Following the sad passing of Mary Flavelle, one of the UK’s most respected business networkers and champions of the SME community, Alec Jones-Hall, Director of Great British Expos, reflects on her remarkable life, her extraordinary contribution to British business, and the lasting legacy she leaves behind after more than four decades of bringing people together. The UK business community has lost one of its most recognisable and respected champions with the passing of Mary Flavelle last Friday. To thousands of business owners across the country, Mary was a familiar face – a gifted networker, mentor, speaker and the warm, welcoming…

As the UK heatwave continues and increases demand on the nation’s electricity grid, businesses across the country are facing renewed questions around energy costs, security and sustainability. With cooling costs rising and energy resilience becoming an increasing concern, many business owners are reconsidering their energy contracts. But does switching to a green energy tariff actually cost more? The business energy experts at Utility Bidder have broken down the facts behind renewable business energy tariffs and revealed whether businesses are paying a premium to go green. Madeleine Porter, Head of Marketing at Utility Bidder, explains: “One of the biggest misconceptions we hear from business…

As SMEs continue to navigate rising costs, tighter cashflow and ongoing economic uncertainty, One Stop Business Finance (OSBF) has launched a new initiative designed to support business growth and demonstrate the impact that confidence and backing can have on long-term success. The OSBF Opportunity Grant will provide one Yorkshire-based SME with £5,000 of funding, with no requirement to repay it. Applications are now open and will close on 31 July 2026. The grant has been launched in response to the increasing pressures facing SMEs across the UK, including rising operational costs, late payments, inflationary pressures and restricted access to finance. According to Andrew…

Freelancers are ready to fill the skills gaps in the UK workforce but face a host of regulatory hurdles. New research from Malt, Europe’s leading freelance management platform that hosts a community of one million independent experts, has revealed the compliance challenges facing businesses looking to take on freelance talent. The research found that 80% of those with a freelance management system take just six days from initial sourcing to the project starting, whereas 47% of organisations without one said they take over 15 days to source and contract new freelancers. The Malt Freelance Maturity Report, based on custom research by…

After several years of turbulence, the global fintech sector is entering a new growth phase. In Europe, however, fintech penetration remains below 3% even as consumers trust digital platforms more than legacy banks. According to an investor, the next phase of European fintech growth will depend on startups that can build regulatory capability early and use AI to compete with better-funded incumbents. Last year, global fintech companies generated approximately $650 billion in revenues, representing a growth rate of about 21% year over year from 2024, according to a recent McKinsey report. Investment data by CB Insights shows that in Q1 of this year,…

As the UK experiences another heatwave, Emily Alexander, Senior Associate Scientist at Tunley Environmental explores why climate risk is accelerating in 2026 and what this means for businesses. Against a backdrop of record-breaking temperatures and more frequent severe weather events, it highlights how climate change is no longer a distant concern but an immediate operational and financial challenge. The evidence is difficult to ignore. 2023, 2024, and 2025 were the three hottest years on record, and the UK’s Met Office expects 2026 to rank among the warmest years ever observed, with global temperatures projected to remain around 1.46°C above pre-industrial…

A new study by instantprint has revealed the extent of Britain’s summer sickie culture, with childcare costs emerging as an unexpected driver behind workplace absences. Surveying 2,000 UK office workers, the research found that 43% admit they have pulled a summer sickie, while almost a third (31%) of working parents say they have used a sick day to manage childcare challenges. The findings suggest that while sunshine still tempts workers away from their desks, rising childcare costs and mounting family pressures are creating a new set of challenges for working parents during the summer months. According to Pregnant Then Screwed’s State of the Nation…

Worldline [Euronext: WLN], a European leader in payment services, has become the first payment provider in Europe to enable Click to Pay for recurring payments, bringing one-click checkout to the full subscription lifecycle for international merchants. Click to Pay is a fast, secure digital checkout that removes friction and improves payment success across recurring payments.   Available on Global Collect, Worldline’s global cross-border payments platform, this new capability enables digital-first businesses to scale subscription payments seamlessly across markets, while increasing conversion, reducing involuntary churn, and protecting recurring revenue. Conversion friction at checkout and payment failures remain major barriers to growth in…

Partner Sue Dowling, in law firm Blandy & Blandy’s Employment Law team, offers a reminder of important health and safety laws in light of the recent soaring temperatures in England and Wales. Heatwaves of the kind recently experienced are set to become more common, so what should employers be aware of during periods of hot weather? Employers’ obligations during hot weather  Employers are required to take reasonable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 deal with the control of temperature and ventilation and the Management of Health and…

The UK’s Fair Work Agency is urging employers to self-report employment law breaches before they are identified through inspection. Speaking on the Inside the Workroom podcast with Kevin Fitzgerald, UK Managing Director of Employment Hero, Chief Executive Lisa Pinney MBE said the agency is seeking a cooperative approach with responsible employers. “Everybody makes mistakes. If you find a problem, put it right and let us know. We want to work with legitimate businesses that want to do the right thing.” Lisa explained the agency’s approach to self-reporting and enforcement: “Where businesses do come forward, the agency works with them. Those that don’t,…