Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Health insurance premiums 'to rise by at least 20%' as NHS woes stoke claims
Health insurance premiums will rise by at least a fifth next year, according to industry advisers who blame a surging number and cost of claims.
Individual and workplace cover has soared in demand since the COVID pandemic as the NHS has struggled to deal with patient backlogs.
Almost £3b was paid out in claims last year alone, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) which said that was the highest annual total on record.
The industry body said there were currently a record 4.4 million people covered by health insurance through their employer - likely a result of the waiting lists.
It noted a rise in premiums of around 2% for individual and corporate cover between 2019 and 2022.
I am just being real about the economy, says Andrew Bailey
Andrew Bailey has claimed he is not an “ultra-pessimist” just days after warning that the outlook for the UK economy was among the worst he’d ever seen.
The Governor of the Bank of England hit back at accusations he was too gloomy, insisting he was being a “realist” about the UK’s growth prospects.
Furious Tory MPs accused the Governor of talking Britain down after he said there was “no doubt” that the UK’s growth potential was “lower than it has been in much of my working life”.
However, talking to the Staffordshire business news website Daily Focus on a regional visit on Tuesday, he said: “I’ve been written up this week as being an ultra-pessimist but I don’t see it that way. I see it as a realist view.
“That translates to us getting our sleeves rolled up and tackling the issues we face.”
Gulf investors close in on Telegraph takeover
A deal that will bring Abu Dhabi-backed investors a step closer to taking control of the Telegraph and Spectator magazine could be agreed as soon as Friday, the BBC understands.
The titles were taken over by Lloyds Bank as it sought to recover £1.1bn owed by the owners, the Barclay family.
An Abu Dhabi-backed firm this month agreed to pay the sum and take control.
It is not clear yet if the deal will be scrutinised but sources said it was "unlikely" to be blocked.
Under the terms of the deal, the Barclay family is expected to transfer ownership of the influential titles to IMI Redbird, an investment group backed by the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
One in four adults in UK to buy now, pay later for Christmas, study shows
More than a quarter of adults in the UK will use buy now, pay later to help with festive spending, research suggests, with the proportion rising to more than half of parents with young children.
The survey for Citizens Advice also found 11% of respondents used such credit schemes to pay for groceries, a proportion that rose to 35% for regular BNPL users.
The charity said it was braced for a new year of debt support as millions turned to companies that allow customers to stagger payments. Over the past year, there had been a 67% increase in people seeking help from Citizens Advice because they were struggling to pay back money owed from BNPL spending.
Of the 2,156 adults surveyed, 28% said they were likely to use delayed repayment services to help with festive spending, which rose to 56% of parents with primary school-age children.