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How Visual Consistency Creates Brand Trust in Digital Spaces
Business

How Visual Consistency Creates Brand Trust in Digital Spaces

by February 14, 2026

Across digital platforms, visual consistency serves as the quiet representative of brands. When users encounter websites, social media profiles, or marketing materials, they form immediate impressions based on visual elements.

This pattern, or lack thereof, directly influences how trustworthy a brand appears. Consistent visual presentation communicates reliability and professionalism. This helps establish confidence among audiences and supports long-term business growth.

Individuals notice repeating patterns. When elements like logos, colours, fonts, and images remain the same each time someone interacts with a brand online, recognition and trust develop more easily. Consistency in these details helps users feel comfortable. When visual elements appear familiar, consumers are more likely to believe that products or services are reliable and the business is professional.

The Psychology Behind Visual Brand Recognition

Visual cues play a significant role in how people identify and remember brands. Elements such as logos and colour palettes can become shortcuts in the mind for recognising a brand. When brands maintain the same logo, style, and colours across all online platforms, it helps users feel more confident in the brand’s legitimacy. This recognition process can strengthen the connection between a brand and its audience, supporting trust and familiarity.

Colour psychology plays an important role in how consumers perceive brands. Different colours trigger specific emotional responses. Blue often conveys trust and reliability, while red can signal excitement or urgency. Consistent application of brand colours strengthens these emotional connections. Using a logo maker, like the one from Adobe Express, allows organisations to create consistent visual foundations efficiently.

Visual consistency can help reduce what psychologists call “cognitive load.” When customers encounter familiar visual elements, they may expend less mental effort to understand the brand identity. This familiarity can create comfort and build confidence in the brand.

Essential Elements of Visual Brand Consistency

Logo treatment forms the basis of visual brand consistency. A logo should appear in a consistent position, size, and style across all platforms. Uniform logo placement helps with immediate recognition on websites, social media feeds, and digital communications. Effective logo treatment creates a seamless experience that customers find dependable and professional.

Colour palette standardisation requires selecting primary and secondary colour schemes that remain consistent throughout all brand touchpoints. Brands following clear colour palette rules benefit from recognisable digital identities. Colour combinations should meet accessibility standards on both light and dark interfaces to ensure clear communication with all audiences.

Typography hierarchy depends on the consistent selection of two or three coordinating fonts. These fonts, chosen for headings, subheadings, and body text, should display uniform sizing across all platforms. When brands use consistent typography, customers can read information quickly, with less effort and fewer distractions.

Image style should follow clear guidelines. The same quality and composition should apply to all brand photography and graphics. A unified image style carries the brand voice into every visual touchpoint. This helps content feel cohesive and professional, making the overall brand message clear and trustworthy.

Grid Systems and Visual Hierarchy

Structured layouts create intuitive user experiences. Grid systems provide the invisible framework that organises content across digital platforms. When elements align to a grid, users can navigate content more easily. Maintaining a clean structure supports other visual elements, helping users stay oriented from page to page.

Balancing consistency with responsive design creates challenges. A well-crafted visual system needs to retain its identity even as it adapts for various screen sizes. Careful planning helps ensure continued brand recognition across devices. This preserves visual clarity regardless of how content is accessed.

Cloud-based tools allow teams to maintain visual standards in real time. These platforms offer customisable templates and brand asset libraries. Marketing teams can ensure each member accesses current logo files and follows approved colours. This method can help minimise errors like outdated graphics, especially with remote teams.

Measuring the Business Impact of Visual Consistency

Visual Consistency and Brand Performance Metrics

Maintaining consistent visual standards can influence how customers perceive and interact with a brand. When branding is predictable and cohesive, users may feel more confident in their interactions, which can support positive business outcomes.

As digital competition increases, clear brand standards help businesses stand out. A familiar visual identity can reduce hesitation and make purchasing decisions easier. A UK SME applying visual guidelines across landing pages and checkout screens may see fewer abandoned baskets. Customers may feel comfortable through each step of their journey.

Customer Trust and Recurring Business

Visual consistency signals reliability over repeat interactions. Brands maintaining strong visual standards may benefit from recurring customers. These users appreciate seamless experiences that remove doubt about authenticity. When customers recognise the same elements across channels, they may have fewer reasons to reconsider their loyalty.

Failure to keep visuals steady can lead to uncertainty. Small businesses risk losing trust when logos appear differently on partner sites. The most practical solution involves creating and sharing up-to-date asset libraries. Teams can distribute approved files and eliminate errors from inconsistent elements.

Brand Recall, Process Efficiency, and UK Market Application

Maintaining recognisable logos and styles can help customers remember brands in crowded marketplaces. Visual consistency supports brand recall and helps businesses remain memorable to their audiences.

For UK businesses in digital markets, clear guidelines for visual elements can support smoother internal processes. With staff following visual standards, design tasks may finish faster with fewer mistakes. This efficiency is especially important as companies handle more channels, allowing teams to maintain quality without added workload.

Implementing Visual Consistency Across Digital Channels

Creating unified brand guidelines is essential for visual consistency. These guidelines should document logo usage, colour specifications, and typography rules. Guidelines must remain accessible to all content creators involved with the brand. When everyone understands the rules, the brand appears coherent everywhere.

Cross-platform consistency presents unique challenges. Each digital channel has different requirements. Social media, websites, emails, and mobile apps all display content differently. A visual system must adapt while maintaining its core identity. With flexible implementation, brands keep their look steady across all channels.

Tools and workflows help maintain visual standards at scale. Brand asset management systems and structured templates help standardise visuals as content output increases. These methods become necessary where multiple contributors shape a brand identity. Working with dedicated solutions helps ensure every contributor delivers visuals that fit the brand experience.

Visual consistency across digital channels can support customer assurance and brand recall. Businesses achieving steady use of visual elements at every touchpoint may see better conversions. Online platforms provide organisations with tools for reliable visual brand governance.

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How Visual Consistency Creates Brand Trust in Digital Spaces

February 14, 2026
Business

US-Ukrainian SocialFi Platform Sl8 Targets European Expansion Amid MiCA Transition

by February 13, 2026

As European regulators refine the next chapter of the digital economy, the conversation has moved decisively away from speculative hype cycles toward the institutional realities of compliance and consumer protection.

Against this backdrop, Cassator Corp., a US-incorporated firm with deep Ukrainian roots, is positioning its flagship “SocialFi” platform, Sl8, as a privacy-forward alternative to the data-extractive models of traditional social media.

The company’s strategic pivot toward Europe comes at a critical juncture for the industry. With the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation setting a new global gold standard for digital asset oversight, Cassator is betting that its “compliance-first” architecture will provide a competitive edge in a region increasingly wary of unregulated Big Tech and volatile Web3 experiments.

Incorporated in Delaware to facilitate global fundraising, Cassator Corp. maintains a distinct Ukrainian engineering identity. This combination of US corporate structure and Eastern European technical resilience has become a hallmark of the company’s narrative. Currently raising capital through a Regulation Crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder, the firm has reported significant fiscal momentum, citing a revenue jump from $450,000 in 2023 to $910,000 in 2024 – a 120% year-on-year increase.

For the European market, however, the pitch focuses less on growth and more on governance. In late 2024, the company announced it had entered an agreement to establish a European subsidiary equipped with a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) licence.

“Social media needs a fundamental reset,” says Dmytro Ivanov, CEO of Cassator Corp. “We believe the financial layer of the internet can be built in a way that is efficient, user-centric, and aligned with how regulation is evolving – not in opposition to it. For us, Europe is a regulatory benchmark.”

Sl8 defines itself as a SocialFi platform: a social network where financial tools – such as peer-to-peer payments and creator monetisation – are native to the user experience rather than “bolted on” as third-party additions. Technically, the platform leverages the Stellar Development Foundation ecosystem, utilising distributed ledger technology to ensure fast, low-cost transactions and predictable settlement.

From a product philosophy standpoint, Sl8 is designed to dismantle the “attention economy” by adhering to several core principles:

Algorithmic Transparency: Eliminating manipulative content-ranking systems.
Privacy Sovereignty: A strict “no data harvesting” policy that forbids the sale of user information.
Ad-Free Environment: Rejecting micro-targeted advertising in favour of direct value exchange.
User Autonomy: Giving participants full control over their news feed composition and data footprint.

By removing the reliance on advertising networks, Sl8 aims to create a circular economy where users can support creators and exchange value directly within the platform’s interface.

The company’s expansion is backed by reported traction that suggests it is moving beyond the “experimental” phase. With 500,000 registered users and 260,000 monthly active users, Cassator is focused on institutional-scale growth.

A key component of this strategy involves a massive influencer outreach programme. The company has reportedly signed Letters of Intent (LOIs) with more than 50 global influencers, whose combined reach exceeds 400 million followers. To convert these into long-term partnerships, Cassator plans to allocate a significant pool of corporate shares over the next four years to selected brand ambassadors, ensuring that those who drive the platform’s growth have a vested interest in its governance and success.

As MiCA begins to dictate the terms of engagement for crypto-assets in Europe – covering everything from AML/CTF responsibilities to wallet architecture – platforms like Sl8 that lead with transparency are likely to find a more receptive audience. Whether Sl8 can successfully disrupt the dominance of legacy social networks remains to be seen, but Cassator Corp. is making a clear wager: that the future of social interaction belongs to platforms that treat user privacy and regulatory alignment as features, not bugs.

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US-Ukrainian SocialFi Platform Sl8 Targets European Expansion Amid MiCA Transition

February 13, 2026
How Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum Models the Institutional Turn in Impact Investing
Business

How Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum Models the Institutional Turn in Impact Investing

by February 13, 2026

Over 3,907 organizations now manage $1.571 trillion in impact investing assets under management worldwide, according to Global Impact Investing Network estimates.

That figure reflects a 21 percent compound annual growth rate since 2019, but the more consequential shift lies not in volume but in structure. Capital once deployed through informal networks and trust-based relationships now flows through institutional channels demanding auditable governance, standardized reporting, and third-party verification.

Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, Chairman of Inmā Emirates Holdings, recently restructured a decade-long private family office into an institutional holding company headquartered in Dubai. The reorganization responds to a specific market constraint: pension funds, endowments, and sovereign wealth vehicles cannot co-invest alongside structures lacking formal investment committees, independent oversight, and externally validated impact assessments.

The Structural Gap Institutionalization Addresses

Gulf family offices historically excelled at bilateral deal-making precisely because they operated outside institutional constraints. Decisions moved quickly, relationships substituted for due diligence committees, and flexibility enabled creative structuring that rigid institutional mandates could not accommodate.

This model fails when family offices seek to scale through co-investment. A $50 million port concession can proceed on relationship capital, but a $500 million infrastructure program requiring pension fund participation cannot. Institutional allocators face fiduciary obligations, regulatory scrutiny, and board-level accountability that demand documented processes regardless of counterparty reputation.

Nearly 50,000 European companies must now publish audited impact metrics under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. ESG-focused institutional investments are projected to reach $33.9 trillion by 2026, comprising 21.5 percent of global assets under management, per KEY ESG analysis. Capital at this scale requires standardized interfaces: governance frameworks that translate relationship-driven deal flow into formats institutional compliance departments can process.

How Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum Structures Governance for Scale

Inmā operates under an investment committee with independent oversight and publishes project-specific performance indicators subject to external validation. Metrics track service delivery uptime, employment generated, and environmental outcomes, benchmarks that match development finance institution frameworks and enable direct comparison with competing capital sources.

Such architecture serves a specific function: it makes Gulf impact capital fungible with institutional money. A Dutch pension fund evaluating emerging market infrastructure exposure can now assess Inmā-structured deals using the same criteria applied to IFC or African Development Bank co-financing opportunities. The governance wrapper, not the underlying asset or geography, determines institutional accessibility.

The 50-year Karachi Port Trust concession with Abu Dhabi Ports illustrates this dynamic. Long-duration infrastructure assets generate predictable cash flows institutional investors require, while governance frameworks provide the audit trails their compliance functions demand.

The 94 Percent Performance Metric

GIIN’s 2024 Impact Investor Survey found that 94 percent of respondents reported both financial and impact performance meeting expectations, a data point that addresses the persistent assumption that impact investments require concessionary returns.

The implications extend beyond marketing into fiduciary territory. Institutional allocators operating under fiduciary duty cannot accept below-market returns regardless of social benefit, which historically confined impact investing to philanthropic carve-outs or ESG-specific mandates with lower return thresholds. The 94 percent figure permits impact investments to compete for general allocation alongside conventional asset classes.

Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum structures investments around four thematic pillars that function as both screening criteria and measurement frameworks:

Public-sector modernization: Digital infrastructure and governance systems that improve state capacity
Private enterprise development: Commercial ventures generating employment and tax revenue
Environmental sustainability: Clean energy and climate-resilient infrastructure
Community inclusion: Projects expanding access to essential services

Institutional partners can map these categories onto their own sustainability mandates and report outcomes through existing ESG disclosure channels.

Blended Finance and Risk-Return Calculations

Blended finance structures combine concessional capital from development institutions with commercial tranches from private investors. Development finance institutions absorb first-loss positions or provide guarantees that shift risk-adjusted returns into ranges acceptable to commercial capital, fundamentally altering project economics.

Multilateral development banks and DFIs co-financed approximately 30 percent of private investment in low- and middle-income country infrastructure during 2024, per Delphos analysis, while MDBs mobilized a record $137 billion in climate finance for emerging markets that same year. Each concessional dollar deployed through these structures mobilizes multiples of private financing that would otherwise remain in developed market assets.

Over 50 percent of private infrastructure investment in 2024 was classified as green, led by renewable energy projects. Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund blends donor-backed capital, DFI support, and private investment to finance solar, wind, and grid projects that individual capital sources could not underwrite alone. When Gulf investors adopt comparable governance standards, competitive dynamics shift: projects previously dependent on DFI participation gain alternative capital sources, and DFIs themselves gain co-investment partners who bring both capital and regional relationships unavailable through traditional development finance channels.

What Constraints Limit Institutional Deployment?

Two primary constraints limit the pace of institutional capital deployment into impact investments:

Standardized metrics: Without universally accepted measurement frameworks, institutional investors cannot compare impact opportunities or verify fund manager claims against consistent benchmarks. GIIN’s IRIS system and emerging ESRS standards address this gap, but adoption remains uneven across geographies and asset classes.
Liquidity: Impact investments typically involve illiquid assets like infrastructure, real estate, and private companies that institutional portfolios can accommodate only in limited quantities. Secondary markets for impact assets remain underdeveloped, constraining capital recycling and limiting total allocation capacity.

Inmā’s focus on revenue-generating infrastructure partially addresses both constraints. Port concessions and power plants produce measurable outputs like container throughput and megawatt-hours delivered that translate directly into performance metrics, while long-duration concessions provide predictable exit timelines that substitute for liquid secondary markets.

Implications for Emerging Market Capital Access

Institutionalization of impact investing creates a new financing layer between traditional development assistance and commercial project finance, one that offers emerging market governments access to capital without the conditionality of multilateral lending or the return thresholds of purely commercial investment.

Western official development assistance contracted by 9 percent in 2024, marking the first decline in six years per OECD data. Alternative capital sources fill an expanding gap, and Gulf investors with operational track records and government relationships can participate in this space, provided they demonstrate credibility through governance frameworks that institutional partners require.

The open question is velocity. Institutional capital seeking impact exposure exceeds the supply of investment-ready opportunities meeting governance standards, creating a bottleneck at the project preparation stage rather than the capital formation stage. Family offices that institutionalize early gain first-mover access to co-investment opportunities and the relationship capital that accumulates from successful joint deployments. Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum’s restructuring of Inmā Emirates Holdings offers a template for how Gulf capital can bridge this gap by converting relationship-based deal flow into institutional-grade investment products.

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How Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum Models the Institutional Turn in Impact Investing

February 13, 2026
5 Best Providers of Risk-Controlled Legacy System Transformation Services
Business

5 Best Providers of Risk-Controlled Legacy System Transformation Services

by February 13, 2026

Plenty of businesses nowadays rely on software that used to work well in the past, but now holds them back. They slow down innovation, increase maintenance costs, and make it harder to scale or adapt to changing market demands.

However, businesses choose to stay in this “toxic relationship” rather than break free of legacy constraints because the “breakup” is associated with risks, such as potential system downtime, data loss, disruption of fragile business logic, security vulnerabilities, and temporary drops in productivity — risks that can be significantly reduced with a preliminary software audit.

If you are looking for a reliable legacy system modernization partner to mitigate the risks, explore the list below. We gathered the 5 best risk-controlled software transformation companies to help you get a system that will support the sustainable growth of your company.

Corsac Technologies

Corsac Technologies is a leading provider of legacy systems modernization services with over 18 years of experience. Corsac has been working with companies in healthcare, finance, GIS, charity, media, and more, helping businesses transform legacy systems into modern, scalable solutions.

Corsac team owns the entire cycle of system renovation, from software audit to post-release support. Their experts carefully audit the existing software to identify structural weaknesses, hidden tech debt, and compliance issues before crafting a phased, risk-controlled plan tailored to the goals of each customer.

Corsac team integrates into your CI/CD pipeline and makes every change documented and reversible to minimize downtime. Their process prioritizes business continuity and includes knowledge transfer and post-release support so clients can independently maintain modernized systems over the long term.

Intellias

Intellias is a global technology partner with more than two decades of experience in risk-controlled legacy software modernization. The company combines industry expertise and modern technologies to develop custom solutions for businesses in finance, retail, high tech, and more.

Intellias team modernizes legacy systems through replatforming, refactoring, and cloud migration. Their focus is on performance, security, and system stability throughout the process. Intellias applies phased releases and parallel environments to update legacy systems without disrupting business daily operations. This approach helps organizations reduce technical debt and keep systems reliable during transformation.

Devox Software

Devox is an outcome-driven software development company that uses a modular, low-risk modernization approach with minimal downtime. Their focus is AI-driven approach to system modernization to rebuild outdated products into brilliant future-ready ones.

Devox team starts with detailed diagnostics of a product to understand the weaknesses, security gaps, and scalability limitations to draft a phased modernization plan tied to measurable outcomes from both technical and business perspectives. Beyond code refinement, Devox experts shape your entire software lifecycle and fuel enterprise productivity, which makes them an especially good choice for SMEs and large enterprises.

RadixWEB

RadixWEB blends 25 years of expertise in delivering digital intelligence through AI, cloud, and Data. Instead of long, disruptive programs, the team focuses on early results that can be measured and validated as the transformation progresses. Each step is planned to modernize your legacy system while your critical business processes remain untouched.

RadixWEB relies on cloud-native and automation-driven delivery practices, with strong attention to user experience, so modernized systems remain reliable, efficient, and easier to work with over time. The company is trusted by 3,000 customers in over 20 sectors, including EdTech, Fintech, Healthcare, Insurtech, and more.

Innowise

Innowise is one of the leading legacy service update agencies with an extensive team of professionals and a strong track record in risk-controlled legacy system modernization. Since its founding in 2007, the company has grown to over 2,500 engineers and over 1600 legacy systems modernization services under its belt.

Innowise helps businesses, from startups to mature corporations, reimagine their IT infrastructure with reduced transformational risks. Innowise team guides clients in consulting, custom development, modernization, and post-launch support of modernized systems.

Wrapping up, legacy software modernization is no longer a matter of if, but when. As systems age, the risks of doing nothing quickly outweigh the risks of transformation itself. Each company featured in this list applies a risk-controlled approach to legacy system transformation, using phased delivery, thorough audits, and business-continuity-first practices to ensure stability throughout the process.

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5 Best Providers of Risk-Controlled Legacy System Transformation Services

February 13, 2026
City stalwart Schroders to be sold to US rival in £9.9bn deal
Business

City stalwart Schroders to be sold to US rival in £9.9bn deal

by February 12, 2026

Blue-blooded fund manager Schroders is set to be sold to American rival Nuveen in a £9.9bn deal that will end more than two centuries of independence and deliver another setback to the London Stock Exchange.

Nuveen, part of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), has agreed to acquire Schroders for 612p per share – a 34 per cent premium to the firm’s closing price of 456p. The transaction will create one of the world’s largest asset managers, overseeing around $2.5tn (£1.8tn) in assets.

The deal marks a historic turning point for Schroders, founded in 1804 by John Henry Schroder. The Schroder family still controls roughly 44 per cent of the company and is expected to receive at least £4bn from the sale. Family members Leonie Schroder and Claire Fitzalan Howard currently sit on the board.

Schroders’ chairman, Dame Elizabeth Corley, said London would “remain at the heart of this enlarged business” as the combined group’s non-US headquarters, despite the firm’s planned departure from public markets.

Executives said there were no plans for “material reductions” in headcount and that both Schroders and Nuveen would continue to operate as standalone brands following completion, which is expected by year-end.

Richard Oldfield, Schroders’ chief executive since November 2024, described the deal as a strategic response to industry pressures. “In a competitive landscape where scale can help deliver benefits, Nuveen is a partner that shares our values and respects the culture we have built,” he said.

William Huffman, chief executive of Nuveen, said the transaction would “unlock new growth opportunities for wealth and institutional investors” by broadening the firm’s global footprint.

Schroders has long been a fixture of the FTSE 100, but its growth has stalled amid structural changes in the asset management industry. Its share price fell to a decade low of 302p last April as investors shifted towards cheaper passive funds rather than paying higher fees for active stock-picking strategies.

The firm has also struggled to compete with US giants such as BlackRock and Blackstone, which have aggressively expanded into higher-margin alternatives such as private credit.

Although Schroders has pursued acquisitions in private markets, it has failed to translate those investments into sustained shareholder returns. Under Oldfield, the company embarked on a cost-cutting programme targeting £150m in savings.

Schroders’ departure from the London market adds to a growing list of high-profile exits from the UK exchange, intensifying concerns over the City’s ability to retain and attract major listed firms.

Nuveen said that any future relisting would likely involve a dual listing in London and another international exchange.

Headquartered in Chicago, Nuveen manages $1.4tn in assets, with a strong focus on the US market. The acquisition will be funded through cash and £3bn in debt.

For the City of London, the sale of one of its most historic financial institutions underscores the mounting consolidation pressures reshaping global asset management, and the shifting gravitational pull of capital markets towards the United States.

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City stalwart Schroders to be sold to US rival in £9.9bn deal

February 12, 2026
Ford overtaken by BYD as China reshapes global car industry
Business

Ford overtaken by BYD as China reshapes global car industry

by February 12, 2026

Ford Motor Company has been overtaken in global vehicle sales for the first time by Chinese electric car giant BYD, underscoring the dramatic shift under way in the global automotive industry.

Ford’s sales slipped 2 per cent last year to just under 4.4 million vehicles, while BYD sold 4.6 million, climbing to sixth place in the global rankings of car manufacturers.

The milestone is symbolic for an industry shaped by Ford’s legacy. Founder Henry Ford revolutionised mass car ownership with the Model T in the early 20th century. More than a century later, the company that defined industrial car production is being outpaced by a Chinese electric vehicle specialist.

BYD’s growth has been driven by its expanding portfolio of affordable, high-tech electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Among its best sellers are the SEAL U DM-i and the Dolphin electric city car, priced at under £19,000 in some markets.

In contrast, Ford has scaled back lower-cost small cars in Europe, phasing out the Ford Fiesta during the pandemic and pivoting towards higher-margin SUVs and crossovers. Its entry-level Puma now starts at more than £26,000.

Ford’s sales in the US rose, but the company has lost ground in Europe and China — markets where electric competition is intensifying.

Felipe Munoz, an independent automotive analyst, said the trend was widely anticipated. “BYD is still in expansion mode. Even if sales in China slow, it’s relying on exports to grow,” he said.

“Ford, meanwhile, remains heavily dependent on the US, where growth is modest, and has only a minor presence in China. Europe is also stagnant. This divergence is likely to continue.”

Western carmakers, including Ford, have struggled to navigate the electric vehicle transition. In December, Ford took a $19.5bn (£14bn) charge to scale back EV production, citing weaker-than-expected demand.

Munoz said Ford’s electrification strategy was complicated by its exposure to North America. “North American consumers are not enthusiastic about electric cars, and government support has been inconsistent,” he said.

Ford has attempted to regain a foothold in China through a joint venture with Jiangling Motors, launching an all-electric version of its Bronco SUV. However, its Chinese market share has fallen from nearly 5 per cent a decade ago to less than 2 per cent today.

“Let’s see how the Bronco Electric performs,” Munoz said. “But so far, nothing significant has changed.”

Despite global challenges, Ford remains Britain’s third-largest car brand. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, it sold about 119,000 vehicles in the UK in 2025, representing a 5.9 per cent market share, an 8 per cent increase on the previous year.

BYD, while still smaller in the UK, is growing rapidly. It sold around 51,400 cars last year, achieving a 2.5 per cent market share, but with sales rising almost sixfold.

At the top of the global league table, Toyota retained its crown for the sixth consecutive year with sales of 11.3 million vehicles.

For Ford and other Western manufacturers, BYD’s ascent signals more than just a ranking shift, it reflects a deeper rebalancing of power in an industry increasingly defined by electrification, cost efficiency and Chinese technological ambition.

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Ford overtaken by BYD as China reshapes global car industry

February 12, 2026
Tangible raises $4.3m seed round to unlock scalable debt finance for hardtech firms
Business

Tangible raises $4.3m seed round to unlock scalable debt finance for hardtech firms

by February 12, 2026

Tangible, a fintech platform focused on helping hardtech companies access and manage structured debt financing, has raised a $4.3 million seed round as it looks to modernise how capital-intensive businesses fund growth.

The round was led by Pale Blue Dot, with participation from MMC, Future Positive Capital, Unruly, SDAC, Prototype Capital and Aperture. The funding will be used to scale Tangible’s team and deepen automation across its platform.

Hardtech companies, spanning sectors such as energy, transport, advanced manufacturing and compute infrastructure, are increasingly seen as central to tackling some of the biggest macroeconomic challenges of the coming decades. BlackRock estimates that $68 trillion of new infrastructure investment will be required by 2040 to meet global demand.

Yet despite renewed interest in physical innovation, financing remains a major bottleneck. Traditional venture capital models often struggle to support asset-heavy businesses, which typically require large amounts of upfront capital. As a result, many early-stage hardtech companies rely on expensive equity funding to finance capital expenditure, increasing dilution and, in some cases, threatening long-term viability.

At the same time, private credit, now a $3.5 trillion market, is increasingly well positioned to meet this demand. However, deploying debt capital efficiently into hardtech remains complex and resource-intensive, particularly for lenders reliant on bespoke documentation and manual processes.

Tangible was founded to address this gap. Its AI-powered platform standardises the data, documentation and ongoing reporting required by lenders, reducing underwriting time and costs while enabling founders to run structured debt facilities without building in-house finance teams.

Hampus Jakobson, general partner at Pale Blue Dot, said: “Most of the innovations shaping the future, from vehicles and data centres to robotics, are fundamentally physical, and they shouldn’t be financed by venture equity alone. Tangible opens up new financing options for hardtech businesses, and we strongly believe in the team’s vision to bridge this structural gap.”

William Godfrey, co-founder and chief executive of Tangible, said demand for physical assets was accelerating as governments and businesses push reindustrialisation, energy security and technological sovereignty. “As hardtech companies scale at speed, investors need modern infrastructure to deploy capital just as fast,” he said.

“Legacy processes based on bespoke documentation and manual coordination no longer cut it. Tangible provides the financial infrastructure that makes hardtech easier to diligence for institutional credit, allowing companies to raise asset-backed financing faster and with less friction.”

The company said the new funding would support the build-out of automation across collaboration, diligence and reporting workflows, helping to reduce transaction costs and shorten time-to-close for both founders and lenders.

For hardtech firms facing mounting capital pressures, Tangible is positioning debt as a viable alternative to either heavy dilution, or failure.

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Tangible raises $4.3m seed round to unlock scalable debt finance for hardtech firms

February 12, 2026
Norfolk police chief calls for tougher penalties for prolific shoplifters
Business

Norfolk police chief calls for tougher penalties for prolific shoplifters

by February 12, 2026

The chief constable of Norfolk Police has called for tougher and faster punishments for repeat shoplifters, warning that persistent offenders are not being deterred by the current system.

Paul Sanford said shoplifting was one of the few crimes in the county that continued to rise, and expressed frustration at delays in the courts.

Speaking on BBC Radio Norfolk, Sanford said: “There’s big delays in our court system and I will share my frustration that sometimes I don’t think these persistent offenders are getting the deterrent sentence they need.

“We do have a problem with repeat offenders coming back to stores time and time again and we do need some concerted effort to tackle them and stop their offending.”

According to the Office for National Statistics, 6,382 shoplifting offences were reported to Norfolk Police in the 12 months to June 2025, up from 5,211 in the previous year.

Sanford revealed that the force had recently dealt with a man who admitted 23 counts of shoplifting, a woman in Breckland arrested 43 times since 2022, and a Norwich offender arrested 25 times in the past 20 months.

“We’re catching them, we need the rest of the system to catch up,” he said.

Sanford said the government’s ongoing sentencing review was “critically important”, arguing that chronic backlogs in the courts were undermining efforts to curb repeat offending.

“When theft is accompanied by violence, threats or intimidation, we will come down hard,” he added. “But we need the court system to move faster.”

The force has been using CCTV as a primary source of evidence in shoplifting cases, alongside facial recognition technology to identify suspects. For the most prolific offenders, Norfolk Police has applied for criminal behaviour orders, enabling courts to ban individuals from specific town centres or retail areas.

Sanford also pointed to the resale of stolen goods, including bulk thefts from supermarkets, as a continuing driver of offending.

Retailers have reported sustained losses from shop theft in recent years, with staff often facing abuse and intimidation. Sanford said he had the “utmost sympathy” for shop workers dealing with repeat offenders.

Norfolk Police has advised retailers to strengthen security by maintaining visible customer service presence, mapping theft hotspots within stores, training staff to identify suspicious behaviour and ensuring shop floors are kept tidy to reduce opportunities for concealment.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said reforms were under way to speed up justice and strengthen community-based penalties. “We now have new laws giving tougher community restrictions, including the biggest ever expansion in tagging and the use of restriction zones,” they said.

The ministry added that investment and procedural reforms were being introduced to modernise the courts and tackle inefficiencies.

For police forces such as Norfolk, however, the message is clear: without swifter sentencing and stronger deterrents, repeat shoplifting is likely to remain a stubborn and rising challenge on the High Street.

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Norfolk police chief calls for tougher penalties for prolific shoplifters

February 12, 2026
Lloyds Banking Group to close 95 more branches across UK
Business

Lloyds Banking Group to close 95 more branches across UK

by February 12, 2026

Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to close a further 95 High Street branches, as the UK’s largest banking group continues to scale back its physical network in response to falling in-branch usage.

The closures will affect 53 Lloyds Bank sites, 31 Halifax branches and 11 Bank of Scotland locations between May this year and March 2027.

The latest move comes in addition to an existing programme that will see 49 branches close by October. Once all announced closures are complete, Lloyds Banking Group will operate 610 branches nationwide.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Customers want the freedom to bank in the way that works for them, and we offer more choice and ways to manage money than ever before.” The bank said more than 21 million customers now use its mobile app as their primary method of banking.

The decision reflects a wider industry trend, as digital banking adoption accelerates and footfall in physical branches declines. Increasing numbers of services, from account management to mortgage consultations, are now offered online or remotely.

The announcement follows a similar move by Santander UK, which recently confirmed it would close 44 more branches, putting nearly 300 jobs at risk.

In contrast, the UK’s largest building society, Nationwide Building Society, has pledged to keep all 696 of its branches open until at least 2030, although it has reduced its estate in the past.

Banking hubs, shared spaces where multiple banks provide in-person services, are being rolled out in some areas, but the pace of openings remains slower than the rate of branch closures.

The closures span towns and cities across England, Wales and Scotland, including sites in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Swansea, among others.

Critics of branch closures argue that vulnerable and elderly customers risk being excluded as services move online. Banks, however, maintain that they are adapting to customer demand and investing heavily in digital infrastructure.

With more than 21 million customers now primarily banking via smartphone, Lloyds’ latest decision underscores the structural shift reshaping the UK’s retail banking landscape, and the continuing retreat of traditional High Street branches.

Full list of closures

Lloyds Bank – Aberdare
Lloyds Bank – Altrincham
Lloyds Bank – Birkenhead
Lloyds Bank – Birmingham, Blackheath
Lloyds Bank – Birmingham, Bordesley Green
Lloyds Bank – Birmingham, Highters Heath
Lloyds Bank – Birmingham, Upper Kingstanding
Lloyds Bank – Bournemouth
Lloyds Bank – Bristol, Fishponds
Lloyds Bank – Cardiff, Victoria Park
Lloyds Bank – City of London, Cheapside
Lloyds Bank – Clevedon
Lloyds Bank – Coalville
Lloyds Bank – Crowborough
Lloyds Bank – Daventry
Lloyds Bank – Didcot
Lloyds Bank – Ebbw vale
Lloyds Bank – Golders Green
Lloyds Bank – Heswall
Lloyds Bank – Hinckley
Lloyds Bank – Hoddesdon
Lloyds Bank – Honiton
Lloyds Bank – Horncastle
Lloyds Bank – Hull, Hessle Road
Lloyds Bank – Hull, Ings Road
Lloyds Bank – Kingswinford
Lloyds Bank – Lancaster
Lloyds Bank – Llangefni
Lloyds Bank – London, Camberwell
Lloyds Bank – London, Fitzrovia
Lloyds Bank – London, London Bridge
Lloyds Bank – London, Streatham
Lloyds Bank – London, Victoria
Lloyds Bank – London, West End
Lloyds Bank – Lymington
Lloyds Bank – Moreton-in-Marsh
Lloyds Bank – Newmarket (Suffolk)
Lloyds Bank – Norwich, Aylsham Road
Lloyds Bank – Reading, Woodley
Lloyds Bank – Redhill
Lloyds Bank – Ringwood
Lloyds Bank – Sevenoaks
Lloyds Bank – Southam
Lloyds Bank – Staines-upon-Thames
Lloyds Bank – Stoke-on-Trent, Longton
Lloyds Bank – Street (Somerset)
Lloyds Bank – Swansea, Winch Wen
Lloyds Bank – Tewkesbury
Lloyds Bank – Uttoxeter
Lloyds Bank – Wareham
Lloyds Bank – Wednesbury
Lloyds Bank – West Byfleet
Lloyds Bank – Wolverhampton, Tettenhall
Halifax – Ashington
Halifax – Ashton-under-Lyne
Halifax – Billingham
Halifax – Bognor Regis
Halifax – Bridgend
Halifax – Cardiff, Roath
Halifax – Chichester
Halifax – Chorley
Halifax – Croydon
Halifax – Cwmbran
Halifax – Doncaster, Armthorpe
Halifax – Ellesmere Port
Halifax – Goole
Halifax – Greenford
Halifax – Halesowen
Halifax – Horsham
Halifax – Leeds, Bramley
Halifax – Liverpool, Hunts Cross Shopping Park
Halifax – London, Hammersmith
Halifax – London, Pentonville
Halifax – London, Surrey Docks
Halifax – Manchester, Didsbury
Halifax – Mexborough
Halifax – Nottingham, Beeston
Halifax – Nottingham, West Bridgford
Halifax – Shipley
Halifax – Skelmersdale
Halifax – Southgate
Halifax – Sutton Coldfield
Halifax – Thornaby-on-Tees
Halifax – Torquay, Lymington Road
Bank of Scotland – Aberdeen, Bridge Of Don
Bank of Scotland – Balivanich
Bank of Scotland – Blairgowrie
Bank of Scotland – Broughty Ferry
Bank of Scotland – Glasgow, Baillieston
Bank of Scotland – Haddington
Bank of Scotland – Kelso
Bank of Scotland – Lochgilphead
Bank of Scotland – Penicuik, John Street
Bank of Scotland – Rutherglen
Bank of Scotland – Stonehaven

Read more:
Lloyds Banking Group to close 95 more branches across UK

February 12, 2026
How Smart Airport Taxi Solutions Improve Business Travel Efficiency for UK SMEs
Business

How Smart Airport Taxi Solutions Improve Business Travel Efficiency for UK SMEs

by February 11, 2026

In today’s competitive environment, time efficiency and reliability are critical for UK businesses—particularly when it comes to corporate travel.

With international trade, investor meetings, and client-facing roles requiring frequent flights, airport transfers have become an operational detail that can directly influence productivity and professionalism.

For business travellers across the UK, the journey to and from the airport is no longer just a routine transfer. It is part of the wider business experience. Increasingly, SMEs are recognising that choosing the right Airport Taxi solution can reduce stress, improve punctuality, and support smarter travel management.

The Hidden Cost of Poor Airport Transport Planning

Missed pickups, last-minute cancellations, surge pricing, and unreliable availability can all disrupt carefully planned business schedules. Searching for a Taxi Near Me just hours before departure may work occasionally, but for executives heading to important meetings, uncertainty is not an option.

Public transport delays, airport parking fees, fuel costs, and lost preparation time all add up. For SMEs managing tight budgets, these inefficiencies are more than inconvenient—they affect both financial performance and professional reputation.

Pre-booked airport taxi services provide structure and predictability. With fixed pricing models, scheduled pickups, and professional drivers, businesses gain greater control over both time and cost.

Why Reliability Matters for Business Travellers

Corporate travel rarely happens during convenient hours. Early departures from Heathrow, late-night returns into Manchester, or tight connections through Birmingham require dependable planning.

Dedicated airport taxi providers monitor flights, adjust for delays, and operate on confirmed bookings rather than availability algorithms. This reliability allows professionals to focus on preparing for meetings rather than worrying about transport logistics.

For client-facing businesses, dependable airport transfers also reflect organisational competence. Arranging a professional airport taxi for visiting partners or investors reinforces credibility from the moment they arrive.

Cost Transparency and Administrative Simplicity

Expense reporting and cost visibility are ongoing priorities for finance teams. Unlike on-demand ride services that fluctuate in price, structured airport taxi platforms provide clearer pricing frameworks and digital documentation.

Many UK businesses are now using trusted airport taxi partners like Cabhit to centralise bookings and simplify travel management. Platforms such as Cabhit allow companies to compare options, pre-book journeys, and ensure consistent service standards across major UK airports.

This approach not only reduces administrative friction but also creates predictable travel expenses—an important factor for growing SMEs.

Supporting Productivity and Employee Wellbeing

Business travel can be physically demanding. Long security queues, flight delays, and tight itineraries leave little room for added stress. Reliable airport taxi services provide door-to-door transport, enabling professionals to work during the journey or simply recharge before important meetings.

Reducing uncertainty around airport transfers supports employee wellbeing, particularly for senior staff or frequent travellers. Over time, these small operational improvements contribute to higher overall productivity.

Sustainability and Smarter Corporate Travel

As sustainability becomes a strategic priority for UK businesses, transport decisions are also under scrutiny. Many airport taxi providers are incorporating fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles into their fleets.

By planning journeys more efficiently and reducing unnecessary mileage, structured airport transfers can contribute to broader corporate responsibility goals without compromising convenience.

A Strategic Detail That Delivers Tangible Benefits

Airport transfers may appear to be a minor operational consideration, but for SMEs focused on growth, reputation, and efficiency, they play a meaningful role. Reliability, cost control, and professionalism are not luxuries—they are competitive advantages.

For UK SMEs and regular corporate travellers alike, choosing the right airport taxi partner can improve punctuality, reduce travel stress, and make every business journey more productive.

Read more:
How Smart Airport Taxi Solutions Improve Business Travel Efficiency for UK SMEs

February 11, 2026
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