Scottish Financial Review

Glasgow-based Startline Motor Finance said it has carried out a new £450 million London Stock Exchange securitisation. “The move has seen the company float around…

Almost £50 billion was spent by the Scottish Government last year on public services, according to newly published official figures. The Provisional Outturn, which compares…

Edinburgh-based Wordsmith, which calls itself an “AI-powered legal assistant platform,” said it has raised $5 million to “transform the legal industry and unleash a new…

Phoenix Group Holdings plc, owner of Standard Life, announced the completion of the initial phase of its deleveraging programme, comprising a debt redemption and refinancing…

The UK central bank has kept its main interest rate unchanged at a 16-year high of 5.25% ahead of the July 4 general election —…

NatWest Group has agreed to acquire most of the banking business of Sainsbury’s in a deal that would increase the bank’s assets by £2.5 billion. Sainsbury’s Bank…

Aberdeen-based consulting and engineering giant John Wood Group plc said it has been awarded a contract by the world’s largest gold mining firm, Newmont, to enhance…

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has called for the next UK government to “urgently prioritise audit and corporate governance reform” in order…

Springfield Properties announced that the first of 47 new homes in Drumnadrochit are due to go on sale this weekend following planning approval at appeal….

Stirling-based nanomaterial producer iGii, formerly known as Integrated Graphene, has announced £8.8 million in new funding to accelerate growth.  The funding round was led by…

The Eden Project Dundee has been granted planning permission by Dundee City Council following an intensive period of community engagement. The scale of the development…

Contributions paid by FTSE 350 defined benefit (DB) pension scheme sponsors into defined contribution (DC) schemes have exceeded those paid into DB schemes for the…

Plans for the first phase of a £1.3 billion sustainable new coastal town at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh — with 850 homes — are now…

The productivity of mid-sized businesses (MSB) in Scotland is being dragged down by a lack of key skills, according to new data from business and…

Scottish salmon exports have risen to £645 million, reaching their highest level in five years, as international demand continues to grow. New UK HMRC data…

There have been six mergers between investment trusts so far in 2024, already surpassing the previous record of five mergers set in 2021 and equalled…

BrewDog co-founder and former CEO James Watt has revealed more details about his new brand building business, which is called Social Tip. “This new business…

Scottish Financial Enterprise will launch its general election manifesto on Monday asking all political parties to “support the sector in supercharging the economy.” The document…

Bowland, described as one of the finest moorland estates in the Scottish Borders, is up for sale with an asking price of more than £18.5 million….

Savills has reported that the number of Scottish farmland acres advertised for sale on the open market to the end of May was 64% higher…

John McGuigan has announced his intention to stand down as chair of Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE), with deputy chair Sue Dawe proposed to be confirmed…

Aberdeen-based consulting and engineering giant John Wood Group plc said it has been awarded a new $46 million, three-year contract by TotalEnergies in Iraq. Wood said…

KPMG UK has appointed Vishal Chopra to lead the professional services firm in Scotland. Chopra will be responsible for a team of more than 900…

Stockport-based OCU Group, an energy transition and utilities services company, announced the acquisition of Glasgow and Dingwall-based RJ McLeod (Contractors) Limited. “RJ McLeod has over…

AEG Europe announced on Wednesday that it has received planning permission from the City of Edinburgh Council for a new 8,500-capacity entertainment arena in Edinburgh…

The Forth Green Freeport (FGF) has announced it is officially open for business following approval from the Scottish and UK Governments of its Outline Business…

Former NatWest Group CEO Alison Rose has joined private equity firm Charterhouse Capital Partners as a senior adviser. The move comes almost a year after she was…

Aberdeen-headquartered transport giant FirstGroup plc reported an increase in adjusted operating profit to £204.3 million for the 53 weeks to March 30, 2024. Total dividend will…

The latest Noble & Co Whisky Intelligence Report has revealed “a period of substantial difficulty for the Scotch whisky auction market” with volumes and value “significantly” down….

CodeBase, the operator of Scotland’s Techscaler startup support network, announced it is relaunching CodeClan, Scotland’s national digital skills academy, with three Scottish colleges and a Silicon…

Glasgow-based secure cloud services firm Iomart announced the appointment of Richard Last as non-executive chair as it confirmed revenue growth of 10% to a record £127…

Scotland’s only private electric vehicle charge point operator FOR EV has been boosted by a £10 million follow-on investment by the Scottish National Investment Bank….

Estimates sourced from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Force Survey show the unemployment rate in Scotland was 4.7%, up 0.4 percentage points, over…

Savills announced it has been appointed by Nuveen Real Estate to market a 25% interest in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter — and jointly appointed to…

The Scottish Space Network has announced a strategic partnership with New York-based Sustainable Alpha to open up investment opportunities for the Scottish, UK and international…

Former First Minister and Alba Party leader Alex Salmond has warned rival political parties that their support will “evaporate” if they attempt to reintroduce tuition…

M&S chair Archie Norman has criticised the lack of UK pension fund money invested in British companies and the decline of corporate share options as…

Aberdeen-based John Wood Group plc said it has completed the front-end engineering and design (FEED) scope for the first phase of Aramco’s Accelerated Carbon Capture and…

Edinburgh Airport has posted a pre-tax profit of £121.7 million for 2023, up from £106 million in the previous year, as its turnover hit £280.7…

Private sector activity in Scotland expanded for the fifth month running in May and at the strongest pace in two years, according to the headline Royal…

Auction house Lyon & Turnbull said its flagship Scottish Paintings & Sculpture Auction achieved over £2.42 million in sales. Samuel John Peploe’s “Still Life with…

SSE Renewables announced that the first power has been produced at Viking Wind Farm on Shetland, which will be the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm….

Argyll Estates and European spirits company Stock Spirits Group, owner of the Clan Campbell whisky brand, have lodged a planning application notification with Argyll and…

The Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) has revealed a deficit of £3.6 million for 2023. The charity said its total income rose 5%…

NatWest CEO Paul Thwaite has said acquisitions are “not off the table” moving forward for the bank formerly called Royal Bank of Scotland. Thwaite was…

The £50,000 Baillie Gifford Prize — the UK’s most prestigious prize for non-fiction — said it is fully committed its relationship with the Edinburgh investment giant,…

The sale of the Mint Building just off St Andrew Square in Edinburgh has been launched by Lismore Real Estate Advisors on behalf of Hines….

Aberdeen-based North Star said it has secured further debt investment of up to £425 million to accelerate its ambition to become the leading player in Europe’s…

BrewDog co-founder and former CEO James Watt announced he is starting a new business “in the brand building space” that will focus on “building community and…

Edinburgh-based Quorum Cyber said it has secured significant long-term investment from US-based private equity firm Charlesbank to augment the financial support it gets from existing…

John Wood Group plc, the Aberdeen-based engineering and consulting giant, said on Wednesday that after feedback from shareholders it “has decided to engage” with Dubai-based…

Phoenix Group, owner of Standard Life, has launched a bespoke “Climate Aware” index series in collaboration with FTSE Russell, the LSEG business. The FTSE Phoenix…

St Andrews Links Trust has reported a record £44 million in operating revenue for 2023 and an £11.5 million operating profit, building on revenue of…

Sofant Technologies, the Edinburgh-based wireless technology firm, said it has raised £3.4 million in additional funding. The funding, which has come from EMV Capital, Scottish…

Glasgow media firm STV Group plc published a trading update saying its total advertising revenue (TAR) was up 5% in its first quarter and is…

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky business of Pernod Ricard, has announced a new agriculture programme supporting sustainable farming practices among Scottish barley growers represented by…

By Mark McSherry The £2 billion Edinburgh-based Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust plc (TEMIT) has announce four key initiatives which aim to increase demand for its…

The Adam Smith Institute (ASI), the free-market think tank, has said the UK state pension could go bust as early as 2035. The institute said it…

UPDATE 6 — The Borders Book Festival announced that after 2024 it will no longer be sponsored by Edinburgh investment giant Baillie Gifford, following intense…

The Highland Council has approved the onshore plans of the West of Orkney Windfarm – which is developing a major offshore wind project off Scotland’s…

SSE plc, the Perth-based electricity infrastructure giant, announced it is submitting an offshore planning consent application to Ireland’s planning authority An Bord Pleanála this week…

The £300 million transformation of Candleriggs Square in Glasgow’s Merchant City is continuing at pace following the completion of the second major building on the…

Chartered financial planning firm AAB Wealth announced the acquisition of Bishopbriggs-based Synergy Financial Planning. AAB Wealth said that following this latest acquisition, it will have assets under…

The first of two new £25 million ship-to-shore cranes have arrived at the Port of Greenock, providing a huge boost for freight trade and productivity….

Springfield Properties plc announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Barratt Developments for the development of the Durieshill site, creating a new village near Stirling. Springfield…

Edinburgh investment giant Abrdn said it has “accelerated the sustainability agenda across the group” with the creation of a powerful executive sustainability committee. Chief corporate affairs…

Claudia Cavalluzzo is leaving her role as executive director of Converge, the company creation programme for staff, students and recent graduates of all Scottish universities and…

The UK government has reduced its stake in NatWest to 22.5% as it accelerates its exit from the bank formerly known as RBS — after the…

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it is investigating the anticipated acquisition by mutually-owned Nationwide Building Society of listed bank Virgin Money UK plc….