Business News Round Up (06/02/2026)
UK interest rates held at 3.75% but Bank says future cuts likely
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75% after a knife-edge vote which split the decision-making committee five to four. Economists had not forecast a cut after borrowing rates were reduced in December, and against a mixed economic backdrop. Governor Andrew Bailey told the BBC that there was likely to be “some further reduction” in rates later this year. The Bank also lowered its prediction for economic growth for this year and raised its forecast for unemployment, expectations which make further rate cuts more likely. Bailey said rates were not expected to fall back to the lows seen at the start of the pandemic, which were the “product of exceptional things going on, starting with the financial crisis”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czx1vly05pvo
NatWest to expand Accelerator community to 50,000 UK entrepreneurs
NatWest has announced plans to dramatically expand its Accelerator community, with an ambition to support 50,000 entrepreneurs across the UK in 2026 – a five-fold increase on the target it set for 2025. The move follows a standout year for the programme, during which the bank supported around 12,000 founders. That figure exceeds the total number of entrepreneurs the Accelerator had backed over the previous decade combined, highlighting the rapid acceleration in both scale and impact. The expansion forms part of NatWest’s new five-point Growing Together plan, which outlines how the bank intends to support long-term UK growth. The strategy focuses on backing regional economies, championing mid-market businesses, strengthening infrastructure and housing, improving financial confidence among families and young people, and supporting the innovators shaping the future economy.
https://bmmagazine.co.uk/get-funded/natwest-accelerator-50k-entrepreneurs-2026
City deal drives £3.6 billion growth and 30,000 jobs
Almost 30,000 jobs have been created or supported thanks to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. The Deal, which launched in 2018, is at the halfway point in its 15-year delivery timeline and has already contributed £3.6 billion in economic growth. The £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal is supported with £300 million each from the Scottish and UK governments. Over 5000 businesses have engaged directly with the Deal through partnerships or collaborations on training and skills development, innovation, and jobs, and more than £1 billion in additional funding has been secured for Deal-related projects. From Fife to the Scottish Borders, the Deal is delivering investment across housing, transport, innovation, culture, and skills and employment. Highlights include seven innovation hubs to increase links between university research and industry, housing developments that have delivered almost 8,500 new homes, and two industrial innovation zones.
£1.19bn industrial property investments transacted in the North West in 2025
North West industrial investments transacted in 2025 totalled approximately £1.19bn (84 deals), a 16% increase on the £1.03bn (63 deals) transacted in 2024. According to B8RE’s H2 2025 market update, the number and size of transactions in 2025 were highly consistent with the five-year average of £1.18bn. On a quarterly basis, North West industrial investments transacted, by value, were split as follows: Q1 18% (17 deals, £218m); Q2 26% (19 deals, £314m); Q3 18% (15 deals , £213m); Q4 37% (33 deals, £444m). The agency also recorded approximately £310m across 15 deals that were under offer going into 2026. The North West Big Box occupational market saw demand rise to 3.77 million sqft in 2025 across 25 transactions, which marks the third straight year of growth, and a 15.5% increase compared with 2024 (3.22 million sqft).