Scottish Financial Review

By Mark McSherry The £300 million Baillie Gifford UK Growth Trust plc said the fund’s net asset value (NAV) total return was 7.1% for the…

Edinburgh-based Frontier IP, a specialist in commercialising intellectual property, said it has entered into a strategic partnership with Abstract Mid-Tech Limited, an associate company of…

Perth-based SSE plc said it successfully launched a dual tranche issue of €1.3 billion in hybrid capital securities, a financial instrument which is subordinate to…

Bank of Scotland — which is owned by Lloyds Banking Group — has agreed a five-year lease extension with Hines, acting on behalf of Inmark…

Troubled Aberdeen-based engineering and consulting giant John Wood Group on Thursday extended the deadline for Dubai-based Sidara to make a firm takeover offer for Wood or…

Caledonian Holdings plc, the AIM-quoted investment firm focused on the financial services market, said it has “conditionally” agreed to invest an aggregate of £1 million…

Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of Toronto-listed NFI Group Inc, announced that its Scottish bus manufacturing site in Falkirk would be closed with 400 jobs lost…

Weir Group, the Glasgow-based global mining and engineering FTSE 100 firm, said it has been awarded a £40 million sustainable tailings solution contracts for one of…

Bain Capital said on Wednesday it does not intend to make a firm takeover offer for Edinburgh-based Craneware, a provider of software for the US healthcare…

The University of Edinburgh Exascale Supercomputer is set to receive up to £750 million as part of Wednesday’s spending review by the UK government. The…

Shares of Aberdeen-headquartered transport giant FirstGroup plc rose as much as 12% on Tuesday after it said it made £169.6 profit before tax in the…

Troubled Aberdeen-based engineering and consulting giant John Wood Group said it has been awarded a $2.8 billion contract by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to…

SSEN Transmission has welcomed the decision by the Scottish Government to approve its Section 37 consent application for the “Skye Reinforcement” — the replacement of…

The Royal Bank of Scotland Growth Tracker rose from 47.4 in April to 50.5 in May, indicating a renewed rise in business activity. This marked…

Scotland attracted 11 financial services foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in 2024, up from nine is 2023 and representing a decade high, according to figures…

Australian ticketing platform Humanitix is opening headquarters in Edinburgh as it seeks to bring its “good, not greed” ethos to the UK. The company is…

The Filmhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland’s leading independent cinema, will reopen its doors on June 27, 2025, following a £2 million refurbishment. Screen Scotland said that…

Wheatley Group, Scotland’s biggest social landlord, said on Wednesday it has retained its A+ rating with a stable outlook with S&P Global Ratings. As at March 31,…

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is to invest up to £24 million at Kishorn Port in the west Highlands to upgrade its capacity and capabilities, with…

The Scottish Government said that more than £106 million has been allocated to Scottish health boards to help tackle the longest waits for procedures and…

The Scottish economy is currently in a “fragile” state, exacerbated by the US’s recent announcement of 10% tariffs on all imports, which has dampened business…

The Scottish Government said that more than 14,000 hectares of “degraded” peatlands have been restored across Scotland in the last year, helping to reduce carbon…

Edinburgh investment giant Aberdeen announced that Flavia Cheong intends to retire from her position as Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, at Aberdeen Investments, after 30…

The world’s largest economies will need to spend around $64 trillion on physical infrastructure by 2050 “if they want to keep the lights on and…

Edinburgh-based Wordsmith AI — an AI-powered legal assistant platform — has secured a $25 million series A investment round led by Index Ventures. Wordsmith AI…

NatWest Group, the bank formerly known as RBS, announced the appointment of Solange Chamberlain as the CEO of its Retail Bank, effective July 1, subject to…

Heriot-Watt University said its internationally recognised centre of excellence in brewing and distilling is set to undergo “a 21st century transformation” to ensure a sustainable…

FirstGroup plc has announced an update on the launch timing for its new Stirling to London rail service under the group’s cut-price Lumo brand. The…

NatWest Group, the bank formerly known as RBS, confirmed on Friday that it has returned to full private ownership, with the UK Treasury no longer…

Rangers Football Club announced that a consortium of investors, led by healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, has purchased a majority stake in the…

Glasgow-based secure cloud services firm Iomart Group plc announced on Friday that Lucy Dimes will be stepping down as chief executive officer and leaving the company.  Iomart…

Edinburgh-based creative and marketing agency the Union Group has become employee-owned after nearly 30 years, in a move that secures its future and rewards the…

The Scottish Fiscal Commission has published its latest economic and fiscal forecasts, estimating that total funding available to the Scottish Government in 2025-26 will be £59.6…

Scotland’s renewable energy industry and its supply chain supported more than 47,000 jobs and supported £15.5 billion of output in 2022, new figures show. Using…

A lack of access to critical resources is placing Edinburgh startup businesses at risk, according to new research from HSBC UK. The data, taken from…

Troubled Aberdeen-based engineering and consulting giant John Wood Group said it has been awarded a series of decarbonisation contracts with a value of $100m for flare…

The £430m Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon plc investment trust announced that Brian Lum, deputy portfolio manager, has been appointed as the company’s lead portfolio manager and takes…

The Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2024 has been published — showing record levels of mussel production but a 38% fall in oyster production at…

Scottish Woodlands Ltd, the UK’s largest forest management company, reported turnover of £118.2 million in the year to September 30, 2024, up from £111.6 million…

By Mark McSherry Edinburgh investment giant Aberdeen has recommended the UK government should introduce financial incentives to encourage private investment to support UK growth –…

Aberdeen Group plc announced that Michael O’Brien, a non-executive director of the company, died unexpectedly on Saturday, May 24.  O’Brien joined the Aberdeen board in 2022…

Growth capital investor BGF said it has pledged £200 million to Scottish businesses as part of its £3 billion UK-wide commitment to support high-potential companies…

Scotland’s angel investors maintained their support for Scotland’s emerging high-potential SMEs, according to the latest annual data from Angel Capital Scotland for the financial year…

Phoenix Group, the UK’s largest savings and retirement business, is considering changing its name to Standard Life. Phoenix acquired the Standard Life brand in 2021…

Troubled Aberdeen-based engineering and consulting giant John Wood Group said on Friday its chairman Roy Franklin “intends to step down from the Wood board as soon as…

UK government borrowing in the financial year ended March 31 has been provisionally estimated at £148.3 billion, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS)….

The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) reported record revenue of £16 million for the year to December 31, 2024 (2023: £12.8m), with profit of £2.1…

Investment into Scottish companies grew 108% from Q4 of 2024 to Q1 of 2025, according to The State of Investment in Scotland report from Beauhurst. “Scotland…

Artisan Real Estate is to press ahead with the homes-led transformation of the former Caledonian Brewery on Slateford Road in Shandon, west Edinburgh, following planning…

Scottish companies raised £704 million in risk capital in 2024 – a 19% increase on 2023 – while the UK experienced a 14% reduction in…

A £500 million vision — Clyde Gateway — to strengthen a major Scottish location for innovation, High Value Manufacturing, business space and green growth in…

A new dedicated Scottish green finance initiative has been launched with the aim of unlocking up to £40 billion a year of investment into green…

Edinburgh-based oil and gas firm Capricorn Energy said it is “evaluating a number of value opportunities including strategic investments and partnerships in the UK North…

Royal London said it agreed to acquire Dalmore Capital, the infrastructure asset manager which manages £6 billion of assets across five flagship funds, subject to…

By Mark McSherry The co-manager of Baillie Gifford’s flagship investment trust, the £13 billion Scottish Mortgage fund, has said that “most companies simply do not…

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

Loch Lomond Group whisky giant announced its acquisition of The New York Distilling Company (NYDC), based in Brooklyn, New York. NYDC produces a range of American…

ZeroAvia has announced that it will build a manufacturing facility for zero-emission aircraft technology at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland, close to Glasgow Airport…

Salmon Scotland, the trade body which represents the UK’s biggest food export, welcomed the UK–EU trade deal, which it said would “reduce costly delays and…

Artisanal Spirits Company, owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), Single Cask Nation (SCN) & J.G. Thomson, said in an AGM statement it has achieved double-digit…

The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that UK inflation rose more than expected to a 15-month high of 3.5% in April as higher utility…