Business News Round Up (19/08/2025)
Tech investment and market expansion fuel high levels of confidence as Scotland’s private firms target growth in H2 – Private Enterprise Barometer
94% private business owners in Scotland are confident of delivering growth in 2025, according to KPMG’s mid-year Private Enterprise Barometer check-in. Earlier this year, KPMG unveiled its first-ever Private Enterprise Barometer, an annual survey capturing the perspectives of 1,500 privately owned businesses, including 128 in Scotland, from across various industries. Following a challenging six-months of economic headwinds, KPMG revisited businesses to understand how developments in H1 may have influenced their outlook. Earlier this year, 90% private businesses in Scotland expressed confidence in their growth prospects for 2025. This sentiment has grown, with confidence levels rising to 94%, reflecting an enhanced outlook regarding their growth ambitions. Technology continued to dominate as a leading investment priority for Scottish businesses, with 64% identifying areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security and broader digital transformation as key focuses. This significantly outpaces other priorities, such as workforce and skills development (38%) and innovation (35%).
Diversification and innovation fuels confidence as North West firms target growth
More than nine in 10 of the North West’s private businesses are confident in delivering growth in 2025. That’s according to KPMG’s mid-year Private Enterprise Barometer, which the firm is publishing today. Earlier this year, KPMG unveiled its first-ever Private Enterprise Barometer, an annual survey capturing the perspectives of 1,500 privately owned businesses – including 124 in the North West – from across various industries. Following a challenging six months of economic headwinds, KPMG has surveyed businesses again to understand how developments in the first half of 2025 may have influenced their outlook. Earlier this year, 93% of North West private businesses expressed confidence in their growth prospects for the next 12 months and this sentiment was echoed at the mid-year mark, reflecting unwavering commitment to growth ambitions despite wider economic turbulence.
Scottish corporate insolvency figures fall again in July
In July, there were 116 company insolvencies registered in Scotland, slightly lower than the number during the same month last year. The total number of company insolvencies was comprised of 68 company voluntary liquidations, 43 compulsory liquidations, four administrations and one company voluntary arrangement. There were no receivership appointments. The latest figures from Accountant in Bankruptcy, Scotland’s insolvency service, also showed that between 26 June 2020 and 31 July 2025, there were three restructuring plans and one moratorium. The total insolvency rate in Scotland in the 12 months to July 2025 was 51.4 per 10,000 companies on the effective register – down by 2.4 from the preceding 12 months ending July 2024.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/scottish-corporate-insolvency-figures-fall-35754694
Upcoming changes to European travel: what UK businesses need to know
UK businesses with employees travelling to Europe will soon face new rules that could impact work trips, client visits and cross-border meetings. The new rules form part of two connected border systems being introduced by the European Union that will affect non-EU citizens travelling to Europe. The EU has confirmed that its long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) will now launch on 12 October 2025. The new system is designed to track non-EU nationals, including British citizens as they enter and exit the Schengen area (which covers 29 countries in Europe). The EES checks will help enforce the rule that a visitor’s total stay in the Schengen area must not exceed 90 days in every 180-day period; a rule that has applied to UK citizens since Brexit. Another key change is the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which is expected to launch between October and December 2026.