Scottish Financial Review

The commercial property market in Scotland is showing signs of recovery, according to latest figures from Lismore Real Estate Advisors. Transaction volumes in Q1 totalled…

The ongoing “scarcity of suitably-skilled labour” drove a further increase in permanent starting salaries in Scotland during March, according to the latest Royal Bank of…

Baillie Gifford’s $1.2 billion Schiehallion Fund — which invests in private businesses that may go public — has reported that its ordinary share net asset value…

UK equity funds saw March outflows soar to £823 million, their worst month since February 2023, making March the 34th consecutive month to see net…

Beeks Financial Cloud Group plc, the Glasgow-based cloud computing and connectivity provider for financial markets, has announced a strategic partnership with South Africa-based Securities & Trading Technology (STT),…

Abrdn’s £440 million Dunedin Income Growth Investment Trust has reported net asset value (NAV) total return of 6.7% for the year to January 31, 2024,…

Bellshill-based biopharma firm EnteroBiotix Limited is set to expand and accelerate its work after raising more than £27 million in funding from new and existing investors….

Proxy advisor Glass Lewis has urged Abrdn shareholders to vote against the Edinburgh asset management giant’s remuneration report due to the £675,000 salary of its new…

Network Rail has announced the start of its five-year £4.8 billion investment plan for Scotland. Between April 2024 and March 2029, the money will be…

The Data Lab has announced that its CEO Brian Hills has stepped down from his role. “Following The Data Lab’s successful application to the Scottish…

Scottish ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne announced that current CEO Robbie Drummond is stepping down with immediate effect. Duncan Mackison, former CEO of CalMac Holding Company,…

The FTSE Small Cap Index will cease to exist by 2028 if the current level of takeover activity continues and the UK initial public offering (IPO)…

Edinburgh-based investment giant Abrdn plc announced that for the 2024 proxy voting season it has “strengthened its approach to the independence of audit committees in developed markets,…

The £125 million Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust plc announced that its net asset value total return was negative 40.9% and its share price total return…

Shares of Linlithgow-based telecoms testing and measurement firm Calnex Solutions plc fell about 5% after it published an update on trading for the year to March 31,…

US broadcaster Game Show Network has placed an order of 100 episodes for STV Studios’ quiz show format, Bridge of Lies, to launch in June….

Edinburgh-based dental biotechnology firm Calcivis has secured £5 million in funding to help roll out its cutting-edge dental technology. The company’s latest investment round was…

The Scottish Government’s external affairs secretary Angus Robertson will visit Washington and New York this week to promote Scotland to North America “as a place…

Scottish law firm Burness Paull said it has elevated four lawyers to partner across its energy, technology and real estate businesses. The newly appointed partners are…

The Scottish Government announced that Scotland’s capacity for electricity generation from renewable sources has increased by 10% within a year, with the largest growth coming…

Edinburgh-based Dobbies, the UK’s largest garden centre retailer, said it has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Jonathan Wass as chief financial…

The Scottish Government announced that all Scottish social security benefits will increase by 6.7% in April amid a rise in benefits expenditure to a record £6.3…

New powers enabling Scottish councils to charge up to double the full rate of council tax on second homes come into force this week, the…

Lothian Buses has announced it will return dividends of £3.2 million to its public sector owners — the first dividends since 2019 — thanks to…

Edinburgh-based upmarket home builder Cala Group, currently owned by Legal & General, has reported a 2023 profit before tax of £112.3 million, down about 33% from £169.2 million…

The £440 million Abrdn Property Income Trust (API) will be wound down after a proposed merger with rival fund Custodian Property Income REIT (CREI) failed to get…

The latest Deloitte-sponsored quarterly Economic Commentary from the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) at Strathclyde University shows that the Scottish economy “is likely to be recovering…

Edinburgh-based oil and gas firm Capricorn Energy said on Thursday its loss after tax more than doubled to $144 million as revenue fell about 12%…

Startup companies supported by the Scottish Government’s Techscaler programme — which is delivered by tech incubator Codebase — attracted investment of more than £52 million in…

Glasgow-based fashion firm Quiz plc has appointed chief commercial officer Sheraz Ramzan as its new CEO amid an ongoing review of strategic options led by non-executive…

Trade body Salmon Scotland has warned that salmon farming companies have faced increased red tape and costs triggered by the UK’s departure from the EU…

The Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) has confirmed the appointment of Rebecca Brooks as its new chair, succeeding Stephen Leckie who was recently appointed chair of…

Edinburgh-based Artisanal Spirits Company plc (ASC), owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), said its 2023 revenue increased 8% to £23.5 million — but…

Ember, the Edinburgh-based electric bus service, announced that it has raised an £11 million Series A financing round, led by Inven Capital, 2150 and AENU. Existing…

SSE plc, the Perth-based energy infrastructure giant, on Wednesday updated the market that it expects full-year 2023-24 adjusted earnings per share to be between 152p and…

UK energy regulator Ofgem announced that a provisional funding package of £3.4 billion has been announced for a proposed subsea and underground 500 km electricity…

The new chief executive of NatWest Group — the bank formerly known as Royal Bank of Scotland — has slashed the company’s executive committee to…

Hymans Robertson, the giant pensions and financial services consultancy, has announced 12 senior promotions in the firm – a new equity member and 11 partners….

The latest report from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) calls on UK policymakers to “restore confidence in the UK as a place to make a fair return…

Shares of A.G. Barr, the Cumbernauld-based maker of Irn-Bru, Rubicon energy drinks and Funkin cocktail mixers, rose as much as 9% after the firm said…

John Wood Group, the Aberdeen-based global engineering and consulting giant, said its order book was up 4% to $6.3 billion as the firm reported 2023…

The UK government is no longer considered a controlling shareholder in NatWest Group —  formerly called RBS — as it continues to sell down its shares…

The new KPMG Venture Pulse Survey has revealed that venture capital investment in Scottish firms dropped from a record high of £707 million in 2022…

Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd. announced it has been successful in its bid for UK Government Community Ownership Fund investment and has been awarded £1.5 million. “This…

Abrdn CEO Stephen Bird has said that breaking up the Edinburgh investment giant — a move that some analysts have called for — would be…

The £550 million Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon investment trust said the company’s net asset value per share declined 14.9% and its share price fell 20.5%…

Legal & General is lining up investment bank Rothschild to oversee a potential sale of its Edinburgh-based upmarket home builder Cala Group, according to Reuters report. Industry…

US hedge fund and activist investor Elliott Investment Management has acquired a 5.037% exposure stake in Baillie Gifford’s £14 billion flagship fund, the Scottish Mortgage…

Shares of Phoenix Group Holdings plc, owner of Standard Life, rose as much as 9% after it published 2023 results showing total cash generation of £2.024…

SSE plc, the Perth-based energy infrastructure giant, announced the appointment of Finlay McCutcheon as the new managing director of its SSE Thermal business, starting in…

Aberdeen-headquartered transport giant FirstGroup plc announced that it has been awarded the contract by Transport for London (TfL) to operate the IFS Cloud London Cable…

Glasgow-based media firm STV Group plc has confirmed that it has accepted new financial terms with its regulator, Ofcom, to renew its Channel 3 licences for…

UK central government borrowing in the financial year-to-February 2024 was £106.8 billion, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS). Public sector net debt…

Debbie Crosbie’s mutually-owned Nationwide Building Society has confirmed a proposed £2.9 billion cash deal to buy listed Virgin Money UK plc that the companies flagged two…

UK energy regulator Ofgem said the proposed “Anglo-Scottish electricity superhighway” to power millions of homes is the first project to progress through its “fast track”…

The latest Noble & Co Whisky Intelligence Report, for the first quarter of 2024, has revealed that the four largest brands in the auction market –…

STV Studios announced it has secured a 40-episode commission from Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland to produce a brand-new series of The Yorkshire Auction House, Celebrity…

National Grid plc’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) has published a report called “Beyond 2030” which proposes a £58 billion investment in the British electricity grid…

Scotch whisky and drinks giant Diageo plc announced that current non-executive director John Manzoni will be appointed chair of its board on or around February…

Staffscanner, the Glasgow-based staffing provider and technology platform, is to triple in size following a grant award of almost £1 million from Scottish Enterprise. The…

Forth Ports said it has submitted an application for Planning Permission in Principle (PPP) to The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) for Harbour 31, a…

Martin Gilbert’s asset manager AssetCo cited an “exceptionally difficult” year for the fund management sector as its total loss for the 12 months ended September 30,…

The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill has finally been introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Bill includes measures that would apply to large landholdings of over…

STV Studios announced that it has been commissioned for the first time by global streamer Netflix — to produce a new three-part drama series called…

Baillie Gifford’s flagship investment trust, the £14 billion Scottish Mortgage fund, announced it will make at least £1 billion available to buy back its shares over…

A.G. Barr, the Cumbernauld-based maker of Irn-Bru, Rubicon energy drinks, Funkin cocktail mixers and MOMA foods, has announced a “business reorganisation” that could cut up…

The turnover of Scotland’s life sciences cluster surpassed £10 billion in 2021, according to new figures from the Scottish Government. In 2021, about 33,400 people…

Fintech Scotland has announced a strategic partnership with Techscaler, the Scottish Government’s £42 million tech startup support programme, to drive forward Scotland’s fintech sector development. FinTech…

Beeks Financial Cloud Group plc, the Glasgow-based cloud computing and connectivity provider for financial markets, announced that the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has signed a “significant” contract…

Rothesay, the UK’s largest pensions insurance specialist, announced that it has agreed to acquire the £6 billion Scottish Widows in-force bulk annuity portfolio from Lloyds…