Business News Round Up (13/02/2020)
Put North West at heart of budget – CBI
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called for the Government to prioritise private sector investment in the North West. The organisation believes investment in skills, net zero, innovation and infrastructure will address productivity levels and enable all regions of the UK to share in economic growth. The CBI has outlined a series of key proposals for the North West, including a comprehensive review on business rates, further devolution, funding strategic infrastructure projects, among others.
https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-west/put-north-west-at-heart-of-budget-cbi
Middle East investors deployed £230m into Scotland in 2019
Investors in the Middle East invested more money into regions of the UK than into London as for the first time due to better returns on offer, according to new research. Property advisor CBRE revealed investment into the UK from the Middle East in 2019 was down on 2018, falling from £3.7bn to £1.5bn, attracted by the high levels of investment into regional infrastructure and the opportunity to achieve greater yields.
Manchester gets £2m to foster new cloud and cyber security start-up talent
Enterprise City, a pioneering technology, media and cultural cluster in central Manchester, has secured a £2 million grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support and attract more cloud service, cybersecurity and edge technology firms in the region. The Exchange programme, based within Enterprise City’s commercial district will give “ambitious, early stage tech companies and entrepreneurs access to the tools and infrastructure they need to grow and succeed” and aims to create and sustain over 2,000 jobs in the city over the next 15 years.
https://data-economy.com/manchester-gets-2m-to-foster-its-cloud-and-cyber-security-startup-talent/
Cyber security specialist to establish technology hub in Edinburgh
A Hong Kong based FinTech company specialising in cyber security has announced plans to establish a technology hub in Edinburgh after securing a £200,000 Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) award from Scottish Enterprise. PolyDigi Tech’s new technology hub will provide the capacity for expected growth in the future and support the development of its existing products technology in the field of mobile network authentication and utilising telecommunication technology for network access, ensuring that access is only granted to those with the necessary authentication, creating 16 jobs in the area. This comes as a further boost to Scotland’s burgeoning FinTech industry, with the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector rising by more than 60 per cent in the past year.