Author: Jonathan Symcox

eCommerce giant Amazon is to cut up to 14,000 corporate jobs globally – and says AI is the reason.

The US-headquartered firm employs 75,000 people in the UK. Those impacted are to hear from the company today.

Amazon made billions in profit in its latest results but said it wishes to “remove layers, increase ownership, and realise efficiency gains”.

Senior vice president of people experience and technology, Beth Galetti, told staff: “Some may ask why we’re reducing roles when the company is performing well.

“What we need to remember is that the world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before.”

Meta, TikTok and Snap have agreed to comply with Australia’s social media ban for under-16s – the first of its kind in the world.

The new laws are set to come into effect from early December and the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and SnapChat will soon begin deleting children’s accounts.

Facebook and Instagram will ask 450,000 account holders whether they wish for their accounts to be deleted, or the data held until they turn 16. ByteDance (TikTok) and Snap said they will take similar steps, according to Reuters.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Liverpool-based Human Magic has been bought out of administration in a pre-pack deal after struggling with challenging economic conditions.

Ben Woodthorpe and Simon Jagger of S&W Partners were appointed joint administrators on 13th October 2025, before completing the sale of the company’s business and assets to HMNMGC Ltd, a related party.

The deal guarantees continuity for the global employer brand agency’s 30 UK-based staff, all of whom have transferred to the new entity under TUPE (transfer of undertakings (protection of employment)) regulations.

The business had undergone a major transformation in recent years, rebranding from PH Creative in 2024 and expanding internationally through acquisitions.

This included Manchester-based Tap In and the employer branding arm of Sydney agency Eloquent.

The price of a Bitcoin has moved past $114,000 following a 4% increase in the past five days.

Currently up 22% in the last six months, BTC hit an all-time high of $126,270 earlier this month before falling back to $107k.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Student living platform Housr has raised £7.5 million in private financing to accelerate its product innovation and expansion across the UK and US.

The round includes backing from Ashta Capital and Juniper Equity, two Texas-based investment firms known for supporting high-growth operating companies.

The Manchester-founded startup, which grew revenues by 186% year-on-year, is on a mission to modernise student housing through technology.

Abingdon Software Group, a UK-headquartered global software group, has acquired dcs plus, one of the world’s leading providers of software solutions for the travel industry. 

Founded in 2002, Romanian firm dcs plus has grown into a global travel technology company, offering a comprehensive suite of products ranging from booking and distribution systems to mid- and back-office automation tools. 

Its solutions are used by travel companies in more than 60 countries on all continents. dcs plus is backed by venture capital firms Earlybird and Credo. 

Evelyn Partners has appointed ex-professional rugby player Chris Dean to its Edinburgh financial planning team.

Dean spent over a decade with Edinburgh Rugby Club, and with more than 150 appearances became the club’s most-capped centre in its history. His appointment in a business development role, while also training as a financial planner, further grows the Edinburgh office of the leading UK wealth management firm.

He will develop opportunities for both the financial planning and investment management teams at the Edinburgh office, strengthening relationships with key contacts and raising Evelyn Partners’ profile in the marketplace.

KR1 plans to become the first multi-asset digital asset company listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

The company is primarily focused on decentralised technologies and the staking of digital assets.

Alongside its staking operations, it also intends to invest in companies and assets in the digital asset sector and potentially enter into relevant partnerships or joint ventures.

For the financial year ended 31st December 2024, KR1 plc generated income of £12.8 million from staking activities, which represented an increase of 86.4% on FY23 (£6.9m).

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A software company listed in London for a quarter of a century looks set to be taken private.

Idox plc, headquartered in Woking, has agreed a deal with shareholder Long Path, a US-based investment manager, which values it at £340m.

Shareholders will now vote on the offer.

Long Path, a shareholder in the firm for the last seven years, holds 12% of the issued share capital of Idox. It claims to have secured the support of shareholders holding 35% of the company. 

Idox serves the public and private sectors, helping organisations to digitise complex workflows, manage critical information assets, and improve operational efficiency. It has delivered applications across areas such as planning, regulatory compliance, engineering information management, and elections technology.

Global data giant Experian has acquired KYC360 in the UK and Ireland.

It says the deal will significantly enhance its fraud and financial crime compliance capabilities.

KYC360’s suite of Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions will support Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) processes – which allow clients to onboard, screen and perpetually maintain data across the entire customer base – when they are integrated into Experian’s Ascend platform.

Sheffield-based technology and IT firm, Simoda, is expanding its services to support clients across Europe, following a record year of growth and rising customer demand.

Founded in 2019, Simoda has enjoyed growth of 35% over the past 12 months and is now laying the foundations for an organic overseas expansion.

Simoda can deliver services across Europe from its base in Amsterdam and has already delivered site-wide fibre and CCTV installations for European clients, as well as a network refresh for a governmental body in France.

Capita plc today announced the launch of The AI Catalyst Stack, operationalising AI at scale and underpinning its ambition to become the first AI-enabled business process outsourcer (BPO).

It says the AI Catalyst Stack leverages Capita’s operational expertise and hyperscaler partnerships to embed AI in mission-critical services, driving faster transformation, reducing costs, and improving outcomes for citizens and customers.

Risers:

Goodwin – +32.69%
W.A.G Payment Solutions – +4.98%
Chemring Group – +3.30%
4imprint Group – +2.87%
Playtech – +2.63%

Fallers:

Fresnillo – -3.71%
Hochschild Mining – -3.57%
Oxford Nanopore Technologies – -2.79%
Endeavour Mining – -2.58%
Diageo – -2.35%

Lincoln-based Google Premier and Shopify Plus marketing agency eComOne has appointed Stephen Kenwright, co-founder and former chief commercial officer of Rise at Seven, as a non-executive director.

Kenwright co-founded Rise at Seven in 2019 and helped scale the agency to £7 million in annual revenue, more than 100 staff and offices in Sheffield, Manchester, London and New York before exiting after three years.

With over 13 years’ experience leading top-performing digital agencies, he will now support eComOne’s strategic growth as it aims to become the UK’s leading ecommerce specialist for search and paid media.

The appointment follows the company’s recent promotion to Shopify Plus Partner status, marking a pivotal moment in the agency’s expansion from its Lincolnshire base.

Praetura’s asset finance division, which provides flexible asset and loan funding to SMEs across the UK, has reported its strongest-ever quarter with £60 million lent in Q3 2025 – a 61% increase year-on-year.

The business, comprising Praetura Asset Finance and Kingsway Finance, offers funding from £10,000 to £5m to help companies acquire equipment, vehicles and other assets.

Growth was driven by rising demand from industries such as construction, manufacturing and healthcare, as more SMEs turn to alternative lenders.

With its loan book now exceeding £340m, the Greater Manchester-based firm is on track to break annual funding records for the fifth consecutive year.

JPMorgan Chase has given employees the option to use its in-house AI tool to help write year-end performance reviews, according to the Financial Times. 

The system, built on the bank’s large language model (LLM), is said to be able to generate review drafts based on employee prompts to help streamline what is often a time-consuming process across large organisations.

The rollout is part of the global giant’s broader AI adoption strategy, showcasing how machine-generated text is becoming increasingly common in corporate workflows. 

Employees are advised to use the tool as a starting point, remaining responsible for final submissions, and it will not be used for compensation decisions.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Nottingham-based Agilitas IT Solutions has entered administration, with Michael Magnay and Rob Croxen of Alvarez & Marsal Europe appointed as joint administrators.

Cameo Services has acquired the firm’s IT maintenance customer base in a move designed to ensure continuity of service for channel partners and end clients.

A statement on the company’s website read: “On 23 October 2025, Michael Magnay and Rob Croxen of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as joint administrators of Agilitas IT Solutions Limited in administration (the “company”).

“The administrators encourage anyone who has an interest in the company’s stock or assets to contact them on: ins_agitsl@alvarezandmarsal.com.

“The affairs, business and property of the company are being managed by the joint administrators who act as agents of the company and without personal liability.”

The private-equity backed firm employs more than 100 people and posted a notice of intention to appoint administrators via Eversheds Sutherland last week.

In its FY25 results in June, the company reported a 26.4% revenue decline from £17.7 million to £13m, citing ‘significant challenges’ and the loss of one of its largest customers.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Former Manchester United and England footballer Jesse Lingard has joined London-based AI SportTech MAGIC AI as an investor, brand ambassador and on-screen trainer.

The fitness technology company, which is behind the award-winning MAGIC AI Mirror, has now raised just shy of £7 million.

With a combined social media following of more than 15m, Lingard’s move into the fast-growing AI fitness sector follows a wave of elite athletes investing in technology-driven health ventures. 

He joins a star-studded roster of MAGIC AI collaborators that includes Sir Alastair Cook, Strictly Come Dancing’s Katya Jones and Team GB Olympic champion Desiree Henry.

Global professional services network Forvis Mazars has made a major investment in its technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) practice with the appointment of Nathan Reay as TMT sector leader for the UK.

Reay, an experienced investment banker and former C-suite executive, brings more than 25 years of global strategy and M&A experience across Hong Kong, Sydney and London.

In his new role at the France-based firm, he will lead the expansion of the company’s TMT offering in the UK and contribute to international strategy as a member of the firm’s global TMT board.

He will also head the UK mergers & acquisitions team for the sector, drawing on a career that includes leading corporate strategy for multinational media companies, managing global tech and media investments, and sitting on the board of a technology-focused venture capital fund.

Author: Paul Holland, managing director for UK/ANZ Fleet, Corpay

The Autumn Budget is meant to be about stability and growth, but small fleets and van drivers are bracing for another round of cost increases. 

These are the people who keep Britain moving. They deliver our groceries, fix our boilers, keep the shelves stocked. 

Yet every Budget seems to treat them as an easy target. Fuel duty, taxes, higher wages, energy costs – all of it lands on small operators first, and they have the least room to absorb it.

The reality is that small businesses don’t have corporate buffers or deep pockets. They are family businesses, sole traders, and local employers. Every extra pound squeezed out of them is another pound that ends up in the weekly shop or the cost of a delivery. 

And while larger fleets can plan years ahead, the small firms are often making decisions month to month. They need breathing space, not another set of hidden costs.

This is why the Budget matters. The Government can choose to pile more weight onto these businesses, or it can give them the room to invest and grow. 

That means phasing in new taxes, offering SME-friendly incentives for EV adoption, and making infrastructure accessible beyond the big corporates. The van driver in Manchester or the builder in Birmingham deserves the same chance to go greener and save money as the multinational.

If the Chancellor really wants a healthier economy, the Autumn Budget cannot ignore the backbone of UK business. 

Stop treating small businesses like an ATM. Give them the stability they need, and the whole country will feel the benefit.