featured articles
OPPORTUNITY NORTH: How the Highlands can ensure a ‘Decade of Delivery
The Business Dealmakers’ ‘Golden Age for the Highlands?’ panel put forward a strategy for the region The £2.1bn Highland Investment Plan, a programme of capital investment for the next 20...
TEN YEARS AFTER BREXIT: Are we learning from our mistakes? How global finance impacts us all
Dr Russell Napier, the founder of the Library of Mistakes, gives a lesson in how global finance impacts us all. Dr Russell Napier, founder of the Library of Mistakes and...
‘Well-priced’ Scots firms attracting overseas interest
Despite the challenging geopolitical backdrop, 2026 has so far seen record levels of M&A activity driven by takeover activity around UK stock market-listed companies. The feeding frenzy, fuelled mainly by...
Flynn urged to look into ‘unaccounted’ funding of Greenock drydock work
Campaigners in Inverclyde have written to Stephen Flynn, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, seeking his intervention to save the historic Inchgreen Dry Dock in Greenock. They also want...
Bank’s £50m investment into Fife energy storage, owned by Danish fund manager
The Scottish National Investment Bank is spending £50m to acquire a minority stake in the Devilla Battery Energy Storage System, at Kincardine, from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), alongside Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF)...
BATTERY POWERED: Fidra Energy drives Scotland’s record £1.15bn in deals, finds investment report
Scotland had a record-breaking year for investment value in 2025 — outstripping the post-pandemic peak years of 2021 and 2022. A total of £1.15bn was raised compared with £906m in...
MIND THE BLACK HOLE: Haughey urges politicians to tackle the £4.7bn deficit
Scotland’s £4.7bn fiscal deficit is so large that if the nation was a business, it would already be in administration. This was the blunt verdict of Lord Willie Haughey, chair...
The Big Interview
The Big Interview: Andrew Malcolm and his love for Royal Highland Show
According to Andrew Malcolm, chief executive officer of The Malcolm Group, one of Scotland’s most recognised businesses, it has never been tougher for businesses like his. However with the straight-talking...
THE BIG INTERVIEW: Sir Brian Souter: The Life of Brian
Sir Brian Souter is an extraordinary entrepreneur who has always broken the mould. Now a sprightly 71, what continues to drive this contrarian challenger? T urbulence in the Middle East...
The Big Interview: Andrew Malcolm and his love for Royal Highland Show
According to Andrew Malcolm, chief executive officer of The Malcolm Group, one of Scotland’s most recognised businesses, it has never been tougher for businesses like his. However with the straight-talking...
THE BIG INTERVIEW: Sir Brian Souter: The Life of Brian
Sir Brian Souter is an extraordinary entrepreneur who has always broken the mould. Now a sprightly 71, what continues to drive this contrarian challenger? T urbulence in the Middle East...
Deals & Dealmakers
COUNTDOWN: Space tech radar firm, Sofant Technologies raising funds as it aims for stars
An Edinburgh-based technology company which has invented micro-radio transmitters and receivers for aviation and space satellites is one of Scotland’s most exciting new generation companies. Sofant Technologies is now raising...
Rise in investment provides boost on innovation and entrepreneurship
Scotland had a record-breaking year for investment value in 2025, outstripping the post-pandemic peak years of 2021 and 2022. A total of £1.15bn was raised compared with £906m in 2024,...
COUNTDOWN: Space tech radar firm, Sofant Technologies raising funds as it aims for stars
An Edinburgh-based technology company which has invented micro-radio transmitters and receivers for aviation and space satellites is one of Scotland’s most exciting new generation companies. Sofant Technologies is now raising...
Rise in investment provides boost on innovation and entrepreneurship
Scotland had a record-breaking year for investment value in 2025, outstripping the post-pandemic peak years of 2021 and 2022. A total of £1.15bn was raised compared with £906m in 2024,...
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES | DealMakers' Breakfast
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Business
How to ensure charities mean business
The first of a four-part series with The Business, supported by CHAS, looking at how third-sector organisations can learn from business and what businesses can do for charities Every single...
The Big Interview: Andrew Malcolm and his love for Royal Highland Show
According to Andrew Malcolm, chief executive officer of The Malcolm Group, one of Scotland’s most recognised businesses, it has never been tougher for businesses like his. However with the straight-talking...
Flurry of energy industry activity helps Burness Paull break £100m turnover threshold
Legal work for Cruden Homes on its £1.3bn Granton Waterfront Regeneration Project and the £216m acquisition by Dubai-based Sidara of Aberdeen-headquartered Wood Group have helped Burness Paull break the £100m...
Royal Highland Show 2026
SHOW WEEK: Cottage Cheese Up, Malt Whisky Down, and AI is all about ‘workforce reshaping’
Just after a quarter to eight, Duke, a beautifully-coiffured Shetland pony, all the way from Cambridgeshire, with floppy dark hair covering his eyes, was among a posse of horses preparing...
Renewable energy developments on croft land offers opportunities for rural Scotland
Scotland’s drive towards net zero by 2045 continues to create significant opportunities for renewable energy and infrastructure development across Scotland. Advances in onshore wind, solar and battery storage technology and...
The Big Interview: Andrew Malcolm and his love for Royal Highland Show
According to Andrew Malcolm, chief executive officer of The Malcolm Group, one of Scotland’s most recognised businesses, it has never been tougher for businesses like his. However with the straight-talking...
What should landowners check before selling land for development in Scotland?
Selling land in Scotland, whether for development, diversification or estate restructuring, can seem straightforward. However, beneath the surface lie challenges that can catch even experienced landowners off guard. Based on...
How Inheritance Tax changes affect succession planning for farming and rural businesses ahead of the RHS
Succession planning is a key consideration for many rural businesses. Even though it can be difficult, ignoring it is not an option. Anyone who owns a business needs to plan...
SHOW WEEK: Paterson is steady hand at wheel of Scotland’s rural showcase
Highland Show chief Alex Paterson has done a remarkable job in a very short time stabilising the cherished institution It can spoil a magic trick if you know what goes...
Economy
Business rate hikes remain top concern for Scotland’s SMEs, says survey
Hikes in business rate are adding extra cost pressures on already strapped Scottish companies, says a new survey. Since April, many Scottish firms have been coming to terms with hikes...
COUNTDOWN: Space tech radar firm, Sofant Technologies raising funds as it aims for stars
An Edinburgh-based technology company which has invented micro-radio transmitters and receivers for aviation and space satellites is one of Scotland’s most exciting new generation companies. Sofant Technologies is now raising...
Let’s be stronger at backing our economic winners
Scotland has genuinely world-class industries, but we tend to undervalue our successes. In these uncertain economic times, we incline to worry more about our weaknesses than building on our strengths. ...
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026
Edinburgh’s festivals: Are we playing with fire?
They bring £0.5bn into the capital every year. But insiders say we are in danger of killing the golden goose of Edinburgh festivals by continuing to treat them as cash...
The high-wire juggling act for Edinburgh Fringe event organisers
What are the key elements of ensuring sustainability for performing arts organisations, business events and venues? What are the trade-offs between box office returns and maintaining creative innovation and astonishing...
Edinburgh Fringe Festival is open for business
Love the Fringe’s corporate membership programme gives Scottish businesses a compelling reason to invest in the world’s greatest arts festival — and a tangible return on every pound spent. Every...
Philanthropy & Charities
How to ensure charities mean business
The first of a four-part series with The Business, supported by CHAS, looking at how third-sector organisations can learn from business and what businesses can do for charities Every single...
How CHAS thinks like a business to deliver compassionate care
Imagine your business had a-once-in-a-generation chance to bring a profound change for the good to hundreds of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable families. But to deliver it your organisation must...
Energy, Just Transition & Net Zero
Power Shift: Minister signals Scotland’s moment to lead the energy transition
The UK’s Energy Minister used the platform of the UK’s largest energy conference to set out his stall for the country’s clean energy transition making it clear that Scotland is...
OPPORTUNITY NORTH: How the Highlands can ensure a ‘Decade of Delivery
The Business Dealmakers’ ‘Golden Age for the Highlands?’ panel put forward a strategy for the region The £2.1bn Highland Investment Plan, a programme of capital investment for the next 20...
Renewable energy developments on croft land offers opportunities for rural Scotland
Scotland’s drive towards net zero by 2045 continues to create significant opportunities for renewable energy and infrastructure development across Scotland. Advances in onshore wind, solar and battery storage technology and...
Highland Growth
‘Building a box is not an architectural response. We respond very differently’
Libby Heathcote, the new president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, on why more input from architects would help in the housing crisis Architects must regain their rightful...
How the Hub can be the nub for sustained economic success across Scotland
Could the answer to the financial and service delivery challenges facing Scotland’s public sector organisations be right in front of them? For the last 15-years the five hub companies set...
‘Building a box is not an architectural response. We respond very differently’
Libby Heathcote, the new president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, on why more input from architects would help in the housing crisis Architects must regain their rightful...
How the Hub can be the nub for sustained economic success across Scotland
Could the answer to the financial and service delivery challenges facing Scotland’s public sector organisations be right in front of them? For the last 15-years the five hub companies set...
Legal
Martyn’s Law 2027: how the Terrorism Protection Act will impact UK events, venues and security
The new Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (also known as Martyn’s Law) will have implications in many business sectors, especially for venues and events with a capacity of over...
Renewable energy developments on croft land offers opportunities for rural Scotland
Scotland’s drive towards net zero by 2045 continues to create significant opportunities for renewable energy and infrastructure development across Scotland. Advances in onshore wind, solar and battery storage technology and...
Martyn’s Law 2027: how the Terrorism Protection Act will impact UK events, venues and security
The new Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (also known as Martyn’s Law) will have implications in many business sectors, especially for venues and events with a capacity of over...
Renewable energy developments on croft land offers opportunities for rural Scotland
Scotland’s drive towards net zero by 2045 continues to create significant opportunities for renewable energy and infrastructure development across Scotland. Advances in onshore wind, solar and battery storage technology and...
Property & Housing
Business Events & Venues
Accountancy & Finance
‘It’s a year of looking back at the heritage but hang on, it’s about the future’
Johnston Carmichael is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Its chief executive, Lynne Walker, is already focused on getting to 100 years and beyond In 1936, towards the end of the Great...
Chartered accountants add to clamour for tax system reform in Scotland
Why are Scottish chartered accountants are calling for tax reform? ICAS members highlight findings in a recent survey that show Income Tax and National Insurance, ahead of Business Rates, Council...
TEN YEARS AFTER BREXIT: Are we learning from our mistakes? How global finance impacts us all
Dr Russell Napier, the founder of the Library of Mistakes, gives a lesson in how global finance impacts us all. Dr Russell Napier, founder of the Library of Mistakes and...
Why early insolvency advice gives businesses more options to manage financial distress
Recent headlines have painted a grim picture of Scotland’s corporate health. Government figures show a 6 per cent year-on-year increase in company insolvencies recorded in April 2026, while advisory and...
Getting your plans in place for the biggest holiday of them all: Financial advice for retirement
There is an abundance of information on retirement planning. Making the right financial decisions about how much money you need, understanding your pension or where to invest can be a...
Accountants Plus open new head office in Motherwell
Lanarkshire accountancy and business advisory firm Accountants Plus has reached a milestone with a new headquarters in Motherwell, a highly visible symbol of the firm’s commercial success and future ambition....
Banking & Corporate Finance
FRAME AND FORTUNE: How Colin Frame built his fintech firm Stellar Omada
Colin Frame left school in Biggar at 17 without qualifications. Today the company he founded, Stellar Omada, is a national brand employing 300 people. His motto? ‘You can make your...
Beyond the numbers on inward investment in Scotland, Angela McCann of Morgan Stanley explains
I have been reflecting recently on how we measure successful inward investment. While the traditional focus on the number of jobs remains important, today there is a range of additional...
Why early insolvency advice gives businesses more options to manage financial distress
Recent headlines have painted a grim picture of Scotland’s corporate health. Government figures show a 6 per cent year-on-year increase in company insolvencies recorded in April 2026, while advisory and...
Scotland's Finest
Business rate hikes remain top concern for Scotland’s SMEs, says survey
Hikes in business rate are adding extra cost pressures on already strapped Scottish companies, says a new survey. Since April, many Scottish firms have been coming to terms with hikes...
Laings going for gold in return to Argyll Arcade in Glasgow
Luxury jeweller Laings is opening a showroom in the company’s former Argyll Arcade store in Glasgow. The arcade remains one of Scotland’s best known and most popular places for jewellery...
FEELING THE HEAT: Masterchef Dean Banks hits out a crippling taxes on hospitality sector
The 1925 at the Pompadour restaurant in The Caledonian Edinburgh has every right to claim its crown among Scotland’s finest. For generations the place has hosted kings, queens, political leaders...
The local heroes who know premium homes market
There is a global market for Scotland’s premium homes. But selling them is mostly entrusted to local firms There is a curious mixture of envy and admiration when we delve...
Local know-how meeting city’s property needs
Behnam Afshar, a director of AMA Homes, which has been in the housing market for more than 40 years, says local knowledge plays an essential part in meeting local needs....
New owners making waves in Port Edgar Marina
There is much happening at the tranquil, picturesque Port Edgar Marina Just across from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the waterfront community of Sausalito is where movie and music stars...
The Five Minute Interview
The Five Minute Interview: Founders of Unorthodox Roasters, Neil Buchan and Chris Bode
Hello, Neil and Chris, thank you for inviting me in for a coffee here in Kinross. Really great you’ve come to visit Unorthodox Coffee roasting HQ. Can you tell us...
‘I often say you’re only as good as your last match, or business wise, the last experience of the guests you’ve had to stay’.
THE FIVE-MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH EILIDH SMITH, CAPTAIN OF GB MASTERS TENNIS TEAM, AND OWNER OF MORTON OF PITMILLY, RURAL HOLIDAY RESORT IN FIFE. Hello, Eilidh. Thank you for inviting me...
I started on the makeup counter, and now I’m back on the shop floor with my own brand. It’s the stuff of dreams
THE FIVE-MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH JAMIE GENEVIEVE, FOUNDER OF VIEVE AND EXPERT MAKEUP ARTIST Hello, Jamie. Nice to meet you. Are you expecting a busy festive spell? Lovely to meet you...
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