Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
BREAKING NEWS: UK economy grew faster than expected in February
The UK economy grew by a faster-than-expected 0.5% in February, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also said the economy grew by 0.1% in January after previously saying the start of the year had seen no growth.
The figures cover a period before the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran on 28 February, which has caused a major energy shock and experts warn risks a global recession if it is prolonged.
Aberdeenshire entrepreneur to open new £200,000 Bridge of Don gym
A new £200,000 gym is set to open in Bridge of Don creating up to 20 new jobs.
R+R Fitness will launch at the Innovation Centre at the end of the month.
The 13,433 sq ft space has been transformed into a modern fitness centre following a change of use approval, with the gym expected to serve both local residents and the surrounding business community.
BBC poised to cut up to 2,000 jobs
The BBC is poised to cut up to 2,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting push before the arrival of its new director-general.
The public service broadcaster has warned staff that about one in 10 could lose their jobs as it seeks to slim down its operations amid significant pressure on its licence fee funding. The BBC employs about 21,500 people across the UK.
The cuts were outlined at an all-hands meeting led by Rhodri Talfan Davies, the interim director-general, on Wednesday afternoon.
Bank boss tells BBC he won't rush interest rate rises
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey says the UK's central bank will not rush to make a decision on interest rate rises, despite the world facing what he described as a "very big energy shock".
Speaking to the BBC at the meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, he said higher oil and gas prices would certainly feed through to prices.
But other factors made a decision on rates "very, very difficult", he said ahead of the Bank's next meeting on 30 April.
Allbirds shares soar after pivot from shoes to AI
Shares in shoe brand Allbirds, once seen on the feet of famous people like actor Ben Affleck and former US President Barack Obama, soared on Wednesday after it announced plans to pivot from footwear to artificial intelligence (AI).
The San Francisco-based firm said it has struck a $50million (£37m) deal to become an "AI compute infrastructure" business and change its name to NewBird AI.
The announcement sent the firm's shares surging by more than 580%, though its stock market value is still more than 90% lower than when the company was first listed in 2021.