The University of…

New York-based alternative asset manager Apollo announced that funds managed by Apollo affiliates have agreed to acquire a majority stake in Aberdeen-based OEG Offshore from…

Additional investment of £24 million through the innovative Charitable Bonds programme to deliver affordable homes across Scotland will see total funding in the scheme reach…

Aberdeen, the Edinburgh-based investment giant, has strongly recommended that investment trust companies be excluded from proposed Consumer Composite Investments (CCI) rules on new retail disclosures, or…

Property developer Scarborough Group announced it has expanded its Scottish portfolio with the acquisition of the giant Grade A Younger Building, formerly an RBS office…

A new R&D development — hosted by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) — that is designed to support the growth of semiconductor packaging has…

Edinburgh and Glasgow have boosted their positions as leading global financial centres, according to the latest Z/Yen Global Financial Centres Index, the leading measure of…

New University of Edinburgh spinout Forth Therapeutics (Forth Tx) has launched with a precision therapeutics platform focused on tackling fibrosis across multiple organ systems. The…

The EY 2025 Regional Economic Forecast reports that Edinburgh stands out with a robust forecast for GVA (Gross Value Added) growth in knowledge-intensive sectors, particularly professional, scientific,…

Glasgow-based mobile energy giant Aggreko plc — bought in 2021 by private equity firms TDR Capital LLP and I Squared Capital — has announced that, for the…

Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie (WJM) is planning to join forces with commercial law firm Davidson Chalmers Stewart. The move follows investment in WJM from Irwin Mitchell….

Retirement income insurance specialist Just Group plc said it has completed a £75 million buy-in for the Church of Scotland Pension Trustees. The deal insures…

Edinburgh and London-based private bank Hampden & Co announced it has relocated its Edinburgh headquarters from 9 Charlotte Square, where it opened in 2015, to a…

By Mark McSherry US exceptionalism is “fading” as policy uncertainty mounts and the economy slows, while Europe is on the verge of a “big loosening”…

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved up to £10 million to support the development of Inner East Quay at the Port of Nigg in the Highlands….

Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, on Monday reported a 13% growth in Workplace net fund flows of £5.3 billion in 2024, taking its Workplace…

Glasgow-based Beeks Financial Cloud Group plc, a cloud computing and connectivity provider for financial markets, announced that it signed a “significant” new Exchange Cloud contract…

The Scottish Government is hosting a major investment event in Edinburgh on Monday aimed at unlocking new private investment in the country’s growing offshore wind industry….

A public-private agreement has been reached to help expand operations and attract new investment at the Port of Montrose. A Scottish Enterprise grant of £3.2…

The Scottish Government announced that additional support is to be made available through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to support Scottish universities currently facing financial…

Glasgow-based whisky, gin and rum company Edrington — owner of The Macallan, Highland Park and The Glenrothes — announced the appointment of Patricia Huyghues Despointes and Edward…

Old College Capital (OCC), the University of Edinburgh’s £70 million venture investment fund, announced it is hiring a Head of Investment Operations. OCC is part of…

Accenture has agreed to acquire Soben, a Gasgow-based global provider of construction consultancy services. Soben has a team of 250 and serves clients in Western Europe…

Regulatory reform could potentially generate £400 billion of surplus capital in Defined Benefit (DB) pensions schemes, according to analysis by pensions and financial services consultancy…

Scotland’s historic attractions enjoyed a surge in visitor numbers in 2024 thanks to a rise in international visitors and booming film and TV tourism, new…

The board of Abrdn Asian Income Fund Limited announce that Isaac Thong is to be appointed lead manager of the fund, working alongside Eric Chan….

Glasgow-based BLK, the online market platform for commodities and raw materials trading, has confirmed a £50 million equity round from Nimbus Capital, a Panama based…

South Africa-based Acrux Sorting Technology (AST) has announced a strategic investment in SGZ Cononish Limited, the only commercial gold mine in Scotland, located near Tyndrum…

SSE plc, the Perth-based electricity infrastructure giant, said it successfully sold a new €600 million 7-year green bond maturing on March 18, 2032, with a coupon…

Global Ports Holding Ltd (GPH), the world’s largest cruise port operator, has signed a 50-year lease agreement with Clydeport Operations Ltd, a subsidiary of Peel Ports…

The University of Dundee has announced plans to cut 632 full-time equivalent jobs in a set of proposals “to address significant financial challenges and achieve…

The Johnnie Walker Princes Street visitor experience has announced the global launch of “Johnnie Walker Vault” in the Diageo whisky brand’s “most ambitious expression of blending…

Edinburgh-based Craneware plc, a provider of software for the US healthcare market, said its adjusted profit before tax rose 21% to $20.6 million in the six…

Glasgow media firm STV Group plc reported group revenue growth of 12% in 2024 to £188 million, driven by acquisition-related growth in its Studios business…

An independent review of the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concluded the SFC “continues to stand out…

The Royal Bank of Scotland Growth Tracker — a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the country’s manufacturing and…

BrewDog, the Ellon, Aberdeenshire-based craft brewing giant announced that its chief financial officer (CFO) James Taylor is stepping up to CEO and Lauren Carrol becomes chief operating…

The Scottish and UK governments have signed a £70 million investment programme with Argyll and Bute Council to deliver economic growth for the area. The…

Seagreen Wind Energy Limited (SWEL), a joint venture owned by SSE Renewables (49%), TotalEnergies (25.5%) and PTTEP (25.5%), announced that it has signed an agreement…

Blackford, Perthshire-based natural source water producer Highland Spring Group, said it will continue to invest in growth after completing a competitive process to refinance its business. The…

A new report shows there has been a shift in the ownership of investment trust companies away from wealth managers and towards institutions and private…

Glasgow-based Solasta Bio, an agri-biotech company specialising in the next generation of green insecticides, announced two significant developments which it said accelerate its path to regulatory…

Joe Griffin has been appointed Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government and will take up the post in April 2025. Griffin is currently Director General…

More than £100 million of funding to support Modern and Foundation Apprenticeships in 2025-26 has been confirmed by Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth. Contracts will now be…

Martin Gilbert’s asset manager AssetCo changed its name on Friday to River Global — a day after the investment firm announced its results for the year…

Mutually-owned Royal London, the life insurance, pensions and investment company, announced its 2024 results showing assets under management increased to a record £173 billion and…

The £5.2 billion Dundee-headquartered investment trust company Alliance Witan, has reported its 2024 results showing strong net asset value total return of 13.3%. Nonetheless, the fund…

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has cleared the anticipated acquisition by William Grant & Sons Group of The Famous Grouse, Naked…

Growth expectations for the Scottish economy in 2025 are now weaker than previously anticipated, with an expected GVA growth of just 0.9% this year, 1.5%…

HSBC Holdings plc announced that Ian Stuart, currently CEO of HSBC UK, has been appointed as Group Customer and Culture Director. HSBC said this is…

The Port of Cromarty Firth said the UK Government has awarded it more than £55 million “in a huge boost to secure critical facilities needed…

Pioneering Scottish business Beta Bugs has secured a multi-million pound investment as it looks to become a global leader in insect genetics. Beta Bugs was…

Edinburgh-based biotech company Lentitek Ltd has secured £700,000 in private funding from Equity Gap, the Scottish angel investment syndicate, bringing its total investment to £1…

Scottish Wildlife Trust has announced the purchase of the 7,618-hectare Inverbroom Estate, near Ullapool, for £17.5 million following a “large private donation.” The deal is…

The UK business of German construction and real estate consultancy Drees & Sommer announced the acquisition of Scotland-based RSP Consulting Engineers LLP. RSP has offices in…

SSE plc Chief Commercial Officer Martin Pibworth has been appointed CBI Scotland Chair. SSE plc, the Perth-based electricity infrastructure giant, is the largest listed firm…

Equity investment levels in Scotland’s smaller businesses grew in 2024, bouncing back from a more difficult 2023, according to new research from the British Business…

Shares of Edinburgh-based investment giant abrdn rose as much as 12% on Tuesday as it returned to profit and abandoned its ridiculed, vowel-light brand name…

UK smaller companies are the “most unloved stocks in the world” according to new research by Edinburgh-based investment giant Abrdn. The global investment company looked…