Business

The debate over when to give a child their first mobile device is shifting. Parents are increasingly hesitant to hand over fully functional smartphones. The risks of unrestricted internet access are simply too high.

This is where the kids smart watch has emerged as a popular alternative.

It bridges the gap between connectivity and safety. Families can maintain communication lines without exposing young minds to social media algorithms. The device offers a controlled environment. It is purpose-built for security rather than entertainment while still sometimes including basic tools or games.

The Decline of the First Smartphone

Smartphones were once the default choice for keeping in touch. However, the modern parent is now more tech-savvy and risk-aware. They understand that a phone is a portal to the entire world. A kids smart watch acts as a filter.

It provides essential functions like voice calls and messaging. Yet, it can limit access to social media apps and web browsing that concern parents. This focused functionality is why the kids smart watch is gaining market share. It is a communication tool, not a distraction machine.

Understanding Location Technology

One of the primary drivers for this adoption is location tracking. A kids smart watch with gps offers real-time data within a guardian-controlled system. Parents need precision when checking on their children.

Standard devices can use a mix of cell towers, Wi-Fi, and GPS. A dedicated kids smart watch with gps often uses a hybrid positioning approach. It combines GPS, Wi-Fi, and LBS data. This can improve location availability indoors, though accuracy can vary by environment.

Precision in Urban Environments

City living creates signal interference. A high-quality kids smart watch with gps can reduce this with multi-source positioning. It does not just rely on satellites. It can scan local Wi-Fi hotspots to help estimate coordinates.

This technical redundancy is helpful. When a child is in a school building, a standard kids smart watch with gps might struggle. Some models switch signals automatically. This helps keep the kids smart watch with gps visible on the parent’s map.

Safety Features Beyond Tracking

The ecosystem of a kids smart watch extends into active protection. Geofencing is a common feature for the modern kids smart watch with gps. Parents can set digital boundaries for home and school.

Safe Zones: Alerts trigger when the kids smart watch leaves a designated area.
SOS Capabilities: A dedicated button on the kids smart watch initiates emergency protocols.
History Playback: Parents can review the route taken by the kids smart watch with gps.

If a child exits a safe zone, the kids smart watch with gps sends an immediate notification. This proactive alert system can feel more straightforward than relying on multiple phone apps.

Manufacturing Standards and R&D

Hardware integrity is crucial in this niche sector. Companies like LAGENIO present themselves as high-tech enterprises integrating R&D with strict production standards. By focusing on smart wear innovation and rigorous quality control, such manufacturers aim to ensure that the technology on a child’s wrist is both durable and dependable for daily use.

Reliability is non-negotiable for safety devices. The internal components of a kids smart watch must withstand active play. A poorly made kids smart watch will fail when needed most. Therefore, engineering standards in the kids smart watch industry are rising.

Managing Digital Health

Screen time is a major health metric. A kids smart watch is designed to be glanced at, not stared at. The interface of a kids smart watch encourages quick, functional checks. It promotes short, functional interactions.

Furthermore, a kids smart watch with gps often includes a pedometer. It can encourage physical activity rather than sedentary consumption. The kids smart watch becomes a fitness tracker. This aligns technology with a healthy lifestyle.

Classroom Compatibility

Teachers often ban smartphones. A kids smart watch avoids this conflict through specific software modes. The “Class Mode” on a kids smart watch with gps is a critical feature. It can restrict notifications and selected functions during school hours.

The device can function primarily as a standard digital clock. This allows the child to wear the kids smart watch with gps all day without disruption. Parents can schedule these times remotely. The kids smart watch respects the educational environment.

Remote Management

Control remains with the guardian. The kids smart watch is managed via a parent’s smartphone app. You decide who can call the kids smart watch. You decide when the kids smart watch with gps is active.

This remote tethering is common in the kids smart watch with gps category. It does not require the child’s input. If settings need changing on the kids smart watch, the parent handles it silently. This helps reduce the chance of a child altering the kids smart watch security settings.

Durability and Design Specs

Children are hard on electronics. A kids smart watch must be more rugged than an adult wearable. Water resistance is a common spec many parents look for on any kids smart watch with gps. It must survive hand washing and rain.

Battery life is another technical consideration. A kids smart watch with gps is regularly transmitting data. Efficient power management in the kids smart watch with gps is an engineering challenge. The best devices balance the kids smart watch with gps polling rate to save power.

Material Science

The strap of a kids smart watch uses soft materials designed for comfort (often silicone). This ensures comfort during long wear. The screen of a kids smart watch with gps often uses impact-resistant materials, depending on the model. This helps reduce shattering during playground activities.

Every element of a kids smart watch is chosen for resilience. A kids smart watch with gps cannot be fragile. The build quality of a kids smart watch with gps dictates its lifespan. Parents look for a kids smart watch that can survive a drop.

The Communication Paradigm

Voice messaging is the primary mode of contact. A kids smart watch simplifies communication into voice notes. Typing on a small screen is difficult, so the kids smart watch prioritizes audio. This makes the kids smart watch accessible to younger children.

Video calling is also common on a 4G kids smart watch with gps. Seeing the environment around the child can add context. If the kids smart watch with gps shows an unfamiliar background, parents can notice quickly. This visual link makes the kids smart watch with gps a powerful reassurance tool.

Technical Independence

A major advantage is that a kids smart watch with gps works independently. It does not need to be tethered to a phone. The kids smart watch has its own SIM card slot. This standalone nature is what defines a true kids smart watch.

It functions as a primary device. The kids smart watch with gps connects directly to cellular networks. This helps the kids smart watch with gps work in more places, subject to network coverage and plan. Relying only on Wi-Fi could limit a kids smart watch outdoors.

Making the Decision

Choosing a kids smart watch involves weighing features against battery life. The market for the kids smart watch is crowded. However, focusing on the kids smart watch with gps functionality filters out lower-tier toys.

Parents should prioritize the specific sensor accuracy of the kids smart watch with gps. The software ecosystem of the kids smart watch matters too. Ultimately, a kids smart watch with gps is an investment in safety. It is peace of mind that a standard kids smart watch without GPS cannot provide.

Read more:
Why a kids smart watch is becoming the preferred gadget for modern parenting

The automotive industry stands at the edge of a revolution, and it’s not just about the technology inside cars.

An automotive digital marketing strategy has become critically important for companies to survive in the market, because 95% of potential car buyers begin their research online. We’re living in a time when traditional sales methods (showrooms, printed catalogs, radio ads) simply don’t work as effectively anymore. Electrification, self-driving cars, and fierce competition have changed the game, while new tools like AI, AR, and hyper-personalization offer fresh opportunities. Old marketing approaches won’t cut it anymore.

The Automotive Buyer Has Changed — Marketing Must Change Too

This article examines exactly what every automotive company, dealer, or supplier needs — a digital marketing strategy for automotive industry that actually works. The problems companies face seem minor on the surface, but they’re deep at their core. Declining dealership sales, unmotivated website visitors, low web conversion rates, scattered audiences. But the real problem goes deeper — most companies don’t understand how to talk to today’s buyer. They don’t want to be “sold to” — they need the opportunity to research, compare, and convince themselves. And this is where smart digital marketing for automobile industry comes to the rescue.

Some companies already understand this necessity. Industry awareness is changing. For example, companies like BMW and Honda present their innovations through digital platforms, launching detailed webinars and interactive presentations. Other manufacturers invest in various digital solutions, relying on specialized partners. For instance, their automotive digital solutions enable personalization, automation, and customer behavior analysis at scale.

The Current Market Situation and Technological Shifts

We’re at a tipping point: EVs are now mainstream, with mass launches, cheaper batteries, and expanding charging infrastructure. Parallel to this, autonomous driving is developing — not as science fiction, but as reality. Amazon Zoox and Waymo are already testing commercial driverless taxi services in several U.S. cities. Honda has presented its platform for next-generation hybrids, which will launch in 2027 and promises both sporty dynamics and environmental friendliness.

Alongside this, another area is developing — connected vehicles. Cars that communicate with infrastructure, with other automobiles, with the road system. V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) systems are already being tested on streets, allowing cars to exchange information about road conditions in real time. Perhaps the most exciting part is played by artificial intelligence. AI has already established itself everywhere — from vehicle development to its marketing.

Companies now compete for attention in a space flooded with content and ads. Old methods simply can’t withstand this pressure. 43% of dealers already offer a completely digital car buying process — this means a customer can choose a car, configure it, and purchase it without ever visiting the showroom. The hypothesis that cars must only be bought in person is dead. It fell along with several other assumptions that haunted the industry.

Artificial Intelligence as the Center of Digital Strategy

When people talk about AI in automotive marketing, they often mean some universal technology that solves everything. In reality, it’s more complex and nuanced. AI works on several fronts simultaneously, and each application solves a specific problem.

First is personalization. Traditional audience segmentation divided people into groups by demographics, location, and the type of car they drive. AI allows you to go much deeper. The system can analyze user behavior on your website, their choices, how long they look at a certain type of car, whether they indicate any specific option. Based on this data, the system generates personalized messages for each person individually. The Nissan Leaf already does this through its Carwings system — the car tracks your driving patterns and based on this, offers advice on improving efficiency or special offers for you.
Second is content generation. Generative AI, like ChatGPT or Claude, allows companies to create a large number of ad variations in seconds. Instead of creating one video or text, a company can generate five to ten variations with different tones, styles, and accents, and see which variant works better for a specific audience. One variant emphasizes environmental friendliness, another — sporty characteristics, a third — savings. The system monitors results and optimizes the campaign in real time.
Third is chatbots and assistants. A customer lands on your website at 2 AM when the sales department is asleep. They have questions about charging, the battery, leasing. Instead of leaving a request and waiting until morning, they should be able to talk with an AI assistant that responds instantly. This increases customer satisfaction and strengthens conversion chances.
Fourth is predictive analytics. AI looks at data from past campaigns, sees which ones worked and which didn’t, and predicts which strategy is most likely to work for launching a new vehicle. This isn’t mystery or magic — it’s statistics and mathematics, but on a scale that humans can’t process.

Video Content and Social Media as the Battleground

TikTok and YouTube Shorts drive hundreds of millions of views daily. Hyundai leveraged this trend for the IONIQ 5 campaign, turning TV ads into short-form videos and working with TikTokers to talk about the car and reach viral audiences.

But there’s no point in just throwing short videos everywhere. You need a strategy. TikTok is good for brand awareness, for going viral, for youth. YouTube — for detailed reviews, for long-form content, for people who’ve already decided and are seeking validation before purchase. Instagram Reels occupies some middle ground. Facebook is no longer a priority for youth, but for Boomers and Gen X representatives, it’s still worth something.

The problem is that most companies start with video without paying attention to data. They create a beautiful 30-second video about a new car, upload it everywhere, see 500 thousand views — and think it’s a success. Then they look at conversion and realize it’s 0.1%. This means the video attracted attention but didn’t convince.

What actually works is a combination. A short video to grab attention, then a link to longer-form content or to a digital configurator where the potential buyer can experiment with the car, choose colors, options, trim levels. Then — a personalized offer via email. Then — a reminder through social media. This is a funnel. And each step of this funnel is measured and optimized.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented reality hasn’t been new for a long time. 3D car configurators appeared 10-15 years ago. They looked cool, but they remained somewhat of a curiosity. Here’s the seat, here are the colors, do you want a panoramic roof? But they didn’t change the market.

Now everything is changing. Audi launched an AR app that lets you see how the car will look in your own driveway. Not some abstract image, but a realistic, scaled representation. You can walk around the car, look from different angles, peek inside. This changes everything. Previously, some fool could order a purple e-tron with a bright interior and regret the mistake the next day. Now they look in AR and understand that it’s terrible.

Virtual reality goes even further. You put on VR glasses, you sit in the car, you drive it in a simulated environment, you press buttons, you listen to the sound, you close its doors. This isn’t just marketing; it’s an emulation of the real experience. Some companies use this to train salespeople so they better understand the cars. Others use it as part of the showroom experience.

The problem is that it’s still expensive and technically complex. Not every dealer can afford a VR stand. But those who can get a competitive advantage. It attracts attention, creates impressions, provides a narrative.

Shifting Focus to Local SEO and Data

Most dealers and manufacturers have websites that look like relics from 2005. They’re located somewhere in the internet wilderness, impossible to find through Google, and haven’t changed in five years. This is a strategic mistake.

Local SEO is what makes a local company appear in search results when someone searches for “car dealership near me” or “buy electric vehicle [your city].” This requires some work — making sure your location is correct on Google Maps, that you have positive reviews, that your content is optimized for local searches.

Additionally, local content adaptation is needed. A person in Los Angeles will care about completely different things than a person in Boston. The Angeleno will worry about traffic congestion, parking, road quality. The Bostonian — about winter roads, weather conditions, service accessibility. This means ad choices, hero choices (people with local accents, familiar landscapes), even car choices for demonstration must be localized.

The Boundary Between Brands and Dealers

Major automotive brands struggle with a problem they didn’t think about before. Previously, when a person thought about a car, they thought about the brand. About the TV ad they saw. About the logo they liked. About reputation. BMW — that’s quality. Mercedes — that’s luxury. Volkswagen — that’s reliability.

Now a person goes to YouTube, types in the model they’re interested in, and watches reviews. They watch how it drives, how it sounds, how it looks outside and inside. They read comments — and dealer comments, their networks often talk about problems that don’t appear in official advertising. Then they go to the dealer’s website and see how many cars are in stock, what prices they’re asking, whether they offer test drives.

This means brands can no longer rely on monolithic advertising. They must build communities. They must tell true stories. They must listen to what their buyers say and respond to criticism. This isn’t just marketing; it’s culture.

Dealers must understand that they can no longer be simply passive car distributors. They must be authorities in their region. They must have a website that answers people’s questions. They must be visible on social media. They must actively engage potential buyers, not wait for them to come on their own.

Data as Your Most Valuable Asset

This sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. Data really is the center of any digital strategy. But not just accumulating data — understanding it. Which pages on your site convert best? Which ads pull the most clicks? What kind of people are you attracting? How many of them become customers? At what point in the funnel do they drop off?

The first step is data collection. It’s not complicated. Put Google Analytics on your site, connect Facebook Pixel, set up conversion tracking. Then collect data about your customers — their demographics, interests, behavior.

The second step is analysis. This is where most companies stop. They’re overwhelmed by numbers without understanding what they mean. Or they hire an analyst who goes away for a month with a report nobody cares about. Actually, useful analytics is that which leads to action. “90% of our budget goes to an audience that converts at 0.5%. Let’s redistribute it to one that converts at 2%.” This is actionable.

The third step is application. Based on data, you optimize your strategy. You close what doesn’t work and scale what works.

Conclusion: Time to Act

By 2026, the market situation is transparent. Those who understand automotive digital marketing strategy have an advantage. Those who don’t are losing. Margins in the automotive industry are shrinking, competition is intensifying, consumers are becoming more demanding.

The complexity of digital marketing strategy for the automotive industry is that it’s not just marketing. It’s a combination of technologies (AI, AR, VR), content marketing, analytics, psychology, and business strategy. It requires the right team, tools, culture, and patience. Results don’t come in a day. But if you do it right, they come steadily and continuously.

The stakes are high. But for those ready to do the work, the opportunities are limitless. This is no longer the future. This is today.

Read more:
How to Build a Successful Automotive Digital Marketing Strategy

Barclays has provided a £4 million trade loan to British high-performance apparel brand ThruDark, supporting its continued growth and accelerating its retail expansion strategy.

The funding, provided by Barclays UK Corporate Bank, has been deployed to strengthen ThruDark’s working capital following the crucial Golden Quarter trading period, encompassing Black Friday, Christmas and January sales. It has also enabled the brand’s high-profile festive retail activation at Battersea Power Station, bringing its performance-led apparel to one of London’s most prominent retail destinations.

Founded in 2016 by former special forces soldiers Louis Tinsley and Anthony “Staz” Stazicker, ThruDark has built a reputation for designing rugged, high-performance clothing tested in demanding real-world environments. The brand has scaled rapidly in recent years, blending technical innovation with a strong community and endurance-driven identity.

That growth was recognised at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards, where ThruDark was named Scale Up Company Award winner for 2025. The business has also featured again in The Sunday Times ranking of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies, underlining its momentum in a competitive retail landscape.

Owen Dady, relationship director at Barclays UK Corporate Bank, said the deal reflects the bank’s wider commitment to supporting ambitious UK companies. He pointed to Barclays’ £22 billion Business Prosperity Fund, announced last year, which is designed to help businesses invest for growth, scale operations and manage periods of peak demand.

Chris Reynolds, chief executive of ThruDark, said the funding has given the business vital flexibility to invest confidently. He noted that the facility has helped the company purchase stock at scale, meet strong seasonal demand and push forward with its physical retail ambitions, adding that the Scale Up Company Award win was a major milestone for the team.

Beyond retail, ThruDark continues to build its brand through sport, adventure and elite performance. Its partnerships range from teamwear sponsorship with Triumph Racing to title sponsorship of the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race, often described as the “canoeists’ Everest”. Its kit has also been tested on world-first expeditions, including a record-breaking speed ascent that saw one of the company’s co-founders travel from London to the summit of Mount Everest and back in under seven days.

Together, the funding and recent accolades mark another step in ThruDark’s transition from niche performance label to scaled British retail brand with international ambition.

Read more:
Barclays backs ThruDark retail expansion with £4m trade loan

Up to 3,000 skilled manufacturing jobs could be at risk unless the Ministry of Defence moves quickly to place a long-delayed helicopter order, according to industry sources close to the programme.

Workers at Leonardo Helicopters’s Yeovil site in Somerset, the UK’s last remaining military helicopter factory, fear the company could close the facility as early as the end of March if the government fails to commit to a new contract within weeks.

Leonardo, the Italian-owned defence group that acquired the former Westland Helicopters business, is the sole bidder for the £1bn “new medium helicopter” programme, which was launched by the Ministry of Defence in February 2024. However, prolonged delays in awarding the contract have cast doubt over the future of the site.

Industry insiders say the bid’s “best and final offer” expires in March, with pricing dependent on complex global supply-chain commitments. One source said Leonardo would have needed confirmation by January to meet production and delivery timelines. Any delay beyond March risks forcing the entire procurement process to restart.

“It’s critical at the moment,” the source said. “If this slips past March, the price and the bid itself may no longer be valid.”

The issue has escalated in recent months. In November, Leonardo’s chief executive, Roberto Cingolani, told investors that talks were under way with the UK government to strengthen collaboration. In December, he wrote directly to Defence Secretary John Healey, warning that delays could lead Leonardo to scrap future investment in the UK – including in its electronics and cyber security operations.

Cingolani described the medium helicopter contract as a “cornerstone” of Leonardo’s UK strategy, adding that any cancellation or further delay would trigger a “reevaluation” of the company’s presence in Britain.

The standoff comes despite repeated ministerial commitments to increase defence spending in response to heightened geopolitical risks, particularly Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Defence suppliers have grown increasingly frustrated by the absence of a long-promised defence investment plan, which had been expected before Christmas.

Unite has warned that uncertainty is eroding confidence among the workforce. Sharon Graham, the union’s general secretary, said employees in Yeovil were being left in limbo while the government delayed decisions.

“Leonardo workers are looking over their shoulders wondering where the next order will come from,” she said. “This uncertainty must end, and the government should confirm the medium-lift helicopter order now.”

The Ministry of Defence said it was working on a new defence investment plan and highlighted record levels of planned spending. A spokesperson said the government would commit £270bn to defence over the course of the current parliament, describing the inherited defence programme as “overcommitted and underfunded”.

For Yeovil, however, the timeline is far shorter. Without swift action, industry figures warn that Britain risks losing not just thousands of skilled jobs, but its last domestic capability to build military helicopters – a blow that would be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse.

Read more:
3,000 jobs at risk unless MoD confirms helicopter order, industry warns

Britain’s retailers limped to the end of 2025 after a lacklustre Christmas trading period, with non-food sales failing to deliver the seasonal boost many high street businesses were relying on.

New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show overall retail sales rose by just 1.2% in December compared with a year earlier — well below the 12-month average growth rate of 2.3%. While food sales proved resilient, demand for non-food items such as clothing, electronics and gifting products fell flat at the most critical time of the year.

Non-food sales slipped by 0.3% year on year in December, a sharp reversal from the 4.4% growth recorded in the same month in 2024. Retailers cited mild, wet weather, weak consumer confidence and heavy discounting as key factors behind the disappointing performance.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, described the trading period as a “drab Christmas”, noting that sales growth has now slowed for the fourth consecutive month.

“Non-food sales fell flat in the run-up to Christmas, with gifting items doing worse than expected,” she said. “Many shoppers were clearly holding back for discounts, with a late surge in activity driven largely by Boxing Day and the start of January sales.”

The subdued mood was reflected in consumer spending data. Barclays reported that card spending fell by 1.7% in December compared with a year earlier, marking the steepest annual decline since February 2021 and worsening from a 1.1% drop in November.

Food inflation continued to prop up supermarket revenues, however. Grocery prices rose by 4.3% in December, according to Worldpanel by Numerator, pushing average supermarket spending to £476 for the month, around £15 more than last year. Yet the pressure on household budgets remains intense, with 64% of shoppers saying they plan to cut grocery spending in 2026, while more than half expect to reduce discretionary purchases such as clothing and eating out.

Discount grocers were the clear winners of the festive period. Aldi reported a 3% rise in sales in the four weeks to 24 December, while Lidl recorded a 10% increase in the four weeks to Christmas Eve, both delivering record festive performances. Tesco and Sainsbury’s also posted Christmas sales growth, although their share prices fell last week after investors had anticipated stronger results.

Elsewhere, the picture was far more challenging. General merchandise retailers struggled across categories including clothing, jewellery and homewares. Argos, owned by Sainsbury’s, reported a 2.2% drop in sales over the six weeks to 3 January, citing weak online traffic, aggressive promotions and fragile consumer sentiment.

The pressure is already feeding through to corporate distress. Shares in Associated British Foods, owner of Primark, have fallen around 15% this year following a profit warning linked to weak fashion sales. Meanwhile, several retailers — including Claire’s, The Original Factory Shop and LK Bennett — are expected to appoint administrators, underscoring the fragile state of the UK’s retail sector as it heads into 2026.

Read more:
UK retailers suffer ‘drab December’ as non-food Christmas sales disappoint

Senior Labour backbenchers are pressing the government to force UK banks to expand lending to small businesses and low-income communities, warning that a lack of affordable finance is holding back entrepreneurship and economic resilience.

Gareth Thomas, a former business minister, has tabled a 10-minute rule bill that would require banks to measure, disclose and improve how they serve underserved communities and smaller firms. The proposal mirrors the US Community Reinvestment Act, which obliges American banks to demonstrate how they support poorer areas and small enterprises.

Thomas said the cost of living crisis had exposed deep weaknesses in access to affordable credit across the UK economy. He argued that millions of households and early-stage entrepreneurs struggle to secure low-cost finance at precisely the moments when it could prevent financial distress or enable business growth.

The bill has attracted backing from a group of senior Labour figures, including Treasury select committee chair Meg Hillier, business and trade committee chair Liam Byrne, work and pensions committee chair Sarah Owen, and former shadow chancellors Anneliese Dodds and John McDonnell.

Under the proposed legislation, banks would be required to report on their performance in reducing financial exclusion and improving access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises. Regulators would then rate banks against those criteria, increasing transparency and applying pressure to improve outcomes.

The bill would also compel banks to provide greater support for credit unions and community development finance institutions (CDFIs), which often specialise in face-to-face lending for small firms and individuals overlooked by mainstream lenders. In the US, many banks meet their obligations under the Community Reinvestment Act by partnering with such organisations.

The push comes despite the Treasury publishing a financial inclusion strategy last year that included support for expanding credit unions. Campaigners argue that the strategy lacked enforceable duties on banks and relied too heavily on voluntary action from the sector.

Hillier said financial inclusion should not be treated as a peripheral issue. “All too often, improving access to finance is seen as a box-ticking exercise rather than a core economic priority,” she said, adding that the Treasury committee is currently examining whether government plans go far enough to address structural barriers to finance.

Small business advocates welcomed the proposal. Michelle Ovens, founder of Small Business Britain, said many entrepreneurs still face significant obstacles when seeking fair and affordable banking services. She described the bill as a step towards greater accountability across the financial sector.

The legislation is unlikely to progress in its current form, but it reflects growing unease among Labour MPs about the government’s economic direction, particularly after recent policy reversals on business rates relief for pubs and changes to inheritance tax thresholds for farmland.

A Treasury source cautioned that banks are already subject to obligations around financial inclusion through existing regulation, including the Financial Conduct Authority’s consumer duty, and suggested the bill could duplicate current requirements.

Nevertheless, the proposal highlights mounting political pressure for a more interventionist approach to small business finance, as concerns grow that limited access to affordable credit is stalling growth across large parts of the UK economy.

Read more:
Labour MPs push banks to expand lending to small businesses and poorer communities

Alphabet has become one of the world’s most valuable companies after its market capitalisation briefly passed $4 trillion, following confirmation that Apple will integrate Google’s artificial intelligence technology into its products this year.

The boost came after Apple said it would introduce the technology underpinning Google’s Gemini chatbot into its ecosystem, including Siri, marking a major strategic endorsement of Alphabet’s AI capabilities.

Alphabet’s class A shares rose 1.7 per cent on the announcement, briefly touching $334.04 and pushing the company into the elite $4 trillion valuation bracket, before easing back later in the session.

Apple said the Gemini software provided the “most capable foundation” for use across its global product base, which spans more than two billion active devices. The move represents a significant shift in Apple’s AI strategy, as it accelerates efforts to compete with rivals in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence market.

Google launched its Gemini large-language model in late 2023 as part of its challenge to OpenAI, whose ChatGPT product has dominated consumer awareness of generative AI. The agreement with Apple now gives Alphabet access to one of the largest consumer technology platforms in the world.

In a joint statement, the two companies confirmed they had entered into a “multi-year collaboration” to support the development of Apple’s next generation of large-language models, which will sit at the heart of its Apple Intelligence division.

These systems, branded Apple Foundation Models, will be made available to developers through Apple’s Foundation Models framework, allowing third-party apps to integrate Apple’s AI tools while drawing on Google’s underlying technology.

“After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models,” the companies said. “Apple is excited about the innovative new experiences this collaboration will unlock for users.”

Analysts said the deal was a significant validation of Alphabet’s AI strategy, while also highlighting Apple’s urgency in strengthening its own capabilities.

Wedbush analysts described the announcement as a “major validation moment” for Google, adding that it also marked a crucial step for Apple as it works to accelerate its AI roadmap into 2026 and beyond.

“While the timeline to fully integrate Gemini into Siri is longer than expected, this was a necessary move for Apple to deliver a truly competitive personal assistant across its hardware ecosystem,” the firm said, noting the potential for future subscription-based AI revenues.

For Alphabet, the partnership underlines its growing influence in the AI arms race and cements its position alongside Microsoft and Nvidia as one of the dominant players shaping the next phase of global technology.

Read more:
Google parent joins $4 trillion club after Apple selects its AI technology

Karavel, an AI-powered compliance platform built for highly regulated sectors, has secured £1.25 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by Fuel Ventures.

The investment will support product development and accelerate Karavel’s commercial expansion across the UK and Europe, as the company looks to modernise compliance workflows for organisations facing increasingly complex regulatory scrutiny.

Karavel is designed for legal, compliance and marketing teams operating in sectors such as financial services, fintech, insurance, healthcare and consumer credit. Its platform brings together regulatory monitoring, marketing and advertising reviews, horizon scanning and compliance gap analysis into a single, AI-driven interface, replacing the fragmented and manual processes still widely used across regulated industries.

The funding comes at a time when the pressure on compliance teams is intensifying. Regulatory frameworks are expanding, enforcement is increasing and the cost of non-compliance continues to rise. Despite this, many organisations still rely on spreadsheets, manual reporting and external legal support to track regulatory change and approve communications, creating bottlenecks, slowing product launches and driving up costs.

Founded by Pedro Sousa and Nav Garcha, Karavel was built in response to these challenges. The pair bring experience from companies including Revolut, Deliveroo, CNN and ClearScore, and say the platform was born out of their own frustration with outdated compliance systems.

Karavel’s technology automates financial promotion and advertising reviews, monitors regulatory updates in real time and flags relevant changes as they occur. Its AI analyses new rules, extracts applicable requirements and provides clear, actionable guidance to help teams respond quickly and confidently.

The company says the results are already significant. Its AdCheck tool allows financial promotions to be reviewed up to three times faster, with a 91 per cent first-pass approval rate. Meanwhile, its horizon scanning capability replaces bi-weekly manual reporting with daily automated alerts, delivering efficiency gains of up to fourteen times and reducing external legal spend by as much as 73 per cent within the first year.

Pedro Sousa, co-founder of Karavel, said the platform was built to address the real-world pressures compliance professionals face every day.

“During my time as a head of compliance, I experienced first-hand the manual, repetitive work, fragmented processes and constant anxiety that something important might be missed,” he said. “We built Karavel to give compliance, legal and marketing teams the clarity, automation and confidence I always wished I’d had in previous roles.”

Mark Pearson, founder of Fuel Ventures, said Karavel was tackling one of the most pressing operational challenges in regulated sectors.

“Karavel is redefining how organisations interpret regulations, review content and coordinate across teams,” he said. “The founders have combined deep compliance expertise with advanced AI to replace outdated workflows with intelligent systems that deliver real commercial impact. We’re proud to support their vision as they scale.”

With regulatory scrutiny showing no signs of easing, Karavel is positioning itself as a core infrastructure platform for organisations that need to move quickly without compromising compliance.

Read more:
Karavel raises £1.25m pre-seed round to modernise compliance in regulated industries

What football fans expect from sports sites has shifted completely. Dry match reports about yesterday’s game don’t cut it anymore. People want real-time numbers, instant updates, and analytics they can actually dig into.

Site owners who want to keep visitors around have no choice — static pages need to become living information hubs, and data visualization tools make that happen. High-quality infographics are becoming just as important an element as original articles.

Tools for Data Integration

A wide range of football widgets is available today, allowing webmasters to integrate live data into their websites without complex development. These tools make it possible to display match schedules, results, and key statistics in a clear and accessible format, helping users get the information they need without delays. Among the available solutions, Scoreaxis provides a set of football widgets designed for seamless integration into different types of web resources. With these tools, site owners can present live match data directly on the page, significantly improving the overall user experience and meeting audience expectations for speed and accuracy.

A central part of this ecosystem is the “Live Match” widget. It goes beyond showing the score by broadcasting match events in real time. Users can view team lineups, goal scorers, cards, and ball possession statistics without leaving the page. This keeps visitors engaged throughout the match and positively impacts behavioral metrics.

Key platform capabilities for webmasters:

Global Reach: Stats cover 5,000+ teams across hundreds of leagues — major championships and obscure tournaments alike.
Deep Personalization: Colors, fonts, and block sizes all adjust to match the existing site design without looking out of place.
Detailed Metrics: Widgets display specific data, such as penalties, assists, and history of the last five matches (W-D-L form).
Adaptability: Interface elements display correctly on both desktop monitors and mobile device screens.

Multifaceted Statistics

Beyond general results, Scoreaxis offers tools for personal analytics. The “Team Top Players” and “League Top Players” widgets display lists of top scorers and assistants. The screenshots show how neatly information about stars like Salah or Haaland is presented: number of matches played, goals, and penalties.

The “Team Info” block deserves special attention. This is a real find for analytical previews. It demonstrates average ball possession figures, disciplinary statistics (yellow/red cards), and the team’s overall effectiveness in the season. Using such data makes materials on the site more expert and well-grounded.

Conclusion

Implementing automated widgets solves two challenges at once: it reduces the editorial workload associated with manual updates and increases audience engagement. By integrating modern football data tools, sports websites become more dynamic, informative, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s football fans.

Read more:
Modern Football Widgets for Websites: From Live Scores to Match Statistics

Jonathan Charrier is a Montreal-based entrepreneur and the founder of Charrier Global Imports, a company that connects Quebec and North American consumers with specialty foods, artisanal goods, handcrafted clothing, and wellness products from around the world. He launched the business in 2012 after years of hands-on travel and study in international trade.

Charrier grew up in Montreal’s Rosemont neighbourhood, surrounded by a mix of cultures, languages, and cuisines. Both of his parents worked in hospitality, which shaped his respect for service and long-term relationships. Weekend visits to local public markets introduced him early to global flavours, textiles, and craftsmanship.

After studying international business at a local college, Charrier chose experience over a traditional career path. He spent two years travelling through France, Italy, Peru, Brazil, and Morocco. During this time, he volunteered on vineyards, visited cooperatives, and met artisans working in small workshops. He saw first-hand how skilled producers often lacked access to larger markets despite the quality of their work.

That insight became the foundation of Charrier Global Imports. Starting from a small Mile End warehouse, Charrier built a focused catalogue that included Provençal olive oils, Peruvian textiles, and Moroccan spices sourced from a women’s cooperative. Growth came steadily through trust, consistency, and word of mouth.

Today, Charrier Global Imports supplies boutique shops, restaurants, and online customers across North America. Jonathan remains closely involved in sourcing and supplier relationships. He is known for treating producers as partners and for maintaining high standards across a diverse global supply chain.

Q&A With Jonathan Charrier

Q: You grew up in Montreal. How did that shape your career path?

Montreal played a big role. I grew up in Rosemont, which is a very mixed neighbourhood. You hear different languages on the street. You smell food from everywhere. My parents worked in hospitality, so service and people were always part of daily life. We spent a lot of weekends at public markets. That’s where I first became curious about where things come from and who makes them.

Q: You studied international business, but you didn’t follow a typical route after that. Why?

I felt that textbooks alone were not enough. I wanted to see how trade worked in real life. After college, I travelled for two years. I went to France, Italy, Peru, Brazil, and Morocco. I volunteered on vineyards. I visited cooperatives. I spent time in small workshops. Those experiences taught me more than any classroom.

Q: What stood out to you during those travels?

The biggest thing was the gap between quality and access. I met people making excellent olive oil, textiles, spices, and food products. The skill was there. The care was there. But many producers struggled to reach bigger markets. They didn’t have the contacts or the systems. That problem stayed with me.

Q: Is that what led to Charrier Global Imports?

Yes. The idea grew slowly. I wasn’t thinking about building a large company at first. I was building relationships. I listened to people’s stories. I learned how they worked. When I came back to Montreal in 2012, I rented a small warehouse in Mile End. I started with a very tight selection of products I knew well.

Q: What were those early products?

Olive oils from Provence. Handmade textiles from Peru. Moroccan spices from a women’s cooperative. Each item had a clear origin and a clear story. I focused on consistency and quality. Retailers need to trust what they’re buying. Word of mouth did most of the work in the early years.

Q: How did the business grow from there?

Slowly and carefully. I added products only when I understood the supply chain. Over time, we expanded into chocolates, teas, home goods, and wellness items. The key was not moving faster than our partners could support. Growth has to work for everyone involved.

Q: You still travel regularly to meet suppliers. Why is that important?

You can’t manage relationships from a desk forever. Visiting producers keeps things honest. You see changes early. You understand challenges on the ground. It also shows respect. These are not anonymous suppliers. They are people you rely on.

Q: How do you see your role today compared to when you started?

At the start, I did everything. Now my role is more about oversight and direction. I focus on sourcing, standards, and long-term planning. But I still stay close to the details. That’s where problems and opportunities appear first.

Q: What defines leadership in this industry for you?

Consistency. Fair dealing. Listening. Imports rely on trust across borders. If you break that trust, it spreads quickly. I believe leadership means protecting relationships, not squeezing them.

Q: Looking back, what lesson shaped your career the most?

That good business is built on understanding people. Products move, but relationships last. Everything I’ve done since those early travels comes back to that idea.

Q: And outside of work?

I like simple things. Cooking. Cycling along the Lachine Canal. Exploring restaurants in Montreal with my partner. Those moments keep me grounded and connected to why I started in the first place.

Read more:
Jonathan Charrier Montreal: Building a Global Import Business Through Trust, Craft, and Cultural Exchange