UK FinTech CAB Payments has rejected a proposed £241 million bid from American payments giant StoneX.

StoneX, a Fortune 500 firm listed on New York’s Nasdaq exchange, was considering a bid for CAB Payments, which has endured a torrid time as a listed company.

CAB had previously rejected two rival takeovers from shareholder Helios Consortium – the latter for £213m – and StoneX said it was hopeful of winning the support from the company’s shareholders, including Helios, before it tabled the bid officially.

However this morning CAB said its independent board members – excluding Nitin Kaul and Henry Obi CBE, who represent the interests of Helios – had unanimously decided the StoneX bid ‘significantly undervalues CAB Payments and its future prospects’.

The Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, Keir Mather MP, has officially opened Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s (LJLA) new £3m solar farm during a visit to the airport.

The airport’s investment in the solar farm is a key part of its decarbonisation plan and a zero carbon future for the airport operation by 2040.

Solar panel experts Activ8 Energies in partnership with SSE Airtricity, designed and installed the new solar farm, which is located within the airport perimeter fence on land to the east of the runway.

It is capable of generating up to 3 MW (megawatts) of electricity, powering up to 25 per cent of the airport’s current overall electricity demand.

John Irving, CEO Liverpool John Lennon Airport, commented: “Our new solar farm is the next part of our journey towards a zero carbon future by 2040.”

Ciaran Marron, CEO of Activ8 Energies, added: “We’re proud to have partnered with SSE Airtricity and Liverpool John Lennon Airport to deliver a system that will generate clean electricity on site for decades to come.

“With an installed capacity of up to 3 MW, the solar farm will make a significant contribution to reducing the airport’s carbon footprint while strengthening its energy resilience.

Author: Chris Maguire

BGF has completed a £15m investment in Seda Pharma Development Services, an integrated contract research, development and manufacturing organisation (CRDMO) headquartered in Cheadle, Manchester.

Seda provides end-to-end pharmaceutical development services, supporting companies from early-stage drug development through the clinical phases to registration.

The company has delivered more than 1,000 projects for 185 customers since inception, serving a growing international client base.

BGF’s investment comes at a time of sustained expansion in the global pharmaceutical outsourcing market, as biotech and pharmaceutical companies increasingly seek integrated partners capable of streamlining development timelines, reducing regulatory risk and supporting the manufacture of complex medicines.

Demand for specialist development and manufacturing capabilities continues to rise, driven by expanding R&D pipelines and increased regulatory scrutiny.

Since its founding in 2015 by chief scientist Dr Paul Dickinson and chief business officer Dr Marcel de Matas MBE,  Seda has established a strong reputation for scientific depth and technical excellence.

Dr Paul Stott joined as chief executive four years later, strengthening the leadership team as the company scaled its capabilities.

In 2023, Seda invested £8m installing a manufacturing capability in a 50,000 sq. ft leasehold facility at Cheadle Royal Business Park.

Augmented Healthcare, a Bury-based HealthTech startup, is preparing to unveil a new clinical AI tool.

Founder Dr Jonti Hudson is a practising GP and computer engineer whose real-time AI model is designed to support clinicians during live consultations.

The company’s Consultation Dashboard (CoDa) platform passively listens to conversations between doctors and patients. It then identifies ‘red flags’ signaling possible serious illness and raises them instantly for clinical consideration.

To bring his vision to life, Dr Hudson worked with GM Business Growth Hub’s Innovation Service, receiving innovation grant funding and expert guidance to develop the platform.

 

Signals has raised £830,000 in seed funding.

The UK startup is aiming to set a new standard for how the world evaluates and trusts research. The company helps publishers reduce research integrity risks and protect their reputation by identifying potentially problematic manuscripts and publications.

By combining network analysis, expert knowledge, and AI, Signals delivers comprehensive and transparent evaluations. Signals’ core product, Signals Manuscript Checks, enables journal teams to spot and investigate potential issues accurately and efficiently within their existing workflows.

It has been backed by minority investments from strategic investors ACS Publications, a division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and Enago, along with the Scholarly Angels and other angel investors.

VIOOH, a global digital out of home (DOOH) supply-side platform, has released its annual research into the programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) market.

The UK findings show that pDOOH is firmly established as a mainstream channel within the UK’s digital media landscape, with 34% of campaigns featuring pDOOH in the past 18 months, up from 31% in 2024 and in line with the global average.

Looking ahead, UK marketers expect this to rise to 47% of campaigns in the next 18 months, as the channel continues to win share of both budgets and planning attention.

UK marketers are forecasting an average 41% increase in pDOOH spending over the next 18 months, notably higher than the 32% growth projected in 2024, pointing to accelerating momentum as advertiser confidence matures.

The budget funding this growth is increasingly coming from within the wider digital ecosystem. Among those planning to increase pDOOH invest41ment, 96% expect to reallocate budget from other digital channels (including DOOH), up sharply from 82% in 2024.

Movement from traditional channels is also a factor but less pronounced, with 65% expecting to shift spend from these, including from traditional OOH. New budget plays a smaller role overall (22%) but is more common where dedicated pDOOH expertise is in place.

Among those buying via a dedicated pDOOH team, 39% expect growth to be supported by entirely new budget, underlining the link between channel familiarity and incremental investment.

First Concepts, an AI-native workspace for early stage creative work, has raised £750,000 in pre-seed funding.

The London-based platform, currently in beta, seeks to eliminate context fragmentation so teams move from brief to concept up to 70% faster.

The startup, founded just nine months ago, has been backed by Antler, Araya and leading industry angels. It is already working with over 40 independent creative agencies across London and New York.

The Bank of England has held interest rates a 3.75 per cent in the wake of the economic impact of the Iran war.

In December 2025, the Bank of England cut its base rate by 0.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent –  the lowest level in almost three years.

However, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East dashed hopes of further cuts.

Richard Merrett, managing director of Alexander Hall, said:“Today’s decision to hold the base rate should provide reassurance for borrowers that the broader outlook remains one of stability.

“While the market has adjusted in response to recent movements, the medium-term picture for borrowing costs is still far more predictable than it was a year ago.”

Health and wellbeing platform Raiys has unveiled a clinically-led digital solution to support people with neurodiversity, their families and carers, employers and colleagues.

It aims to bridge gaps in overstretched services by providing immediate, 24/7 access to clinically-informed content, neuro-screening tests and behavioural resources within a single digital platform which is accessible via employers, healthcare providers and insurers across mobile, tablet and desktop.

The programme provides self-check tools, educational pathways and support. The 12 neuro-screening tests help individuals explore traits associated with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and more, so they can consider whether their experiences align with those conditions.

Manchester’s digital sector will come together this April for Manchester Tech Week, as the event enters a new phase in 2026 with an expanded programme of conferences, exhibitions and community-led events across the city.

Running from 27 April – 1 May, Manchester Tech Week is evolving to bring together three core events alongside a growing Fringe programme, creating new opportunities for technology leaders, businesses and emerging talent to connect.

More than 10,000 attendees are expected to take part across the week, spanning key areas of the digital economy including AI, cyber security, digital transformation, unified communications, B2B eCommerce and the creator economy – with two flagship events taking place at Manchester Central.

Among them is Digital Transformation EXPO (DTX), which will bring together IT leaders and teams responsible for cloud, data, AI and cyber security as organisations accelerate their digital transformation programmes. Alongside it, Unified Communications EXPO (UCX) will draw UC and CX leaders, contact-centre teams, AV specialists and security professionals exploring new approaches to colleague and customer experience.

Speakers from organisations including Microsoft, the FBI’s Cyber Division, JD Sports and NatWest will share real-world insights and case studies from major digital transformation projects.

Michael Berkeley will step down as chair of the challenger Aquis Stock Exchange after six years in the role.

Independent non-executive director Danny Lopez MBE has been appointed as his successor, effective from the 1st April 2026.

 Lopez has experience across finance, technology and international markets. He is currently CEO of cybersecurity company Glasswall and a member of the City of London Corporation’s Competitiveness Advisory Board.

Earlier in his career, he held senior roles in the UK government and financial services, including as British Consul General to New York, CEO of London & Partners and senior positions at Barclays in the UK, US and India.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Digital bank Zopa has reported its third full year of profitability after doubling profit before tax to £65 million in 2025.

The FinTech, which only launched in 2020, grew its customer base to 1.7m in 2025 across savings, lending and everyday banking, onboarding more than half a million gross new customers during the year. 

As a result, Zopa scaled revenue in line with customer growth, with total revenue increasing 24% to £377.1m in 2025 and total operating income climbing 21% to £359.6m.

 

Hydra Manufacturing has raised £320,000 in funding led by SFC Capital to accelerate the commercialisation of its ceramic additive manufacturing technology.

Hydra is a University of Leeds spinout founded in 2024 by a team of engineers with more than 35 years’ combined experience in digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing.

It specialises in production-grade ceramic manufacturing using conventional ceramic feedstocks. The company’s technology bridges the gap between prototyping and scalable part production, enabling manufacturers to integrate advanced ceramic capability directly into their facilities.

The latest equity investment follows previous grant funding support from Innovate UK through the Advanced Machinery & Productivity Institute (AMPI), bringing total funding secured to approximately £577,000.

Venture.Community has launcheed 01 Silicon Square to create a ‘nucleus’ for Sheffield’s founders and tech startups.

The 4,500 sq. ft site, within The Pennine Five Campus and the Innovation Spine, is supported by RBH Properties, Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

Providing events, private offices and co-working spaces for up to 100 people, it will aim to cluster, develop and sustain Sheffield’s deep tech and sciences startups.

Venture.Community has supported 15 companies in raising more than £23 million to date. It also has a base within The Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.

Author: Chris Maguire

Manchester University spinout Nanoco Group plc has ended its planned legal action against Shoei Chemical Inc. and Shoei Electronic Materials.

The listed Runcorn firm develops and manufactures cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials. These are used in monitors, TVs and infra-red sensors.

Last year the manufacturer of quantum dots settled a separate legal case with South Korean multinational electronics corporation LG Technologies over alleged patent infringements.

In 2023 it won $150m in a legal dispute with Samsung, settling on a no fault basis for the alleged infringement of the group’s intellectual property.

In the latest case, Nanoco had accused Shoei of infringing the company’s intellectual property but told the London Stock Exchange this morning (Thursday) that the legal action had ended.

The Start Up Loans programme has delivered over £150m in funding to founders of small businesses across the South East.

Since the programme launched in 2012, more than one in 10 Start Up Loans have gone to a founder based in the South East. Of the approximately 127,000 in loans taken out nationally, just under 14,000 loans have been delivered to South-East based entrepreneurs.

The most entrepreneurial counties across the region were Kent, Hampshire and Surrey, which respectively saw 2,429, 1,837 and 1,572 founders take out loans to kickstart, or grow, their business.

The Start Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, is committed to ensuring all founders can access the finance they need to thrive, particularly those who may otherwise be underrepresented.

Since the programme’s inception, two in five (40%) of loans in the South East have gone to female founders, 18% to formerly unemployed founders and around one in ten (11%) has gone to founders younger than 25.

In 2025, almost £20m (£19.5m) was delivered by the programme to entrepreneurs based in the South East.

Doccla, a London-based virtual care provider, has appointed former Google DeepMind and NHS England leader Michael Macdonnell as deputy CEO to scale its AI-powered proactive care platform.

Doccla is already deploying its proprietary AI in live NHS settings to identify patients at risk of deterioration, monitor clinical-grade wearable data such as oxygen saturation, blood pressure and ECG readings, and enable earlier intervention by clinical teams.

Machine learning models predict hospitalisation risk, generative AI tools support patient outreach and engagement and productivity tools help clinicians manage larger caseloads efficiently.

Macdonnell will be leading the next phase: scaling an ‘AI-native’ proactive care model safely across tens of thousands of patients in the NHS and European health systems.

Author: Chris Maguire

FTSE 100 listed company Diploma PLC saw its share price jump more than 17 per cent on Wednesday.

Investor confidence soared after the London-headquartered industrial group  announced a significant upgrade to its financial guidance for FY26.

Diploma, which provides critical products and services to customers across a wide range of markets, now expects 9 per cent organic growth (up from 6 per cent) and operating margins of c.25 per cent (up from c.22.5 per cent).

The upbeat predictions follow the strength of Diploma’s businesses through the first half of the year and its confidence in continued momentum through the second half.

The company’s share price soared from 5,030p (£50.30) to 5,925p (£59.25) on the back of the update.

Diploma is an active acquirer of specialised technical businesses and recent acquisitions include Swift Aerospace; Hydraulic Seals Australia, WDS and Spring Solutions.

The company employs c.3,400 colleagues across the group, primarily across the UK, US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Author: Varun Cruz, founder, NEUVIOR

It was a Wednesday when I sat down to make sense of the published medicines datasets we wanted to work across: the NHS dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d), English prescribing data and pricing references such as the Drug Tariff.

This meant opening spreadsheets, reconciling codes and translating fragmented signals into something an intelligence platform could use. 

When I next looked up, it was Saturday morning.

That experience stayed with me because it captured a truth about company-building. Most startups fail because the founder thinks they are building a product. The companies that reshape industries are building systems.

In complex sectors such as pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence, the hard part is not a launch. It is connecting fragmented information, decision-making and infrastructure into something coherent. This rewards a particular way of thinking, and in my experience neurodivergent founders can have a real edge there.

Author: Chris Maguire

Softcat’s share price climbed more than 9 per cent following a positive half-year update from the IT infrastructure specialist.

Graham Charlton, CEO of the FTSE 250-listed company, described the results for the six months to January 31^st, 2026, as ‘terrific’.

Highlights included a 33 per cent increase in gross invoiced income to £2,008.6m and a 22 per cent rise in gross profit to £269.9m.

Softcat’s underlying operating profit growth in the first six months of the financial year was ahead of the board’s expectations, resulting in a spike in its share price by more than 8 per cent to 1,256p.

Expectations are now for high single-digit growth in underlying operating profit in FY2026, up from low single-digit previously.

Softcat has benefited from its investment in AI and its acquisition of Oakland Group Services.

Softcat’s CEO Graham Charlton said: “Softcat delivered terrific progress in the first half, with growth in gross profit and underlying operating profit well ahead of expectations alongside excellent cash generation.

“This reflects the benefits of ongoing investment in our offering over the past few years, as well as sharp execution during the current period, and the benefits we are seeing on customer demand for AI-enabled infrastructure and our own operational transformation.”