OpenAI in talks to hand Trump’s White House a $43bn stake ahead of $1tn flotation
OpenAI is in talks to hand the US government a 5% stake worth $43bn as Sam Altman courts the Trump administration ahead of a $1tn New York flotation.
2026
Britain suffers the sharpest wealth slump in the rich world
The average Briton is more than a fifth poorer than in 2020, the steepest wealth fall in the rich world, UBS finds. What it means for households and business.
Cutting rates is ‘off the table’, Bailey warns as Iran war stokes inflation
Andrew Bailey says cutting interest rates is 'off the table' as the Iran war stokes inflation, signalling the Bank of England will hold Bank Rate at 3.75% on July 30.…
TG Jones wins court backing to close up to 150 high street shops
TG Jones, WH Smith's former high street business, has won High Court approval for a restructuring that will close up to 150 shops and slash rents to survive.
Romesh Ranganathan ‘gutted’ as tax and cost squeeze shuts 89-year-old Coughlans Bakery
Coughlans Bakery, the 89-year-old chain co-owned by comedian Romesh Ranganathan, has gone into liquidation. Owner Sean Coughlan blames National Insurance, business rates and soaring costs.
Northern Powerhouse Rail risks becoming ‘another HS2’, MPs warn
MPs on the public accounts committee warn Northern Powerhouse Rail risks an HS2-style fiasco, with no detailed design after 12 years and a £45bn budget "decoupled from reality".
Royal Mail’s festive collection cap leaves small firms fearing a lost Christmas
Royal Mail is capping festive business collections at three times normal capacity, and small firms warn the limit could throttle growth during their make-or-break Christmas trade.
Getty walks away from $3.7bn Shutterstock merger after CMA editorial demand
Getty Images has scrapped its $3.7bn merger with Shutterstock after the UK's CMA made approval conditional on selling Shutterstock's editorial arm.
Britain claims world’s third-highest number of billion-dollar start-ups
Britain has overtaken India to claim the world's third-highest number of unicorns, with a record 80 billion-dollar start-ups worth £242.4bn, led by fintech and AI.
What the end of the Halifax name means for its customers
Lloyds is retiring Halifax after 173 years. Here is what the rebrand means for your account, sort code, branch and FSCS protection - and when it happens.