Business News Round Up (16/06/2026)
UK remains Europe’s leading destination for financial services FDI
While total foreign direct investment (FDI) into Europe fell 7% year-on-year and by 14% in the UK in 2025, financial services FDI reached its highest volume since 2019, with projects up 21% across the region, according to EY’s latest European Attractiveness Survey for Financial Services. The UK continues to be Europe’s most attractive location for FDI into financial services, with projects up 16% in 2025, followed by France and Germany. The UK accounted for 24% of European financial services FDI projects in 2025, just below 25% in 2024. France moved into second place with 45 projects, strengthening its share of European activity from 10% to 13%, and overtaking Germany, in third place with 25 projects, and a 7% (from 11%) share in activity. Switzerland ranked fourth with 22 projects (6% of all European projects), and Italy completed the top five with 20 (6% of European financial services activity).
Irish companies double down on investment in Northern England with Manchester mission
Irish companies are opening new offices, creating jobs and helping to deliver some of Greater Manchester’s biggest building projects, as a major trade mission, led by Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Government’s trade and innovation agency, gets under way. The visit is seen as underlining the North of England’s growing pull as a base for Irish companies. Irish business confidence in the North of England is clear – 38% of Irish companies plan to significantly increase investment in the region, and one in five (20%) intend to hire here in 2026. This is according to Enterprise Ireland’s 2026 UK Market Sentiment Survey. The trend reflects a deeper shift. The UK is Ireland’s largest and most strategically important export market, and Irish business has evolved from a traditional export model into a deeply embedded, operationally committed presence at the heart of the UK economy.
Almost all UK businesses expect to electrify operations by 2035, says poll
According to a survey conducted by the We Mean Business Coalition, E3G and the Global Renewables Alliance, 90% of UK business executives foresee their firms electrifying over the next decade. The research, set out in the Powering Up: Business perspectives on electrification report, involved surveying business executives across 18 countries, who overwhelmingly identified electrification as being central to resilience, economic growth and business competitiveness. In the wake of ongoing tensions in the Middle East and fossil fuel price hikes, 91% said electrification would help boost energy security, with 79% saying that the continued instability has made their own business electrification journey more urgent. Energy security consistently emerged as the biggest perceived benefit of electrification, both in the UK and across the rest of the world, and both in terms of security for individual businesses (35% of UK executives) and the economy overall (42% of UK executives).
https://www.edie.net/almost-all-uk-businesses-expect-to-electrify-operations-by-2035-says-poll
Manchester retains UK’s top AI city crown for third year
For the third consecutive year, Manchester has topped the rankings in the SAS AI Cities 2026 Index, maintaining its leadership position through a combination of educational strength, business activity and AI employment. The annual index, now in its fifth year evaluates cities outside of London across eight key criteria, including job opportunities, innovation funding secured, education opportunities, broadband speed, and business activity in the AI sector. Manchester’s position in top spot can be largely attributed to its high integration of AI enterprises. Manchester hosts the highest number of AI businesses in the index, with 655 organisations recorded, overall representing 2.8% of its entire business landscape. Manchester also boasts one of the strongest levels of AI employment outside London (AI-related jobs within a five-mile radius). There is also significant InnovateUK investment activity in the city, averaging more than £279,000 per business for AI and data economy grants.
https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/manchester-retains-uks-top-ai-city-crown-for-third-year