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Like the broader apparel sector, most luxury goods are imported from other markets, like the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland—which face tariffs of 20%, 10%, and 31%, respectively. Shoppers will be stuck with at least some of those costs: UBS expects European luxury goods to cost 6% more, on average, as a result of the tariffs.

The UK leads the pack, followed by France, Germany, and Nordic countries, per TechCrunch. Rising AI venture capital in new regions signals the AI industry’s decentralization. The recent popularity of China’s DeepSeek may drive a flurry of startup investments pushing for innovation. By the numbers:.

While facial recognition may hit roadblocks in the UK and the EU, looser regulations in the US could allow a free-for-all on data collection.

Building demand in the UK was always going to take time, and that challenge is all the more difficult given the precarious state of the UK economy. This article is part of Ä¢¹½AV’s client-only subscription Briefings—daily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.

Affirm also benefited from recent tie-ups with Adyen, which helped the company burrow into the UK market. Our take: Affirm is attempting to break away from its competition by mimicking traditional lenders: Affirm started reporting loans to TransUnion this month and is chipping into in-person retail sales with the Affirm Card.

How we got here: Klarna became available to eBay shoppers in the UK, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain in December 2024. Electronics, fashion, and collectibles are some of the most popular categories where eBay shoppers are paying with Klarna, according to the companies.

Respondents represented Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.

The news: A study conducted by UK research firm Say No to Disinfo found that AI-generated fake news on social media raises the risk of bank runs, per Reuters. How we got here: We’ve covered how social media can fuel bank runs—and it certainly contributed to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. And we’ve analyzed how it can change consumer behavior—even if that behavior is illegal.

What this means for banking competitors: With ambitious global expansion plans (including licensed banks in the UK and Mexico, a move into India, and the launch of mortgages), Revolut is positioning itself as a full-spectrum financial super app. Its ability to scale rapidly while maintaining high user engagement gives it momentum that traditional banks are struggling to match.

The news: In the UK, banking is the most trusted sector for personal data—but still, only 51% of consumers say they trust it. And that number is even lower among Gen Zers, per Thales’ Digital Trust Index—Consumer Edition. The details: Globally, just 32% of Gen Zers trust banks, versus 51% of those 55 and older. That’s because:.

France will see stronger growth in digital ad spending than both Germany and the UK this year. Most industries aren’t contributing to that growth, though, with only travel and retail seeing any significant investments.

However, the reported revenues for the EU and the UK represent almost four-fifths of the total (including Latin America and rest of world). So, a significant amount of livestream revenue growth for the combined regions is likely coming from Western Europe. The UK may overindex here, with over 50% of UK internet users showing at least some interest in livestream commerce, per Toluna Start.

We forecast programmatic display ad spending for six major markets: Canada, China, France, Germany, the UK, and the US. Programmatic display ad spending will grow the fastest in Western European countries this year. These markets are regaining momentum after inflation and an energy crisis depressed ad spending growth in 2022 and 2023.

UK mobile P2P payments usage growth has a case of the doldrums—but bank and digital wallet providers can explore several options to give it a boost.

Similar solutions haven’t necessarily worked in other locations such as the UK, but that may be because customers have turned to options like digital banking. However, LFCU’s mobile banking unit  offers unbanked people an option when there may be no alternatives, given the infrastructural challenges.

While shipments to Europe rose 28% in the same period, proposed de minimis clampdowns in the EU and the UK could severely crimp Shein’s ability to rely on those markets for growth. But it may not have to: The company is confident it can handle the US de minimis crackdown, a source told the FT, even as it raises prices by as much as 377%.

The news: Shein is set to slash its UK IPO valuation to $50 billion, down 24% from its last funding round and half its $100 billion peak in 2022, per Reuters. Why is this happening? Shein faces hurricane-force headwinds that challenge its market positioning both in the US and EU.

Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA): This pact provides continuance of CETA with the UK post-Brexit. Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): This agreement includes Canada and 10 other countries: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Hilton rolled out hotel loyalty debit cards in the UK in October. Unlike typical debit cards, these come with an annual fee of £60 ($74.60) for the base card, and a fee of £150 ($186.50) for the Plus card. Our take: Marqeta’s tie-up with Upside will help the issuing platform capitalize on this trend.

Expansion plans to build more cloud infrastructure in Indonesia, the UK, Australia, and other parts of the US are also on hold or delayed. Microsoft may slow future data center expansion to curb costs as it evaluates tariff effects. CFO Amy Hood acknowledged AI capacity constraints could start in June. Power and space shortages could stall wider AI growth just as enterprise demand heats up.

In the UK, bank customers ranked messaging apps like WhatsApp above mobile app notifications for fraud alerts, ID verification, and overdue payment notices, highlighting how WhatsApp has become a trusted B2C channel in the heavily regulated finance industry.

According to an October 2024 Pipeline360 and Demand Metric survey, 38% of B2B marketers in the UK and the US rely on SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) for lead generation, ahead of webinars, content syndication, and events. SEO budgets should reflect that up to 90% of search activity still occurs on traditional platforms like Google and Bing.