Business

WhatsApp users will soon be able to lock and hide conversations, thanks to a new feature. Chat Lock will remove a chat thread from the app’s regular onscreen inbox and place it into a new folder that can only be opened by a password or biometric, such as facial recognition or a fingerprint. Calling it

For all its seaside delights, Margate in Kent is one of the most deprived parts of the UK. Amid the cost of living crisis, many families are struggling to make ends meet. Falling ill can become a headlong plunge into poverty – as Kyra Lloyd, a 25-year-old shop assistant, discovered when she began experiencing agonising

The governor of the Bank of England has told Sky News he expects inflation to fall “rapidly” in just weeks – but warned two thirds of the pain from interest rate rises is yet to come. Andrew Bailey made the comments after interest rates were increased for a record-breaking 12th successive time, lifting the cost

Google has announced its first folding smartphone, with a market-leading starting price of £1,749. That puts the Pixel Fold well ahead of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, the world’s most expensive foldable handset, which comes in at £1,649. Like its competitor, Google‘s effort has a familiar smartphone form factor when closed but opens up into

Prices have increased at the world’s largest holiday company and are now “notably higher” than just three months ago. The average selling price at Tui has increased 5%, which the company has described as “notably higher” than the 2% price increase reported in the first three months of its 2023 financial year. In its half-year

JD Sports Fashion will complete the overhaul of its top executive team this week when it raids the owner of the Comparethemarket price comparison site to appoint its new finance chief. Sky News has learnt that the London-listed retailer has finalised the appointment of Dominic Platt, who is currently chief financial officer at privately held

A not-for-profit company set up nearly a decade ago in the wake of the Libor rate-rigging scandal will this week appoint a veteran City banker as its next chair. Sky News understands Jonathan Moulds has been lined up to head the Financial Markets Standards Board (FMSB), with an announcement expected to be made on Tuesday.

BP is exploring a sale of two of the companies owned by its early-stage ventures arm in a move which could raise tens of millions of pounds. Sky News has learnt that the FTSE 100 company’s Launchpad division has begun contacting prospective buyers of Lytt and Onyx Insight in recent weeks. Lytt transforms large amounts

A defence-focused British artificial intelligence software company chaired by a veteran of City boardrooms has raised a substantial round of funding to fuel its expansion. Sky News has learnt that Adarga, which helps the Ministry of Defence and national security-focused clients identify threats more effectively by sifting vast amounts of information, has secured £17m from

Shakespeare and the Spice Girls were used by environmental protestors to repeatedly disrupt the Barclays annual general meeting (AGM) in central London on Wednesday morning. Activists from Extinction Rebellion, Fossil Free London and Climate Choir were protesting the UK high street bank’s investment in new fossil fuel projects despite heavy security at the AGM venue.

The UK financial watchdog will announce plans to change the rules on bringing companies into public ownership after a series of high profile businesses snubbed the London Stock Exchange. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will on Wednesday publish proposed changes to rules on listing companies on the London Stock Exchange. It hopes to make regulation

Secret Sales, a discount platform for premium clothing and beauty brands, has clinched a $10m funding round to accelerate its expansion into Europe. Sky News understands that the company, which was bought by retail entrepreneurs Chris Griffin and Matt Purt three years ago, will announce this week that it has secured the additional capital from

The new owners of Chelsea FC are in talks with Allianz, the German insurance giant, about taking over as its principal shirt sponsor as they grapple with the impact of a dire debut season on the club’s finances. Sky News has learnt that Allianz is among a handful of companies in discussions with the Stamford

The British competition watchdog has blocked Microsoft’s bid to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stopped the $68.7bn (£55bn) deal due to concerns that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. In its final report on Wednesday, the CMA said that the move was “the only effective

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar talks to Ian King about grocery prices and developing trends in our shopping habits. Plus, chief executive and co-founder of GAIL’s Bakery, Tom Molnar, discusses how the rising price of flour has affected his business. Ian’s also joined by the boss of train ticketing app

Renee Elliott, the founder of Planet Organic, is returning to spearhead a rescue deal for the supermarket chain she launched in 1995. Sky News has learnt that Ms Elliott has agreed to lead a takeover of Planet Organic in a deal expected to be finalised on Tuesday. City sources said she had assembled backing from

One of Britain’s most experienced retail executives is joining the board of JD Sports Fashion, part of a management shake-up aimed at improving governance under its new chairman. Sky News has learnt that Darren Shapland, a former finance chief at J Sainsbury, will be named on Tuesday as a non-executive director of the UK’s biggest

Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor who is likely to challenge Donald Trump for the party’s presidential nomination, will visit the UK as part of an international trade mission that will also take in Japan, South Korea and Israel. Although billed as opportunity to build on economic relationships that Florida has with each country, it would

Elon Musk has threatened to sue Microsoft for allegedly using Twitter data without permission. The billionaire’s warning, via a tweet, came after the tech giant revealed it would drop his social media site from its corporate advertising platform. Microsoft‘s service uses AI to help ad buyers manage their social media accounts in one place. Musk

Twitter will finally remove “legacy” blue ticks from verified accounts on Thursday. Elon Musk announced earlier this month that 20 April was the final date for culling the checkmarks – almost three weeks after the original plan to do so on April Fool’s Day. The only blue ticks left will be those with a Twitter