Bristol-based mutual insurer National Friendly has seen a lot of change in its 150 year history. Originally it provided sickness benefits to working men, but also, uniquely among friendly societies at the time, it welcomed working women and children too. This pioneering stance – when poverty, poor education, poor...
Bristol-headquartered national law firm Burges Salmon has recruited Martin Cook as its new head of fintech, describing him as a sector heavyweight. Joining as a director, Martin, pictured, will sit in the firm’s funds and financial regulation team, working closely with colleagues in its financial services sector and technology...
Expanding Bristol search engine optimisation (SEO) firms upUgo and GoRank are poised for further expansion after securing investment from Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Imran Hakim. Both firms have benefited from the lockdowns of the past year as more business goes online and already boast a already the likes of WH...
Business management systems giant Sage has taken a minority investment in fast-growing Bristol-based retail management software firm Brightpearl as part of a £25m fundraising round aimed at triggering further international expansion. Sage, which will have a seat on Brightpearl’s board under the deal, said the move would help make...
Bristol’s small businesses can access help and advice to grow internationally through a new, free, post-Brexit programme. The Export Academy involves overseas trade experts from the Department for International Trade (DIT) hosting a series of online workshops and events offering advice and support directly to business owners. The programme...
Malachy McReynolds, the chair of regional alternative finance lender SWIG Finance, is to step down in March after five years in the role. He will be replaced by Christine Allison, a former lead economist for the World Bank, who has been a non-executive director of SWIG Finance for the...
The Greater Bay Area of China will come under the spotlight at a webinar to be hosted by the Bristol and West of England China Bureau next week. The free Zoom event takes place between 9am and 10.30am on Tuesday, January 12, and will give an overview of the...
The latest lockdown will be another “body blow” to Bristol firms, coming after the uncertainty caused by Brexit and lost trade in the run-up to Christmas, the region’s biggest business group has warned. Business West, which runs Bristol Chamber of Commerce, said firms that had survived so far with...
The Bristol office of national accountancy group Smith & Williamson capped off a successful 2020 by completing two deals – a management buyout at a robotics firm and a sale of an e-learning business. The management buyout at Gloucester-based CKF Systems secures the future of the 30-year-old business, which...
More than two-thirds of high-growth firms in the South West plan to continue to expand next year after adapting for a post-Covid world, new research shows. According to the first survey to chart these businesses during the coronavirus pandemic it has created significant barriers to growth for 58% of...
The Bristol office of national law firm Ashfords has advised fintech client Form3 on a major investment and partnership with global payment technology leader Mastercard which could transform the industry. Under the agreement, Mastercard will use London-based Form3’s cloud-based systems to help banks and financial institutions around the world...
Bristol-based XCD, the cloud-based HR and payroll software firm, has received a £2m investment from BGF to spur further organic and acquisitive growth. Founded in 2011, tech innovator XCD now has a workforce of employ more than 70 people and 30,000-plus users spanning not-for-profit, private and public sectors across...
Lawyers at Bristol-headquartered TLT are to benefit from a first-of-its kind fintech school set up by the firm in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University. The course gives the national firm’s lawyers a critical understanding of some of the most transformative technologies in the financial services industry, including blockchain and...
