Author: Patrick Killeen

Serco shares have risen to a 10-year-high today after the government services contractor upgraded guidance for 2025, set out a stronger outlook for 2026 and announced a change to its senior leadership team.

In its scheduled trading update, the Hampshire-headquartered firm said it now expects revenue for 2025 of around £4.9 billion, up 3% at constant currency, including organic growth of about 1%.

Underlying operating profit is forecast to be around £270 million, ahead of previous guidance of roughly £260m, with a margin of 5.5%.

Alongside the trading update, Serco also announced that Mark Reid will join the firm as group CFO in March, succeeding Nigel Crossley, who will retire after 11 years with the company.

Reid joins from Proximus, the Belgian-listed telecoms group, where he is currently group CFO and previously served as interim CEO of its international division.

Following the updates, its share price has spiked by 6.9% to 269.6p – a 10-year-high. It has a market cap of £2.7bn.

Author: Joe Morris, sales director, SmartSearch

Paddy Power Betfair has agreed to pay £2 million following a Gambling Commission investigation that found it failed to intervene when customers exhibited signs of problematic gambling behaviour.

The action is not just an isolated event; it is a critical learning experience for the entire UK gambling sector.

The Commission’s finding regarding ‘over-reliance on automation’ highlights a major weakness: compliance technology must evolve beyond static ID checks.

The key takeaway here is that operators are expected to apply Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) dynamically, especially when harm indicators, whether social responsibility or potential money laundering, become visible.

If your automated systems cannot instantly access and verify comprehensive, multi-layered data (such as triple-bureau information and ongoing customer monitoring), then the intervention will always be too late.

We believe many gambling companies require practical guidance on how to bridge this gap between minimum compliance and robust, real-time protection.

Towards, a provider of accessible mental health services, has announced a strategic partnership with Doctor Care Anywhere.

The partnership will see patients with digital healthcare provider DCA given the option to choose Towards for immediate access to high quality therapy, delivered both in person and online. 

The collaboration is set to significantly reduce barriers to mental health support by combining DCA’s extensive patient reach with Towards’ unique service model. 

The core strength of the Towards service is its high-street located, accessible model. Unlike traditional services, Towards offers a walk-in service at convenient high-street locations; zero waiting lists; and flexibility of delivery, with patients having the freedom to choose between confidential face-to face sessions at Towards’ high-street centres or convenient online therapy, catering to their specific needs and preferences. 

Former Chancellor George Osborne has been appointed managing director and head of OpenAI for Countries, a London-based role focused on helping roll out AI technology and infrastructure internationally.

Osborne said THAT the ChatGPT maker is the “most exciting and promising company in the world right now” and praised its “exceptionally impressive leaders”.

The move follows rival Anthropic hiring former UK chancellor and prime minister Rishi Sunak as an adviser in October.

OpenAI has been stepping up UK engagement, including an initiative announced in October to work more closely with the British government on domestic data storage capabilities.

Author: Patrick Killeen

An AI platform aimed at modernising how companies and law firms capture and protect patents has raised a $20 million (£15m) Series A round led by Atomico, with Index Ventures doubling down and Norrsken VC and Daphni also participating.

Ankar AI said it will use the funding to grow its team and expand further into the US, taking total funding to $24m.

The London-based business is positioning itself as an “operating system” for patents, arguing that while AI can help teams assess novelty, draft claims and evaluate prior art faster than ever, adoption has been held back by fragmented tools and a lack of trust in how AI is used in sensitive workflows.

Co-founders Tamar Gomez and Wiem Gharbi previously built software at Palantir in Europe and the US, which the company says has shaped its approach to secure patent retrieval, claim-level reasoning, LLM governance and AI safety inside enterprise-controlled environments.

Frontier IP plans to raise around £870,000 through a placing and a director subscription priced at 15.5p per share.

The company said the funds will support working capital to help deliver near-term milestones and realisations, launch a fully operational South Cambridge Science Centre and selectively back portfolio companies.

It also warned the fundraising alone won’t cover 12 months of operating costs without portfolio realisations, so it will review its cost base in early 2026 and is considering further funding options, including another raise and potential debt.

All Things Considered Group has begun trading on AIM today under the ticker ATC, with its previous admission on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market cancelled.

Alongside the move, the music services business raised £8.6 million before expenses through a placing and subscription of 6,880,000 new shares at 125p, valuing the company at around £29.3m.

ATC said the funds will support investment in artist representation and services and accelerate development of its proprietary data platform focused on improving direct-to-fan engagement.

The group works with more than 900 artist clients and plans to use the proceeds to strengthen its team, invest in technology and data integration, and expand merchandise and wider service operations.

Kelso has raised £2.1 million through a placing of 59,333,331 new shares and a subscription for 8,999,999 new shares, both priced at 3p.

The new shares represent about 18.27% of the company’s existing issued share capital and will be used to expand itss investment portfolio into opportunities it believes offer a better risk-reward balance.

Admission of the shares to the FCA’s Official List and the LSE Main Market is expected at 8:00am on Friday.

Essentra has acquired Device Technologies LLC, a family-owned US specialist in cable protection products, for an initial cash consideration of $6.7 million, with up to $1.2m more in deferred contingent payments.

Based in Massachusetts and operating for more than 40 years, Device Technologies makes products such as grommet edging, shielding gaskets and cable sleeving, which Essentra said complement its electronics, cable management and access hardware ranges.

The business generated around $6.5m of revenue in 2024 and Essentra said the deal values it at 6.6x EBITDA for the last 12 months to June 2025, with a targeted 15% return on invested capital within three years.

It expects the acquisition to strengthen its manufacturing capabilities and create cross-selling opportunities into EMEA and APAC.

AIM-listed security and surveillance specialist Synectics expects a solid FY25 performance, with revenue projected to rise to around £68 million from £55.8m.

Adjusted EBITDA is set to spike to £8.5m from £6.3m, while adjusted PBT is forecast to be at least £6m.

Results were boosted by a significant, non-recurring £12m gaming contract in South-East Asia, which has now been completed.

The order book fell to about £26.5m, mainly reflecting that contract completion and some project delays in oil and gas, but the group ended the year with a record £14.1m cash balance.

The contract completion, which is set to dent FY26 profits, has caused the company’s share price to dip significantly.

Audio tech company RoEx has launched Studio Pro, a premium subscription tier for its Mix Check Studio platform, as it passes a milestone of 5 million tracks enhanced across its AI-driven production tools.

Studio Pro offers unlimited Mastering+ downloads, removing per-track limits for creators who want professional-grade mastering tailored by genre and style.

Built into Mix Check Studio, Mastering+ is designed to optimise audio for different release formats—such as streaming, physical releases or DJ sets—while keeping users in control and requiring no access to stems.

RoEx said the wider adoption is also being driven by its Automix product and API partnerships with platforms including UnitedMasters, Music.AI and Boombox, with plans to expand into post-production for content creation in 2026.

Future Greens, a Sheffield-based startup developing bioreactors that convert unavoidable food and brewery waste into heat and power, has raised £500,000 in new funding.

The package includes £340,000 in equity and a £160,000 UK Government grant, which will be used to develop its proprietary system that it says can process waste up to ten times faster than conventional anaerobic digestion, with brewery customers already lined up.

Backers in the round include PXN Group, One Planet Capital, Baltic Ventures, Venture.Community and Lifted Ventures, and the company now plans to hire chemistry and biochemistry experts.

Future Greens has now attracted more than £800,000 in funding to date and is also receiving a further £100,000 in non-dilutive support through collaborations with the AMRC and the South Yorkshire Innovation Programme at the University of Sheffield.

Author: Patrick Killeen

ABB has agreed to acquire Manchester-headquartered electrical diagnostics specialist IPEC, strengthening its push into predictive monitoring for critical infrastructure.

The Swiss technology group said IPEC brings more than 30 years of expertise in electrical diagnostics, with advanced monitoring systems that track critical electrical infrastructure around the clock. 

The acquisition will expand its Electrification Service portfolio and is intended to support customers shifting from reactive maintenance to proactive asset management. 

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The CEO of Monzo was ousted by the company’s board after a disagreement over its IPO plans, according to reports.

The digital bank, which today has more than 14 million customers, has long planned a public listing, with speculation over the timing and its potential valuation rampant.

In a surprise announcement in October, Monzo said TS Anil would step down in February 2026 and be succeeded by former Google and Standard Chartered exec Diana Layfield, who had originally been lined up to lead its UK business.

At the time, everything seemed cordial – but the Financial Times reports that Anil was at loggerheads with the board over the timing of the stock market flotation, while it doubted his long-term commitment to the company.

 

Author: Patrick Killeen

Atom Bank has officially opened its new Newcastle headquarters after welcoming Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby KC MP to the city last week to mark the move into its new base, The Pattern Shop.

The minister was joined by Newcastle City Council leader Cllr Karen Kilgour, with the visit also recognising the regeneration of the historic building.

Rigby addressed a company-wide meeting during the visit and unveiled a commemorative plaque, with the business saying the relocation underlines its commitment to the region and will bring nearly 600 jobs to Newcastle.

The move to The Pattern Shop is a multi-million-pound relocation from Durham, which Atom said supports its rapid growth, hybrid working approach and ambition to operate as a hub for innovation.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Monzo has made its first acquisition with a swoop for digital mortgage broker Habito. 

The digital bank said the deal, for an undisclosed amount, will see it offer an end-to-end mortgage broking experience within its app.

Monzo has more than 14 million customers and says more than 450,000 of them use its Homeownership feature to track their mortgage, home value and mortgage deals.

Habito, which employs around 100 people and is also based in London, was founded in 2016. Its tech includes mortgage-switching and home-buying services.

The PropTech’s founder Daniel Hegarty stepped down as CEO in 2023 following a tumultuous year, with Ying Tan, an investor and founder of mortgage broker Dynamo – which he exited in 2021 – succeeding him.

Author: Patrick Killeen

London-based employee benefits platform Ben has raised $27.5 million (£20.8m) in a Series B funding round as it looks to challenge legacy systems used by multinational employers to manage increasingly complex benefits programmes.

The round was led by Mercia Ventures, with strong participation from existing investors Atomico, Cherry Ventures, DN Capital and Seedcamp. 

A new backer in this round was Revolut founder Nik Storonsky’s QuantumLight Capital.

The company said the funding will be used to accelerate its product roadmap and strengthen its go-to-market capabilities as demand grows from global enterprises seeking modern alternatives to outdated infrastructure.

Vodafone Group Plc has completed a €175m swoop for Skaylink.

Skaylink is a leading full-service cloud, digital transformation and security specialist with offices throughout Germany and across Europe.

Its team of over 500 professionals are recognised experts at managing cloud deployments and migrations across Microsoft and Amazon Web Services environments and implementing AI solutions for business customers.

Skaylink’s customer-centric business model, capabilities and market presence will provide Vodafone’s business and public sector customers with access to an enhanced suite of digital services and support, Vodafone said.

Author: Chris Maguire

Leading training and skills organisation Apprentify Group has acquired The Graduate Guide, a fast-growing community platform that helps ambitious graduates build careers in the startup world.

Founded by UCL graduates Peter Wood and Marlene Leiss, The Graduate Guide has built a thriving community of 30,000 graduates, with many going on to land roles at the UK’s fastest-growing startups.

Jonathan Fitchew, CEO at Apprentify Group said: “Co-founders Peter and Marlene are a breath of fresh air. They’ve built something truly unique; it’s rare to find young founders who can not only reach high-calibre leaders but also build real relationships with them.

“They have an incredible instinct for what makes people tick. Paired with Apprentify’s engine and expertise, they’re set up to achieve something remarkable.”

Peter Wood, CEO at The Graduate Guide added: “This acquisition allows us to become everything we set out to be and more.

“Becoming part of Apprentify Group allows us to expand our community and break down barriers to entry, whilst ensuring young people are able to thrive in an increasingly competitive job market.”

Author: Patrick Killeen

Shares in SThree have risen by over 7% so far today after the STEM recruitment specialist reported that full-year performance is expected to be in line with guidance and highlighted improving momentum towards the end of its financial year.

The AIM-listed group said profit before tax for the year to 30th November 2025 is expected to be around £25 million, in line with previous guidance, despite a prolonged period of soft market conditions.

Its share price is up at 185.2p today – the highest it has been since September – and the firm currently has a market cap of over £236m.