featured articles
Centres of attention as data and AI leaders meet in Scotland for summit
Data centres have evolved from a specialist real estate asset into critical infrastructure underpinning the modern economy. But they are not without their detractors The data centre has undergone a...
SNIB, Hunter REIM and Ediston Real Estate form joint venture to develop 370 build-to-rent homes
The Scottish National Investment Bank (“the Bank”) has committed £19.5m to support the development of 370 single-family build-to-rent homes in Edinburgh. The development, located near Edinburgh’s Bio Quarter and Little...
UP, UP AND AWAY: Space firm CAVU joins export trail as Scottish Enterprise support generates £2.15bn
Stirling-based CAVU Aerospace UK, a space engineering company developing mission-critical technologies for satellites and deep-space missions, is the latest investment as Scottish Enterprise reveals it has helped Scottish businesses generate...
CHALLENGING TIMES: Ritchie believes investment bank on right course despite £138m losses on early failures
The new chief executive officer of Scotland’s national investment bank, David Ritchie, remains upbeat about the future despite posting yearly results which show a net loss of £138m. These losses...
THE BIG READ: How Judy and Susan lifted Scottish women to become confident leaders
Building confidence and delivering executive change: A decade of the Executive Leadership Programme (ELP) at the University of Edinburgh Business School. Founders Professor Susan Murphy and Judy Wagner of FWB...
SOVEREIGN STATE: DataVita secures £300m for data centre rollout in Scotland’s AI Growth Zone
DataVita, Scotland’s largest independent data centre developer and operator, has secured £300m of funding to expand and build two data centres in the North Lanarkshire’s AI Growth Zone. The consortium...
ELECTRIC WHEN? Why Far North needs serious plan for investment in its railway
As the Edinburgh Tram network continues to be disrupted in the aftermath of the fire in Princes Street, there are questions over how fixed rail public transport can overcome incidents...
Deals
Energy, tech and AI lead next wave of dealmaking as investors pursue M&A deals across sectors
As the summer recedes, there is a renewed push to get M&A deals across the line. The two industrial sectors that we are seeing leading the charge are energy and...
CSignum secures £2.6m funding to roll-out water testing technology
CSignum, a provider of wireless communications from beneath the surface of water, ice and ground, has completed a £2.6m funding round to accelerate commercial deployment of its EM2 product portfolio....
Tech fund startup programme Round One ready to tackle ‘sleeping giant’ of Scottish economy
Applications have opened for Round One, an investment readiness programme for pre-seed technology startups in Scotland. The programme’s founders believe Scotland’s startup ecosystem is a sleeping giant: home to world-class...
Business
DEATH OF A HERO: Tributes pour in for Sir Ian Wood, a titan of entrepreneurial Scotland
Tributes have been pouring in from Scotland and further afield for Sir Ian Wood, 84, who has died. The Business would also like to pass on its condolences for the...
Scottish hotels urged to take action on £63m hike in business rates
Scotland’s hotels – scorched by a combined £63 million increase in rates – are being urged to ‘use or lose’ their right to appeal against increases to their rateable values...
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...
Economy
CSignum secures £2.6m funding to roll-out water testing technology
CSignum, a provider of wireless communications from beneath the surface of water, ice and ground, has completed a £2.6m funding round to accelerate commercial deployment of its EM2 product portfolio....
UP, UP AND AWAY: Space firm CAVU joins export trail as Scottish Enterprise support generates £2.15bn
Stirling-based CAVU Aerospace UK, a space engineering company developing mission-critical technologies for satellites and deep-space missions, is the latest investment as Scottish Enterprise reveals it has helped Scottish businesses generate...
Edinburgh among trio of £82.6m funding from RBS for student homes
Royal Bank of Scotland has provided £82.6m to support Rosethorn Capital Partners and Eagle Street Partners with the acquisition and repositioning of Haddington Place student accommodation in Edinburgh. The financing will...
Energy, Just Transition & Net Zero
Scotland’s hydropower revival
Pumped storage, major investment and a growing supply chain could put Scotland at the forefront of the next generation of hydropower Scotland has a long-standing relationship with hydropower. For generations,...
Hepworth takes on top job at Scottish Renewables
Angela Hepworth has been appointed chief executive officer of Scottish Renewables, taking over from Claire Mack, who is moving to SSEN Transmission. Hepworth will step into the role next week...
END OF AN ERA: Sir Bill Gammell’s oil company taken over in £271m deal
Edinburgh-based oil and gas firm Capricorn Energy — formerly Sir Bill Gammell’s Cairn Energy — has accepted a £271m cash takeover offer from London-based Genel Energy. The sale will mean...
Legal
The cost of caution: how is employment reform shaping hiring and growth?
The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduced a significant package of reforms being phased in over several years. Businesses need to stay abreast of the changes; make necessary adjustments to internal...
Scottish business growth is soaring on the wings of angels
Eye-opening research has confirmed what those of us working in and around corporate finance have long recognised: Scotland is a world leader in angel investment, and its power to drive...
The cost of caution: how is employment reform shaping hiring and growth?
The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduced a significant package of reforms being phased in over several years. Businesses need to stay abreast of the changes; make necessary adjustments to internal...
Scottish business growth is soaring on the wings of angels
Eye-opening research has confirmed what those of us working in and around corporate finance have long recognised: Scotland is a world leader in angel investment, and its power to drive...
Private Banking & Wealth
Commercial Property & Housing
Accountancy & Advisory
‘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....
Scotland's Finest
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...
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 ‘world’s best’ surf park is right in heart of Scotland
Park and ride: Lost Shore Surf Resort has been acclaimed as the world’s best surf park – with good reason Step into a Scottish stay with a difference this spring,...
Making Wool Cool
Fast fashion watch out. The Scottish textile industry is fighting back The hardy sheep has played a rough and scratchy part in Scotland’s history. Those docile grazing beasts have been...
Arts, Culture & Tourism
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
Thinking about philanthropy? What to consider before setting up a charity
How employment law reform is changing recruitment decisions Philanthropy is admirable, and usually also personally rewarding, but it needs to be carefully planned. Here are the main questions to ask...
Purpose, people and performance: Why partnerships matter
For many years, charity partnerships were seen primarily as a way for businesses to ‘give something back’. Today, that mindset is changing. Increasingly, organisations recognise that strong partnerships create value...
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...
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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