CFOtech UK

Sicona Battery Technologies has called for more late-stage growth capital for critical minerals and battery materials manufacturing in Australia, saying faster funding is needed to support onshore battery materials plants. The push comes as overseas governments increase support for silicon-carbon anode manufacturing, the segment in which Sicona operates.

The Mills Review established that firms must hold AI agents to the same standards as human staff, while ensuring accountability remains firmly with humans, and Aveni's Chief Commercial Officer, Kent Mackenzie, emphasised the need for small models to include specialist, relevant input.

Back in 1990, I co-founded an accounting software business called Exchequer. Over the following fifteen years, we built it into something genuinely valuable – valuable enough that a large acquirer came knocking in 2005. That process taught me a lesson I have never forgotten: The moment you start a business is the moment you should start preparing it for outside investment or sale. I know how that sounds when you are in the early years, focused on survival and then growth.

Diamond Logistics has warned that record UK fuel prices are driving up costs across supply chains, with eCommerce businesses feeling particular pressure. Daniel Allin, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Diamond Logistics, said diesel had risen to nearly £2 per litre at some UK forecourts, while petrol was averaging about 175p per litre.

KYND has launched an AI detection tool for cyber insurers. It is designed to give underwriters an independent view of AI technologies visible across an organisation's online assets. The new feature from the London-based cyber risk intelligence provider lets insurers identify AI technologies across an organisation's external digital footprint from a single domain, without needing information from the insured business.

Bon Charge has launched a Red Light Toothbrush Charging Travel Case, expanding its oral care range with an accessory priced at GBP £54.99. Designed for use with Bon Charge's existing Red Light Toothbrush, the case charges the device while it is stored and holds two brush heads. Bon Charge says it can fully charge the toothbrush in two to eight hours. One full charge provides up to four weeks of use, based on twice-daily brushing sessions of two minutes.

CX Tech has submitted plans for a £16.5 billion technology campus at Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway. The proposal covers a 1GW data centre-led development on a former nuclear site. The application seeks Planning Permission in Principle for what would be one of the UK's largest digital infrastructure projects. The scheme includes up to 162,000 square metres of data centre space across eight buildings at the Chapelcross site near Annan. The campus would be built over about eight years.

Mastek has launched an AI-native Services as Software strategy aimed at reducing enterprise software subscription costs. The approach combines domain expertise, AI, data and engineering to move clients away from traditional enterprise software and toward services designed around business outcomes. Mastek is applying the model across its industry verticals.

Intuit has published research suggesting young UK accountants expect AI to speed up their career progression. The survey found that 90% of accountancy students and early-career finance professionals aged 18 to 24 believe they will be better equipped to use AI than their future managers or senior colleagues. The findings point to a shift in how younger finance workers view the profession.

OakNorth has selected Wise Platform to provide international payments for its UK business customers, expanding cross-border payment options for companies banking with the lender. Under the agreement, OakNorth customers with annual turnover of £1 million to £100 million will be able to make international payments in more than 20 currencies, including euros, US dollars, pounds sterling, Indian rupees, Hong Kong dollars and Chinese yuan.