Worth

• More than 70 European tech funding deals were tracked last week, totaling over €2.8 billion in capital, alongside five exits and M&A transactions. • Notable investments include €19.2M for Belgium's e-peas, €18M for Germany's Stenon, €18M for the Netherlands' Protein Brewery, and $18M for Spain's Sherpa.ai. • The UK's AI robotics group Dogtooth also secured £14M, highlighting a strong regional focus on energy harvesting, AI development, and robotics.

Initiative run through local libraries aims to boost access to cultural experiences amid cost of living crisisWhen Kate, a 47-year-old contract worker came face to face with Charlotte Brontë’s handwriting while visiting Chatsworth House, the avid reader, who counts Jane Eyre as her favourite book, struggled to contain her excitement.“I had a little bit of a moment,” she said. “I just thought: ‘Wow, that was actually Charlotte Brontë’s writing there on that page.’ That was pretty special.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Bankers have raised potential money-laundering concerns over loans and donations involving senior party figuresUK politics live – latest updatesA host of transactions involving Reform UK’s most senior figures and donations to the party caused bankers to report potential money-laundering concerns to the National Crime Agency, a Guardian investigation has found.On Tuesday, the Guardian revealed that the undisclosed £5m gift provided to the Reform leader, Nigel Farage, by a cryptocurrency billionaire shortly before the 2024 general election was reported to the NCA.One relates to a £1m donation made to Britain Means Business, a fundraising organisation for Reform UK, before the last general election. Half of the £1m was then transferred by Tice, as director of the company, to Reform UK. Renamed from Leave Means Leave, Britain Means Business is a company that is used to help fund Reform. The £1m seemingly came from the aristocrat and Reform UK donor Fiona Cottrell. In this instance, the Guardian understands bank staff were not satisfied that the funds had ultimately come from her. The NCA has sought help from a foreign partner agency to trace the original source of the funds.Two other SARs relate to a loan from George Cottrell to Tice. The loan was made shortly before Tice finalised a property purchase and made a party donation, and was not repaid until after those two transactions were completed, according to sources. George Cottrell is the son of Fiona Cottrell, and is a convicted fraudster, former deputy treasurer of Ukip and close associate of Farage.A fourth relates to the £5m gift from the Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborne to Farage, which was first revealed by the Guardian in April. Continue reading...

• A Brookfield survey reveals that 83% of high-net-worth (HNW) women in Asia now hold alternative assets, surpassing the 73% of HNW men. • The study focused on 275 investors from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, each possessing at least US$2.5 million in household investable assets. • These results indicate that wealthy women in the region currently hold stronger investment convictions regarding alternative asset classes than their male counterparts.

• The UK reached a record milestone in 2026 with 80 tech unicorns, collectively valued at £242 billion. • Despite the growth, a significant gender gap persists, as only 8 out of 136 founders (approximately 6%) are women. • This disparity highlights a systemic inequality within Britain's booming startup ecosystem regarding founder representation and funding access.

• The European Union reported the sale of €414 billion worth of high-tech products in 2024, according to data from Eurostat. • These figures are part of the 2026 edition of "Key figures on European business," which tracks business activities, investment, productivity, and technology across EU and EFTA countries. • This data is critical for monitoring the EU's global competitiveness and its capacity for technological innovation and industrial growth.

• Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN), an independent investment research firm founded in 1984 by Joe Mansueto, is highlighted as a stock attracting significant Wall Street interest. • The company has demonstrated strong financial health, reporting a solid 11.5% annual revenue growth over the last five years. • Shareholder returns have been further amplified by strategic share repurchases, contributing to an annual earnings per share growth of 40.7% over the last two years.