The Manchester Prize has returned for its second year as the British government hopes to incentivise AI innovation in the clean tech sector with £2m of prizes. First announced by former chancellor Jeremy Hunt during the 2023 Spring Budget speech, the Manchester Prize is an annual competition for AI developers in the UK managed by ... Read more ›
15
Brian Coburn is the founder and chief strategy officer of BR-DGE, a payments infrastructure company based in Edinburgh. Coburn founded BR-DGE in 2018. The payments orchestration platform acts as an intermediary between someone making a payment and other providers like PayPal or Stripe. BR-DGE connects to more than 300 technology and payment providers and expects to process ... Read more ›
0
HSBC UK has increased the size of its tech scaleup investment vehicle, the Growth Lending Fund, by £100m to meet the growing demand. The Growth Lending Fund was launched last year with £250m as a response to government calls for greater investment into UK tech. The bank has now increased the size of the fund ... Read more ›
12
Artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be considered an inventor, according to a unanimous decision from the UK Supreme Court. A UK judge said on Wednesday that only a person could legally be considered an inventor for the sake of securing patents. The decision was in response to a dispute between Dr Stephen Thaler and the Intellectual ... Read more ›
18
Artificial intelligence has been the defining technology theme of 2023. Recent advancements, particularly in the field of generative AI, have launched the space to one of the most watched and best-funded sectors in all of tech. The AI boom has sparked questions around safety, productivity and – in the case of ChatGPT maker OpenAI – ... Read more ›
2
In this bonus episode of the UKTN Podcast, HSBC Innovation Banking’s Simon Bumfrey shares how the lender rebranded from Silicon Valley Bank UK, what happened immediately after that “seismic” rescue weekend in March, and a look ahead to the big themes defining the tech ecosystem in 2024. Bumfrey, who is head of technology and life ... Read more ›
2
Updraft, a fintech offering consumer lending and financial planning services, has raised £272m in a joint debt and equity round. Founded in 2017, Updraft aims to offer lower-cost credit options and provide tools that improve spending and savings habits. Updraft uses open banking to put customer credit data into a report that offers advice and ... Read more ›
0
Getting AI regulation wrong could “affect the very fabric of our society” but getting it right could make the UK “pioneers” of humanity-changing technology, Britain’s newest minister for tech has said. Saqib Bhatti, who was appointed as minister for tech and the digital economy last month, said there is a considerable opportunity for the UK ... Read more ›
3
Fiat Republic, a startup aiming to support cryptoassets’ transition to a mainstream payment type, has raised £5.5m in a seed extension round. Founded in 2021, Fiat Republic is a banking as service platform that provides crypto platforms with banking and payments APIs. Fiat’s platform means crypto companies can embed and automate fiat flows to their ... Read more ›
2
It has been a challenging 2023 for fintech. Funding is down and a series of headwinds in the form of soaring inflation and stagnant global markets have made it a testing environment. This year has, in many ways, lived up to the muted expectations that came at the end of 2022. But there is a ... Read more ›
8
The UK financial regulator has proposed simplified and more risk-friendly reforms to public listings in an effort to encourage more IPOs. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), after a consultation in May, has recommended simplifying the listing regime by introducing a single category for all participating companies, as opposed to the current system of standard and ... Read more ›
29
Investment firm BGF has appointed the former chief executive of BT Group as non-executive chair. Ian Livingston, a Conservative member of the House of Lords, will assume the role of BGF chair from January 2024. In addition to BT, Livingston has previously held leadership roles at Dixons Group, Currys and private equity firm 3i. The ... Read more ›
0
Pension and savings fintech Cushon has brought in Ellen Louw, a former executive at American Express and Reach PLC, as chief financial officer (CFO). Cushon, which NatWest agreed to acquire a majority stake in back in February, provides workplace savings services including pensions, ISAs and spending targets. New Cushon CFO Louw has joined the firm ... Read more ›
2
Revolut will temporarily pause crypto services for UK business customers in anticipation of new regulatory requirements. Announced in an email to customers on Monday, Revolut will not allow business customers in the UK market to buy new cryptoassets from 3 January. They will still be able to hold and sell cryptocurrencies. Retail customers are unaffected. ... Read more ›
14
In 2023 the UK’s quantum computing sector has received increasing attention and targeted support. In the March Spring Statement, the chancellor announced a new 10-year National Quantum Strategy aiming to boost quantum research, investment and business readiness. Initiatives already in progress include the Quantum Catalyst Fund supporting collaboration between startups and universities on quantum ... Read more ›
2
In the season finale of the UKTN Podcast, former BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones revisits career highlights interviewing the biggest names in tech – from Elon Musk to Bill Gates. The writer and author recalls the frenzy of the dot-com bubble in the UK – and explains the similarities and differences between the plummeting valuations ... Read more ›
15
Adobe has axed its $20bn proposal to acquire the design software company Figma after facing extensive regulatory intervention in the UK and EU. The deal was heavily scrutinised by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK, which launched an in-depth probe into the merger in July. The CMA said last month that following ... Read more ›
0
The venture division of London-based tech unicorn Improbable has sold its game services subsidiary to Keywords Studios for £76.5m. The Multiplayer Group (MPG), which has 360 employees, counts game publishers Activision Blizzard and Epic Games among its customers. Improbable acquired MPG for £30m in 2019. It has since grown its workforce sixfold, with staff spread ... Read more ›
0
The Players Fund, an investment group of athletes past and present, has brought on a new cohort of sportswomen as partners, including Olympic gold medallist Dame Jessica-Ennis Hill. Founded in 2023, The Players Fund aims to put the capital and prominence of professional athletes towards investments into startups. The £40m VC fund launched in August ... Read more ›
0
A spaceport in Unst, part of the Shetland Islands, has become the UK’s first licensed site for vertical rocket launches. SaxaVord Spaceport, located on the northernmost island in the Shetlands, has been granted a licence for vertical rocket launches by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Vertical launches refer to a rocket that takes off in ... Read more ›
0
This year, climate tech cemented itself as one of the most significant sectors to watch. Mounting pressure from an increasingly unsustainable environment and technological innovations have made climate tech one of the most well-funded spaces in tech. Recent data from HSBC Innovation Banking and Dealroom found that climate tech alone made up almost 20% of ... Read more ›
0
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Business Insider
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26% 8 |
Tech Wire Asia
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26% 10 |
Eurogamer.net
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5% 2 |
Gizmodo
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5% 2 |
Android Authority
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5% 1 |
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29.11.2024 21:34
Last update: 21:25 EDT.
News rating updated: 04:20.
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