Author: Chris Maguire

A London-based FinTech has acquired Italy’s leading debt administration provider days after a £1bn+ investment.

Earlier this week GLAS announced strategic investment from leading European mid-market private equity firm, Oakley Capital, and one of Canada’s largest institutional investors, La Caisse.

Now the company has announced the acquisition of Loan Agency Services (LAS), Italy’s leading debt administration provider.

This investment, as well as GLAS’ recent acquisitions, has helped the company’s assets under administration grow to over US$750bn, with 40 per cent organic growth, over £115m+ in annual revenue, 14 offices worldwide and now over 450 staff.

Mia Drennan, founder and CEO of GLAS, said: “This news marks the 10^th  country across the global GLAS network and culminates the most successful year the company has ever had.

“Our clients can look forward to an enhanced service offering in the region, as well as an expansion of our services through LAS’s current capabilities.”

Shares in Sainsbury’s fell 5.78% to 310p today despite another strong Christmas trading update.

Even though sales rose, the main focus for investors was the weakness at Argos.

In its third-quarter trading statement for the 16 weeks to 3rd January 2026, the listed firm reported total retail sales (excluding fuel) up 3.9% year-on-year, with like-for-like sales up 3.4%. 

Author: Patrick Killeen

Target Darts has signed a record-breaking long-term, multi-million-pound agreement with double PDC World Champion Luke Littler.

The reported £20 million agreement, which is the biggest in the history of the sport, secures the future of a partnership that began when the world number one was just 12 years old.

Now a Premier League Champion, back-to-back World Champion and ten-time major winner, the teenage sensation has helped drive unprecedented global attention to darts, introducing the sport to a younger, digitally native audience.

That impact has translated directly into online sales growth for Target, particularly through its proprietary website, international eCommerce channels and connected products such as its Omni auto-scoring system, which enjoyed record sales over the Christmas period.

Enhanced Genomics has appointed Katerina Leftheris, PhD, to its board of directors as part of its strategy to expand its internal therapeutics pipeline.

Leftheris brings more than 30 years of experience in senior scientific roles across pharma and MedTech, including at Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene and Pliant Therapeutics, where she helped advance 15 compounds into clinical development.

Most recently, she served as chief scientific officer at machine learning-driven drug developer Vilya and sits on multiple boards and advisory panels.

Her expertise in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery will support the development of therapies identified using Enhanced’s 3D multi-omics GenLink platform.

Ofcom has set out proposals that would allow mobile networks and Wi-Fi services to share parts of the same radio spectrum for the first time.

The plans would make the UK the first country in Europe to commit to sharing the upper 6 GHz band, with the spectrum divided so that Wi-Fi is prioritised in one section and mobile services in another under strict technical controls.

The move is designed to ease pressure on both broadband and mobile networks as demand for connectivity continues to surge.

The regulator says the approach would boost capacity, support innovation such as future 6G services, and help businesses and consumers access faster, more reliable connections.

Danske Bank UK has appointed Dr Fiona Browne as its first head of artificial intelligence, tasking her with leading the strategic development and use of AI across the bank.

She joins from FinTech 9fin and brings more than 18 years’ experience in AI and machine learning across both industry and academia, having previously served as CTO at Datactics.

In her new role, Browne will establish a new AI centre of excellence in Belfast, working closely with head of data & analytics Lyndsay Shields.

Who are tech figures named as Sheffield Wednesday’s preferred bidders? – the figures behind sports analytics business Short Circuit Science, who drove the largely-unsuccessful recruitment policy at rivals Sheffield United last summer, have been revealed by administrators as the preferred bid.

Faculty becomes 1st tech unicorn of 2026 with Accenture deal – The 400-strong London AI firm was bought by the professional services giant in a deal worth more than $1 billion.

Computacenter seals $120m deal for professional services firm – Listed technology provider to boost its international revenues after adding 26-year-old firm AgreeYa Solutions, which has more than 1,300 staff.

Raspberry Pi falls to lowest share price since IPO – On Monday, the Cambridge-based firm’s shares dipped below its 280p IPO offer price and way off 766p peak amid falling revenues and a potentially unpredictable future.

LDC exit after sale of Wireless CCTV to Arcus – Private equity investor LDC exited its investment in the Rochdale manufacturer of body-worn cameras at a 3.3x multiple following a sale to Arcus Infrastructure Partners.

TT Electronics chair to step down amid Cicor takeover collapse – TT Electronics’ proposed £287 million takeover by Swiss electronics group Cicor collapsed after shareholders voted against the deal, with Warren Tucker confirming his departure in the same statement.

Huge revenue dip at Fruugo sees firm enter the red – The global online marketplace saw revenues decline sharply in 2024, with turnover dropping from £78m to £56.4m.

And, of course, the BusinessBite live tech blog – Bite-size news in business & technology, from big breaking stories to share prices, funding, appointments & deals.

Vehicle rental management technology and services provider FOD Mobility Group has appointed Greg Taylor as its CEO, as the business looks to accelerate growth across the UK and Europe.

He replaces Joe Howick, who retired at the end of last year.

Taylor joins the Yorkshire-based company from Citygate Holdings, one of the UK’s top 50 car retailer groups, where he was responsible for leading the launch of Citygate Leasing, the group’s brokerage operation successfully introduced in March 2025.

He brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience in the fleet and mobility sector, having held a range of commercial and operational roles at Constellation Automotive Group, ALD Automotive, Alphabet (GB), ING Car Lease and LeasePlan.

Author: Chris Maguire

One of the stars of the latest series of The Apprentice has landed a role at Microsoft.

Emma Street made it to week eight of the hit BBC show before being fired by Lord Sugar.

Street, who dropped out of university at 19 after securing a prestigious apprenticeship at tech consultancy Capgemini, has started a new job as customer success account manager at Microsoft.

Sharing the news on LinkedIn she said: “It’s been a fantastic start already — from an engaging onboarding day in Paddington to a warm welcome at the Reading HQ where I had the chance to meet even more of the team.

“I’m really looking forward to working with our customers, helping them unlock value, and being part of such an inspiring organisation.

“Grateful for the opportunity and excited for what’s ahead!”

In other news, her fellow candidate Keir Shave has predicted his telemarketing company Parallel Partnerships will be at 80 staff by Q2.

The Leeds-based startup, which specialises in lead generation, has already recruited seven new starters this year.

A £4.6 million immersive education and entertainment hub described as “one of the most significant tech destinations” in Cumbria has officially opened in Whitehaven.

LEVELS, developed by social impact property specialists BEC and backed by Sellafield and BT, spans four floors featuring immersive digital and gaming experiences, an esports arena, a café and interactive learning spaces aimed at young people, families and educators.

Funded by £3.3m from Sellafield, £800,000 from BT and £500,000 from BEC, the project forms part of a wider regeneration effort to revitalise the town centre.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Leonard Curtis partners Andrew Knowles and Andrew Poxon have been appointed as joint administrators of AIM-listed Versarien plc, bringing to a head a prolonged period of financial distress for the graphene specialist.

Versarien, an IP-led advanced materials business incorporated in 2013 with more than 100 patents covering the manufacture and application of graphene and other materials, had been close to administration throughout 2025.

Mobile delivery platform giant Just Eat processed more than 17 million orders in the UK during December.

On Christmas Day alone, more than 145,000 orders were placed, with grocery deliveries accounting for 40% as shoppers scrambled for forgotten essentials.

Demand then shifted on New Year’s Eve, with prosecco and champagne orders up 300%, before customers pivoted to healthier choices on New Year’s Day, driving a 132% surge in coconut water and sports drinks.

NEC Software Solutions (NECSWS) has acquired Meganexus to strengthen its justice and rehabilitation software portfolio used by the Ministry of Justice, prisons and probation services.

Meganexus will join the Hemel Hempstead-based firm’s Digital Studio unit, adding specialist capabilities in rehabilitation, case management, training, assessment and contract management across justice, healthcare and government sectors.

The acquisition expands the company’s ability to support offender rehabilitation, through-the-gate services and workforce upskilling, with solutions already deployed across prisons in England and Wales.

Executives from both companies said the deal enhances their combined capacity to deliver user-centred, technology-led services that improve outcomes for public sector organisations and the communities they serve.

ITRS has agreed to acquire French digital experience monitoring specialist IP-Label, expanding its footprint across Europe.

The deal will add IP-Label’s AI-powered Ekara platform to ITRS’s portfolio, bringing capabilities such as synthetic transaction monitoring, real user monitoring and automated incident triage.

The company, founded in 2001, supports more than 310 enterprise customers across 25 countries.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

X has disabled its image generator for free users following controversy over its ability to generate sexualised pictures of women and children.

The move follows reports yesterday that the UK was considering a full ban of social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur Elon Musk, over the feature.

Most of the firm’s 650 million users will not now be able to use the feature. The paying subscribers who do will have their personal and financial details logged with X.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he had asked media regulator Ofcom for “all options to be on the table” and said its ability to virtually undress children was “disgraceful, disgusting and not to be tolerated”.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Healthcare software solutions provider Agilio Software has acquired Runcorn-based Patient Plan Direct (PPD), a specialist dental membership plan provider.

The acquisition brings together Agilio’s dental compliance, workforce and marketing software with PPD’s expertise in designing and managing practice-branded dental membership plans, helping practices build recurring income and strengthen patient relationships.

PPD works with independent practices, regional groups and dental service organisations across the UK.

The business provides end-to-end support from plan design and pricing to marketing, onboarding and day-to-day administration for hundreds of thousands of patients.

Yorkshire HealthTech Agilio, which is headquartered in Sheffield, said the combination creates a more integrated platform.

OpenAI has launched a new ChatGPT Health feature in the US that lets users share medical records and health app data for more personalised answers.

Conversations are stored separately and will not be used to train AI models, but privacy campaigners have warned that handling such sensitive data requires “airtight” safeguards.

The US giant says that more than 230 million people already ask ChatGPT health-related questions weekly and describes the feature as supporting, not replacing, medical care.

The tool is initially rolling out to a small group of US users, with no timeline yet for a UK launch amid stricter European data protection rules.

MAIA Technology has raised £4 million in a Series A funding round led by Molten Ventures.

The London-based company is building an AI-driven platform that brings portfolio analysis, trading, compliance, risk and reporting into a single system.

Led by CEO Mark Veevers, the platform is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, consolidating data into a single source of truth while reducing operational risk through automated compliance and real-time portfolio visibility.

The new funding will be used to enhance product capabilities, deepen integrations with data providers and trading venues, and expand adoption globally.

Author: Chris Maguire

Debbie Gallagher has been appointed head of partnerships at Vivify.

In her new national role, Gallagher will bridge the gap between schools and major organisations, working with high-value partnerships to drive revenue and create real community impact

Vivify is a Manchester tech startup that helps schools hire out facilities outside teaching hours.

Vivify now employs more than 500 people and has generated more than £10m in additional revenue for schools.

CEO Russell Teale won the Judges’ Award at the 2025 Northern Leaders Awards.

Next has announced a series of board changes, with long-serving executive director Jane Shields set to retire in May 2026 after 40 years with the business, stepping down from the board on 21st May.

Matt Barnes will be promoted to group sales and marketing director, taking responsibility for areas including e-commerce, brand marketing and retail operations, though he will not join the board at this stage.

Senior independent director and audit committee chair Jonathan Bewes will also retire in May 2026, ending nine years on the board.

Annette Court and Jeni Mundy will join as independent non-executive directors in March and April 2026 respectively, with Court becoming senior independent director and Soumen Das appointed audit committee chair from May.