Dundee-based investment firm Alliance Trust said its shareholders approved its radical plans to outsource its equity portfolio management and buy back the 19.75% stake of its biggest shareholder, US activist hedge fund…
Edinburgh-based industrial testing firm Exova Group said its 2016 revenue rose 10.8% to £328.6 million and profit before taxation rose 58% to £36.6 million despite weakness in its oil and gas business. On a…
Edinburgh and Newcastle-based challenger bank Virgin Money said its 2016 statutory profit before tax increased 41% to £194.4 million and its gross mortgage lending grew 12% to £8.4 billion, giving it…
The UK government’s defence secretary Michael Fallon said £1.7 billion would be invested to upgrade Scottish military bases as the MoD’s Defence Board met in Edinburgh for the…
Royal Bank of Scotland said it made an attributable loss in 2016 of £6.95 billion which included litigation and conduct costs of £5.87 billion and restructuring costs of £2.1 billion….
Edinburgh-based investment, pensions and insurance giant Standard Life said its operating profit before tax rose 9% to £723 million in 2016 and assets under administration rose by 16% to…
Underlying profit at Scottish Widows fell 13% to £837 million in 2016 as the company felt the effect of “recent reforms on activity within the pensions market.” As parent Lloyds…
Glasgow-based packaging firm Macfarlane Group pledged to continue looking for takeover deals as it revealed that recent acquisitions helped its 2016 sales rise 6% to £179.8 million and profit before tax…
The Scottish government’s finance secretary Derek Mackay has responded to fierce criticism of the country’s business rates regime by announcing that “9,500 more businesses across…
ShareSoc, the UK Individual Shareholders Society, warned of “major problems” for Dundee-based investment firm Alliance Trust if shareholders do not support the firm’s board in its radical plans to outsource its equity portfolio…
UK-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever — owner of brands including Dove, Flora, Hellmans, PG Tips, Knorr and Persil — rejected a potential offer of around $143 billion from The Kraft…
Student accommodation developer Unite Group plc said it would sell 13 properties comprising 4,175 beds to a Brookfield-managed fund for £295 million, with Unite’s share of the deal…
The CEO of Edinburgh-based investment and insurance firm Aegon UK said financial adviser platforms need to become more like Amazon and “invest in the user experience.”…
Upmarket home builder Cala Group said in a trading update it remained on course to deliver another record year of revenues and profits in 2017, despite its average…
Unemployment in Scotland rose by 6,000 over the October to December 2016 quarter to 135,000, but the jobless level was down 27,000 on the same quarter…
The finance ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said the UK Government has failed to provide the devolved administrations with necessary information or clarity…
The most recent Wealth & Assets Survey (WAS) for Great Britain showed that aggregate total wealth of private households in Scotland increased to £856.6 billion…
Melrose-based angel investment group Tweed Renaissance Investors (TRI Capital) appointed Jamie Andrew as its new chairman following the retirement of Rob Dick. Andrew said: “TRI Cap has…
A new fintech hub backed by the UK and Scottish governments and based at Royal Bank of Scotland’s headquarters at Gogarburn, Edinburgh, will open to entrepreneurs…
There were 85 businesses in Scotland with parent companies registered in Japan by November 2016, with a collective turnover of £1.5 billion and 6,250 employees at 210 sites, new…
The Co-operative Bank, rescued from near collapse by hedge funds in 2013, said it has put itself up for sale amid a neeed to build its capital and…
New order growth accelerated to a 20-month high at Scottish private sector companies in January, according to the latest Bank of Scotland Regional Purchasing Managers’…
The CEO of Aberdeen-based Faroe Petroleum said in an update the firm was “poised for a major growth phase” and it would pursue deals in its core…
The Trump administration represents a risk to international economic conditions and global sovereign credit fundamentals, Fitch Ratings said on Friday. “US policy predictability has diminished,…
The University of Edinburgh said its total income for the year ended July 31, 2016 was £908 million — including exceptional items of £19 million —…
Leicester-based wealth management firm Mattioli Woods said it acquired 49% of Edinburgh-based fund manager Amati Global Investors Limited from Amati Global Partners LLP for £3.33 million. Mattioli Woods…
Edinburgh-based Bowleven, the Africa focused oil and gas exploration company, on Wednesday urged its shareholders to vote against all resolutions of Monaco-based activist shareholder Crown Ocean…
The overall annual turnover of the UK’s oilfield services (OFS) industry fell from £40.6 billion in 2014 to £35.7 billion in 2015, according to a new…
Lloyds Banking Group — which owns Halifax and Bank of Scotland — said it will undertake a review of all customer cases which may have…
British consumers pay more than one quarter of all the tax on spirits collected in Europe, mainly because of a UK domestic tax level far higher than the European…
Celtic plc said qualifying for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League helped it increase revenue by 94.7% to £61.2 million in the six months…
Israel’s Delek Group said it offered to buy the 80% of Aberdeen-based oil and gas operator Ithaca Energy it doesn’t already own for about $524 million in cash….
Glasgow-based Smart Metering Systems (SMS) said total annualised recurring income increased by 20% to £41.3 million as at December 31, 2016. The company’s shares have soared about…
A report by real estate giants Savills said Glasgow had the building blocks in place to reaffirm its position as “Scotland’s powerhouse” to compete with the “Northern Powerhouses”…
The Scottish Investment Trust (SIT) said it entered a share repurchase agreement to buy back the 11.88% stake in the company held by investment firm Aviva on…
ShareSoc, the UK Individual Shareholders Society, said it is consulting legal advisors following the decision by Royal Bank of Scotland not to take forward a proposed AGM…
Property consultants CKD Galbraith said the commercial farmland market in Scotland will remain robust throughout 2017 “given the healthy levels of interest witnessed in the previous 12 months.”…
Edinburgh-based fund management giant Standard Life Investments issued its Governance & Stewardship Annual Review for 2016 in which it revealed it voted its clients’ shares 430…
Edinburgh-based aviation logistics and news distribution firm John Menzies said it reached an agreement with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to complete the acquisition of Orlando, Florida-based aviation…
New data from the Scottish Tourism Economic Assessment Monitor (STEAM) revealed that tourism in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian has received a major boost since the…
Shares of Cumbernauld-based soft drinks maker A.G. Barr rose about 3% after it said its revenue for the 52 weeks ended January 28 is expected…
Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG said trading in the three months to December 31, 2016, had been in line with its expectations with deposit balances up…
Hosting the 145th Open golf championship at Royal Troon delivered more than £110 million worth of benefit to Scotland, according to an independent study announced by…
By Mark McSherry Dundee-based investment trust company Alliance Trust plc said it agreed to buy out the 19.75% stake in Alliance held by its biggest shareholder, US activist…
Glasgow City Council has unveiled plans to transform the area around Byres Road, the centre of the city’s bohemian west end, in a £9 million project. The…
Scotland’s exports to the rest of the UK and to international markets in 2015 — excluding oil and gas — were estimated at £78.6 billion, up…
Glasgow-based Scottish Friendly, Scotland’s largest financial mutual, said it achieved record-breaking sales in 2016 — a 33% rise from £25.5 million in 2015 to £33.9 million in 2016….
Shares of Glasgow-based intellectual property law firm Murgitroyd Group fell about 20% after it said in a trading update that its full year results will fall short of market…
Aberdeen-based bus and rail giant FirstGroup and Italy’s Trenitalia UK said they will bid together for the East Midlands and West Coast Partnership rail franchises due…
The number of passengers using Lerwick Harbour in Shetland increased by 10% to 184,487 in 2016 thanks to a 67% rise in visitors on cruise ships to a record…
Edinburgh-based fund manager Standard Life Investments said it has strengthened its environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment team with the appointment of Deborah Gilshan as…
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that prime minister Theresa May must get the approval of the UK parliament before she begins the process for…
North Sea exploration firm EnQuest said it agreed to acquire from BP an initial 25% interest in the Magnus oil field for about $85 million — with an option to…
Edinburgh-based fund manager Baillie Gifford & Co. announced it would appoint three new partners on May 1, 2017, taking its total number of partners up to 43. Baillie Gifford employs…
The Brexit vote caused a “dramatic drop off” in recruitment activity across the Scottish financial sector and led to “paralysis” in salaries, according to leading…
The UK government may cancel the planned sale of Edinburgh-based Green Investment Bank (GIB) to Australian investment firm Macquarie, and could push instead for a £3.8 billion…
Shares of Edinburgh-based FreeAgent Holdings, which provides accounting software for small businesses, rose for a second successive day following the announcement that it won a major contract with…
The Scottish government’s external affairs secretary Fiona Hyslop will visit Japan next month to strengthen economic and cultural ties between the two countries. Hyslop will meet business…
Crab and lobster, landings of which were worth £26.8 million to the Scottish economy in 2015, are to be given additional protection through new conservation…
The Scottish Government has published detailed proposals of a plan to achieve a 66% reduction in Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2032. Cabinet Secretary for…
Aberdeen-based Faroe Petroleum said it has been awarded four new prospective exploration licences, including two operatorships, on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Faroe Petroleum CEO Graham Stewart…
Norwegian multinational Statoil said it agreed to divest 25% of its assets in Hywind Scotland pilot park, the world’s first floating wind farm, to Abu…
The Green Investment Bank Offshore Wind Fund said it exceeded its initial £1 billion target with its sixth UK asset acquisition — a 44% stake in the…
The latest Bank of Scotland regional Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showed business activity in Scotland returned to growth in December, with a rebound in job…
Glasgow-based drinks company Edrington — owner of The Macallan, Highland Park and Famous Grouse — has announced a number changes in its executive ranks. Edrington said Bill Farrar, managing…
The Scottish Government said more than half of all commercial properties in Scotland will pay no business rates in 2017-18. It said that as a result…
The University of Aberdeen said it appointed Aberdeen Asset Management CEO Martin Gilbert as senior governor to lead its governing body, the University Court. The senior governor…
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) said passenger numbers rose 10.6% to a record 1,606,168 travellers at its 11 airports across Scotland in 2016. HIAL is…
Scotland’s two largest airports — Edinburgh and Glasgow — had record numbers of passengers in 2016, handling almost 22 million travellers. Edinburgh Airport said it had 12.37 million…
Former Saatchi & Saatchi chairman Kevin Roberts — who resigned from his role last year after he made controversial comments about gender in the advertising industry in an interview…