Starting today, UK businesses can take advantage of Lightyear's new business accounts, enabling them to earn interest and invest their cash through the platform.

A recent SME insights report by Dojo, a specialist in card payments for independent and enterprise businesses, has highlighted a concerning trend: approximately 110,940 SMEs are at risk of insolvency due to depleted cash reserves.

According to a recent market report, 68% of tourists value sustainability positively and want tools to make decisions about the environmental impact of their trips. This is just one sign that the travel industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation with a focus on sustainability. This is reflected in hotels, which are integrating “green” technology in their rooms; the commitment to promoting the circular economy in travel; and an increase in travelers' awareness of the care and respect for the places they visit.

Wiz, a cybersecurity startup, has turned down a $23 billion (£18 billion) takeover offer from Google’s parent company, Alphabet, opting instead for a stock market flotation. This deal would have marked Alphabet's largest acquisition to date.

Global gaming and esports brand GIANTX (GX) has announced the acquisition of UK startup iTero Gaming, known for its AI coaching solutions for competitive gamers. This acquisition marks a significant milestone for the gaming and technology industries, emphasising the integration of AI in esports.

EIT Community RIS Hub in Ukraine and Sigma Software Labs, backed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, have launched the Ukrainian leg of the Startup World Cup competition. The regional winner will advance to the global Grand Finale in San Francisco in October 2024, vying for a $1,000,000 investment prize.

The UK's recent governmental shift has ushered in significant changes and pledges across various sectors. The Labour party has committed to embracing fintech, aiming to inject £330 billion into the UK economy over the next five years.

New research indicates that 57% of the UK population fears the rapid adoption of AI in personalised medicine is outpacing the necessary training for safe system use. Additionally, 49% are worried about health data protection in this context.

An advanced airborne 5G connectivity system has been successfully integrated into a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, completing a series of demonstration flights. Developed by Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL), a Non-Terrestrial Networks telecoms developer, in collaboration with Britten-Norman, this cutting-edge technology promises to revolutionise wide-scale high-performance 5G coverage.

Axevil Capital, an international digital venture ecosystem facilitating investments in top-tier global tech companies, introduced Claudia, an AI-powered investment advisor.

New research by SoSafe revealed that 85% of UK security professionals believe the current threat landscape is the toughest it has been in five years, with only 44% hopeful for improvement in the next 12 months. The alarming rise in cybercrime is overwhelming organisations.

Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group announced that around 500,000 merchants had integrated its generative AI toolkit, "Aidge", into over 40 e-commerce scenarios. Launched last November, the toolkit’s daily application programming interface (API) calls have consistently doubled every two months, now surpassing 50 million.

The Sustainability Expo Europe, hosts 500+ sustainability professionals for a two day in person event at the RAI Amsterdam, 1st - 2nd October 2024!

The collaboration between ACE Money Transfer, an international financial service provider, and Trustly, a company in global open banking payments, has transformed the remittance landscape. Customers have benefited from this partnership through personalised remittance experiences featuring competitive exchange rates, low transfer costs, and enhanced security.

The University of Oxford has partnered with Apollo Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, to accelerate drug discovery and development. This collaboration aims to translate Oxford’s biomedical breakthroughs into new, impactful medicines.

Samsung Electronics has acquired Oxford Semantic Technologies (OST), an Oxford University spinout known for its advanced AI applications using Knowledge & Reasoning. Founded in 2017 by professors Ian Horrocks, Boris Motik, and Bernardo Cuenca Grau, OST specialises in knowledge representation and semantic reasoning.

Element Materials Technology (Element), a global player in materials and product qualification testing, inspection, and certification services, recently unveiled the 18-month development journey of RegNav, its AI-driven regulatory intelligence platform for medical devices. This behind-the-scenes glimpse reveals Element's innovative approach to tackling significant industry challenges through cutting-edge technology.

The UK is poised to make history in Europe as the first nation to commercialise lab-grown meat. Regulatory approval has been granted for chicken cultivated from animal cells, developed by the startup Meatly, to be used in pet food.

Early employees from tech unicorns Canva and Spotify have joined Wondercraft, the AI-powered "Canva for Audio" platform, just months after its Beta launch.

The Hustle Awards 2024 saw the startup industry come together to celebrate some of the brightest talent the startup ecosystem has to offer.