HLAS

The Government has published the third annual Investing in Women Code report. The Investing in Women Code is a commitment to supporting the advancement of female entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom by improving female entrepreneurs’ access to tools, resources and finance from the financial services sector. Key findings in the review showed: A higher percentage of venture capital deals made by Investing in Women Code (IWC) signatories feature at least one female founder as compared to the wider market; This is the third year in a row that IWC signatories have outperformed the venture capital market; More diverse investment committees are key [...]

A scam is a fraudulent scheme or operation designed to hoax people out of their cash, property, or personal information. Scams can take many forms, but they all share one ultimate goal: to take advantage of people’s trust to part them from their money. With the internet providing anonymity as well as opportunity, the scope for scams has increased – and a particularly rich area for scammers with eyes on your money is investment. You want to grow your money by investing it – scammers know ways to convince you to invest it with them. Scammers are very good at [...]

In a call for evidence launched recently, the UK government wants to hear views on Save As You Earn (SAYE) and the Share Incentive Plan (SIP), as it seeks to improve the schemes and expand their use by making it easier for businesses to set them up and offer them out to staff. The government is considering more simplified schemes to support business growth. The changes also aim to boost participation among low earners. This comes as a HMRC evaluation report shows that 81% of businesses say these schemes help boost their business, with almost three quarters of these saying [...]

New guidance designed to help organisations support employees experiencing menopause or menstruation and better enable them to retain experienced and talented people of all ages has been published by British Standards Institute (BSI). BSI, the UK National Standards Body, has published the menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard (BS 30416), following consultation with experts and the public. It sets out practical recommendations for workplace adjustments, as well as strategies to sit alongside existing well-being initiatives, to help organisations meet the needs of employees experiencing menopause or menstruation. The guidance is designed to enable organisations to prioritize the [...]

HM Treasury and the Bank of England are consulting on a potential digital pound, or central bank digital currency (CBDC). The consultation paper sets out analysis by HM Treasury and the Bank of England on the potential case for a UK central bank digital currency – a “digital pound” - and consult on the key features of a potential model. A digital pound would be a new form of digital money for use by households and businesses for their everyday payments needs. As part of the wider landscape of money and payments it would sit alongside, not replace, cash – [...]

Recently we have seen increasing interest rates, the largest monthly house price fall for nearly 14 years by 3.4%, and businesses and individuals paying the highest tax burden since the 1960’s. Times are likely to remain challenging for many businesses, however history shows us that that when things are difficult, genuine quality always rises to the surface. So what do businesses have to do to ensure that they succeed in the present economic environment? The changing nature of the economy presents a whole series of questions for any business: What finance will it need, short term and to invest? What [...]

Communities and businesses in the most remote areas will benefit from better access to wireless networks following the announcement of government plans. A new £7 million fund will test out new ways to bring together satellite, wireless and fixed line internet connectivity, helping support farmers and tourism businesses to access lightning fast, reliable connectivity in remote areas for the first time. The results of the new approaches will also help rural businesses in trial areas make the most of new agricultural technologies by improving connectivity on their land, for example using new drone technology to monitor crops and livestock in real-time, support landscape and wildlife conservation efforts, or [...]

The Insolvency Service has issued a warning to investors and its customers regarding a recent increase in fraudulent activity, including recovery room scams, and fraudsters impersonating genuine Insolvency Service employees, in the form of emails, phone calls and letters. Recovery room scams usually follow an investment scam, where victims have already lost money. Victims are cold called by fraudsters who pretend to be from a different company. High pressure tactics are then used to obtain upfront charges/fees, described as, for example, tax, solicitor fees and administrative fees. This can result in losses that can be greater than the initial investment [...]

Last week we learnt that more than 100,000 people have been warned their personal data is in the hands of cyber-criminals as a result of a continuing mass hack. The BBC, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Boots are among the companies whose staff have been affected by the MoveIt data breach and even more organisations are expected to issue staff warnings, as the extent of the breach is discovered. If you have not implemented cyber security in your business then now may be a good time to consider the UK government “Cyber Essentials” to help protect you against a whole range of [...]

Small Business Saturday is once again highlighting 100 small businesses, one a day for 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday 2023. For the last ten years, the 100 have not only received exposure on Small Business Saturday's social media channels and in the local and national press, but also joined the Small Business Saturday team in London at receptions in Downing Street, House of Lords, and the Treasury Drum with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Applications close on 30 June 2023. Successful applicants will be notified by email in August. See: Small Business Saturday UK | Another year making a Big Difference!