Can tech consumption remain healthy in 2026? Ofcom 2025 highlights: - Adults spend 4 hours and 30 mins online every day, +31 minutes since 2021 - Kids: being online aids creativity but be wary of ‘brain rot’ - VPN usage doubled post age checks bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Dutch payments company Mollie is acquiring UK fintech GoCardless in a reported $1.1bn deal. The move aims to combine card and bank payments into a single solution to serve 350,000+ businesses across Europe. fintechfutures.com/m-a/mollie-acq…

UK finance chiefs enter 2026 confident in AI and digital investment. Deloitte's CFO survey found: - 59% see rising AI impact - 96% plan more tech spend - 77% expect productivity gains - 15% say now is a good time to take more risk digit.fyi/uk-cfos-upbeat…

UK investor Bridgepoint is in exclusive talks to acquire a majority stake in Interpath, a financial advisory firm. Interpath advises corporates, private equity, and most interestingly, helped INEOS Sports reduce spending at Manchester United. fintechfutures.com/m-a/bridgepoin…

The 2026 UK Startups Index is out - the top 3 were: - Omnea: AI concierge for procurement & spend control - HIVED: Tech-first, responsible delivery network - MAGIC AI: AI personal trainer in a mirror finance.yahoo.com/news/2026-star…

Elyos AI, a London startup building AI agents for trades and field services, raised €11.1M ($13M) in Series A funding to speed up booking, communication, dispatch, and fund international expansion. eu-startups.com/2026/01/yc-bac…

Oxford-founded driverless vehicle startup Oxa (formerly Oxbotica) is set to receive tens of millions in taxpayer funding via the £28bn National Wealth Fund, launched by Labour in 2024. bmmagazine.co.uk/in-business/re…

AI shopping assistants are going mainstream. Adoption has jumped from 12% to 28% in a year, financial tech platform Adyen finds, with 49% of 28–43 year-olds open to AI managing their shopping spree. Are we ready to hand over the cart? independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…

ClearScore Group has acquired Acre Platforms, a UK mortgage tech provider, to strengthen its mortgage proposition. The data-driven marketplace plans to use Acre to power its end-to-end mortgage strategy and capabilities. fintech.global/2026/01/23/cle…

Rene Haas, Arm CEO, warns UK startups are held back by low risk appetite. Boosting venture and secondary funding locally would help firms scale and go public. business-live.co.uk/enterprise/arm…

UK-based Sidekick has landed £7.8m in Series A to grow its wealth platform for professionals managing larger portfolios. The firm aims to modernise wealth management with an alternative approach compared to traditional private banks. fintech.global/2026/02/05/uk-…

UK-based firm Lawhive raises $60m to accelerate US expansion, blending human lawyers with AI to handle routine consumer legal work. Could this model silently reshape the legal industry? nonbillable.co.uk/news/lawhive-s…

Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft’s AI lead, warns that AI could fully automate most white-collar UK jobs within 12-18 months. Software engineering is already seeing AI-assisted coding. Will this shift truly happen soon? ft.com/video/2c428045…

Charlotte Crosswell joins the London Stock Exchange board as a non-executive director, returning more than 20 years after leading international business development. The move strengthens LSE’s fintech credentials. fnlondon.com/articles/finte…

Stockholm-born fintech Treyd has hit a £200m lending milestone in the UK and aims to double its customer base by 2027. The platform is rapidly scaling its London-based operations to support British retail growth. thefintechtimes.com/fintech-treyd-…

UK chip challenger Fractile has pledged £100m to expand its London and Bristol operations over the next three years. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan celebrated the move as a major step in the UK's quest to become an "AI maker" in global tech. totaltele.com/uk-govt-celebr…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has outlined plans to tackle online safety, suggesting laws to limit children’s access to AI chatbots and social platforms. A consultation will review risks from algorithms, screen time & digital harm. uktech.news/news/governmen…

London AI infrastructure firm Nscale raises $2B Series C, valuing the company at $14.6B. Backed by Nvidia, Dell, Lenovo & more, it will expand AI data centres globally and build the UK’s largest planned AI supercomputer in Essex. cityam.com/nscale-lands-2…

London fintech Tide launches Business Phone Number (BPN), letting UK small businesses manage a dedicated mobile line directly in the Tide app. It is aimed at Tide’s nearly 800,000 members. fstech.co.uk/fst/Tide_Embed…

70% of UK workers are experimenting with AI at work, while only 19% have completed formal training, according to YouGov. With many learning through colleagues rather than structured programmes, is AI adoption moving faster than skills development? personneltoday.com/hr/uk-workforc…