London-based software company Skyral has announced a strategic partnership with government services provider Maximus as it looks to transform public sector delivery, starting with healthcare systems in the US, Canada and the UK.

By combining Skyral’s digital twin and simulation technology with Maximus’ large-scale programme expertise, the partnership will aim to enable governments to model workforce needs, resource allocation and patient outcomes before real-world deployment.

Author: Patrick Killeen

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has announced a £500m investment in UK cloud computing firm Nscale, declaring that “the UK is going to be an AI superpower.”

The move is part of a wider initiative with partners including Microsoft and CoreWeave to build AI factories across the country, powered by 120,000 Blackwell Ultra GPUs and up to £11bn in local data centre investment.

It aims to accelerate Britain’s role in the “AI industrial revolution,” creating jobs, driving research, and supporting sovereign AI ambitions.

The UK operation of Chinese eCommerce giant Temu doubled revenues and profits last year.

Temu UK reported revenues of $63.3m (£46.4m), up from $32m in 2023. Pre-tax profits grew from $2m to $3.9m.

However operating losses widened from $7.9m to $8.7m, which it said was down to ‘exchange losses’.

Petards Group plc saw revenue rise 78% to £7.9 million in the six months ended 30th June 2025.

Adjusted EBITDA profit hit £509,000, compared with £33,000 in the prior year.

Petards is an AIM-quoted developer of advanced security, communication and surveillance systems.

Bytes Technology Group plc says it has delivered a resilient performance in the first half of the year, trading in line with the expectations it reported in its July AGM statement.

Gross invoiced income for the period is expected to be around £1.33bn, while gross profit is expected to be not less than £82m and operating profit is expected to be not less than £33m.

The firm recently announcing that it is to commence a £25m share repurchase programme in a bid to boost shareholders. The software, security, AI and cloud services specialist, based in Surrey, saw its shares lose a third of their value in one day in early July after it issued a profit warning.

Last year Bytes began investigating the shock resignation of its former CEO Neil Murphy after he was accused of unauthorised trading in the company’s shares. It sent the London-listed stock plummeting; however it would rebound.

WealthClub’s Northern VCTs have launched a new offer to raise up to £50 million, including a £15m overallotment.

Managed by Mercia, the trusts benefit from a strong regional footprint, with over half of portfolio companies based outside London and the South East.

Over the five years to June 2025, the VCTs delivered an average net asset value total return of 45.9% and target annual dividends of 4.5%–5.0% of net asset value.

With £416.2m in net assets and a diversified portfolio of around 65 companies, the trusts aim to provide investors with exposure to high-growth UK businesses, while offering attractive tax benefits.

US-based OPSWAT has opened a new international briefing centre and cybersecurity lab in London, marking a major step in its UK expansion.

The facility will focus on protecting critical sectors including finance, defense, manufacturing and energy, while also strengthening collaboration with regulators and industry leaders.

OPSWAT’s solutions are designed to address escalating threats as AI-driven attacks and legacy vulnerabilities continue to challenge infrastructure security.

The London office will also act as a training hub through OPSWAT Academy, helping to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The chief financial and operating officer of Guardian Media Group is to move to the same role at Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Keith Underwood will succeed group finance director Penny Scott-Bayfield, who recently decided to step down to pursue a portfolio career after seven years in the role.

Underwood, a former interim CEO at The Guardian, will join Bloomsbury on 2^nd February 2026. Before joining GMG in 2020, he worked at Channel 4 as CFO and COO and spent more than eight years on the executive committee of the broadcaster. He has also worked at Discovery Networks International, Sky and PwC.

Underwood is a board member of Digital Catapult, the digital technology innovation organisation which helps businesses grow by applying advanced digital technology. He has previously served as chairman of Freeview and a board director of Digital UK and YouView.

In the year to 28th February – Bloomsbury’s pre-tax profit fell 22% to £32.5m, although revenue grew 5% to £361m.

NASDAQ-listed monday.com introduced a series of new AI-powered tools aimed at reshaping how teams manage and execute work.

Among the announcements were monday agents, a no-code builder for AI specialists that can complete tasks end-to-end, along with the full rollout of monday magic, monday vibe and monday sidekick.

The company, which has a market cap of almost $10bn and recently opened its largest European office in central London, also launched monday campaigns, a new addition to its CRM suite designed to connect marketing and sales in one platform and tie campaigns directly to revenue.

Amazing AI plc, a global FinTech group specialising in online consumer loans and AI finance-related services, is to diversify its policy of investing in Bitcoin to a wider array of digital assets.

There are a growing number of companies adopting cryptocurrency treasury policies.

AAI’s updated policy will allow it to invest in a pool of five crypto assets with exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum and ‘other attractive market segments’.

Half-year revenues and profits fell at M+C Saatchi in the first six months of 2025.

The London-listed global communications agency saw profit before tax plummet by 36% to £10.3m, while net revenue fell 5.1% to £103.8m.

It said a solid start to the year had been impacted by ‘Australia weakness’ and ‘macro-driven softness’ in Q2. It has taken significant actions to reshape the Australia business – new leadership, the closure of an unprofitable full-service media business as well as restructuring – with £12m of annualised cost savings set to be made.

The group now expects that full-year revenue will be down around mid-single digits, while it is targeting full-year profit is expected to be in line with the prior year,

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The platform formerly known as Twitter has come under much scrutiny since it was bought and rebranded by controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk – and our executive editor Chris Maguire went as far as to abandon his account this week.

I myself haven’t used X in a long time. Not only has engagement fallen off a cliff, but many of the businesses that we cover – in fact, the overwhelming majority now – have either deleted their accounts or left them to fester.

When it comes to my personal feed, I’m now deluged with views that I don’t agree with, to put it mildly. Views firmly entrenched in the Musk camp. I’m all for open debate – I’m not looking for an echo chamber – but scrolling through X these days feels like a descent into a hellscape which I don’t think is a fair reflection of the real world.

Steve Voller, founder at Altuity, said that I’m “not wrong” to hold these views – and advised people to move to Bluesky.

Kelly Waring, head of marketing at LIMA, told us that she closed her account down at the weekend, while Pete Connor, director at Pure Fabs, is also in agreement.

He said: “Last week I logged off my main X account for the last time because my timeline was full of people wanting to spread rancour and divide…

“I closed my Xwitter account over 18 months ago, because of this exact reason. The algorithms were deciding for me, what content I wished to view. It was full of hate, divisiveness and anger. I’m not that sort of person.

“I am deeply concerned that our young people are having this diet of everything the platform thinks you want to see, based on (partly) your age, your sex and your shopping history.

“Not for me; it shouldn’t be for them, either.

“I have no answer to the might and power of social media. apart from distancing myself from it.”

A new fully funded accelerator launching in Salford will help growth-stage SMEs unlock innovation, adopt emerging technologies, and scale with confidence.

Spark Salford, delivered by MediaCity’s Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub (MITIH) and backed by UKSPF, will support up to 15 growth-stage businesses across sectors including fashion, retail, manufacturing, food and drink and professional services.

The 12-week programme offers expert mentoring, practical workshops, access to tech, and introductions to investors.

Microsoft this week predicted that AI could add around 10% to the UK economy within just five years.

Chris Hopton, CEO of Ricoh UK, believes the UK will only realise these benefits through secure, responsible and truly practical deployment of AI – ensuring it empowers people to focus on higher-value work rather than replacing roles outright.

“This partnership reminds us that the opportunity is far too big to ignore. But it also brings urgency: only through secure, responsible, and truly practical deployment will we realise these gains.

“We see day in, day out how automation and AI can empower people for higher-value work, not replace roles. The greatest return will come from unlocking productivity, enabling talent to flourish, and preparing institutions, both public and private, for what lies ahead.”

Peppercord, a Nottinghamshire digital agency trading as NotLuck, has secured £20,000 from First Enterprise under the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.

The firm specialises in CRM implementation, web development and AI-driven marketing automation.

Managed service provider Academia has announced its FY2025 financial results.

The Hemel Hempstead business achieved a turnover of £138 million and a 42% increase in managed services revenue year-over-year, along with double-digit growth overall.

Agent, a full-service marketing agency with studios in Liverpool and Manchester, has been recognised as a certified B Corporation (B Corp).

Established in 2006, Agent works across clean energy and sustainability, transport and connectivity and purpose-driven business sectors.

More than half of Brits (59%) say they’ll turn to AI to help complete their tax return ahead of HMRC’s 31 January deadline, according to new research from Taxfix.

Self-assessment taxpayers cited speed, convenience and cost savings as the main reasons for using AI tools, with ChatGPT the most popular choice.

However, accountants have warned of risks around incomplete advice and lack of UK-specific knowledge, urging caution for complex cases.

More to follow

ClearCourse has appointed payments industry leader Simon Black as chair of the board, as the company looks to accelerate growth in 2025.

Black, who joined the firm as a non-executive director, will now work closely with the London-based firm’s management team to build on its expertise in vertical software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs.

He experience of scaling payments businesses, having previously led SagePay through a period of tenfold revenue growth before serving as CEO of PPRO, which became established in the alternative payments industry through international expansion and multiple funding rounds.

The appointment follows a busy period for ClearCourse, which has completed three acquisitions in 2025, with deals Computers for Flooring, AvonData (Rezcontrol), and Davidson Richards.

More to follow

US firm CoreWeave has unveiled the next £1.5 billion phase of its UK expansion, bringing its total investment to £2.5bn as it builds sustainable AI data centres across the country.

Announced during Donald Trump’s State Visit, the move will support the government’s Compute Roadmap and create new highly skilled jobs.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the deal as “a clear vote of confidence in Britain’s potential to become a world leader in AI,” while NVIDIA boss Jensen Huang described the UK as standing “in a Goldilocks position, where world-class talent, research and industry converge.”