Business News

New research from finance and banking trade body, UK Finance, has found that debit card transactions will overtake those made with cash this year. Meanwhile, ATM usage peaked several years ago, with more than 2.9 billion transactions taking place in 2012, falling to 2.7 billion in 2016, which amounted to £6 billion less than in … Continue reading Cash payments plunge as digital payments become the default for many consumers →

A scheme, enabling parents of children aged 12 and under to benefit from up to £2,000 towards the cost of childcare, has now been extended to all working parents with children in the age group. The scheme provides a Government top-up worth £2 for every £8 contributed by parents, up to a maximum of £2,000 … Continue reading Tax-Free Childcare launches for all parents of under-12s →

By the time Chancellor Philip Hammond rose to his feet in the House of Commons to deliver the first Spring Statement, he had already offered plenty of hints that this would be a low-key affair. Gone was the primetime Wednesday slot after Prime Minister’s Questions, gone was the trailing of policy announcements in the days … Continue reading Spring Statement 2018 →

On 1 April 2018, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) will increase for all age groups. Aimed at improving the prospects of young workers, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced in the Autumn Budget that statutory wage rates would once again increase this year. For those currently receiving the NLW, i.e. anyone … Continue reading Are you ready for the latest minimum wage rise? →

The start of 2018 saw the somewhat unexpected collapse of one of the UK’s largest construction and contracting businesses, Carillion. Despite winning a number of new public sector bids, including a £1.4 billion contract for HS2, it was revealed in early January that the company would be going into compulsory liquidation. In the months prior … Continue reading HMRC offers practical support to businesses affected by Carillion’s collapse →

A ban on passing on charges from credit card providers to consumers, which came into effect last month, is hitting small businesses in the pocket. Businesses are now faced with the option of either increasing prices for all customers to cover the charges or taking a hit to their own bottom lines. Before the ban … Continue reading Ban on passing credit card fees on to consumers hits small businesses in the pocket →

Former Conservative Treasury Minister, Lord Jim O’Neil has told the BBC that gloomy predictions for the post-Brexit UK economy are likely to be ‘dwarfed’ by global growth figures surpassing expectations. He said: “I certainly wouldn’t have thought the UK economy would be as robust as it currently seems. “That is because some parts of the … Continue reading Remain-supporting former minister strikes optimistic note on post-Brexit economy →

The majority of businesses across the UK are making preparations to increase their minimum workplace pension contributions, having successfully enrolled more than 8.5 million staff into schemes. Auto-enrolment minimum contributions were due to rise in October 2017 under the original plans and then again in October 2018, but the Government took the decision to push … Continue reading Auto-enrolment to be expanded to younger workers, as minimum contributions rise →

Police crime watchdog Action Fraud has launched a new 24-hour cyber attack helpline to assist businesses as and when they experience hacks and data breaches. The new service, which encourages businesses to seek on-the-spot advice as soon as they spot the signs of a “live cyber attack,” has been launched following the publication of worrying … Continue reading Businesses experiencing “live cyber attacks” urged to contact new 24-hour helpline →

A new study has revealed that almost half of all shoppers will not spend money with a business this Christmas if it doesn’t provide facilities to pay by card. A study, commissioned by card machine provider Paymentsense, has found that 45 per cent of UK shoppers walk out of cash-only smaller retailers and independent outlets … Continue reading SMEs risk losing out on Christmas income totalling £2bn if they don’t accept cards →