KAREN JOY BACUDO

Finance Editor

Stripe has introduced new tools to help UK businesses sell internationally and transact via AI interfaces. It now supports more than 1.5 million businesses and sole traders in the UK.

The update expands Stripe Treasury for UK users, allowing businesses to hold, convert and move money across sterling, euros and US dollars from a single account. It also enables payouts to suppliers, contractors and other third parties in more than 100 countries using an email address.

Another addition is Stripe Managed Payments, which will let UK businesses sell to customers in 195 countries while Stripe manages indirect tax, disputes, fraud protection and customer support. Businesses using its Adaptive Pricing tool can also automatically localise prices for international customers, which Stripe says produces an average 17.8% increase in cross-border revenue.

Checkout Studio is also part of the rollout. Stripe describes it as a central place for businesses to build and manage checkout forms, with support for more than 125 payment methods and built-in A/B testing.

AI commerce

Stripe is also adding tools for businesses looking to sell through AI-driven interfaces. Later this year, UK businesses will be able to sell to customers within AI interfaces via Stripe’s Agentic Commerce Suite, which makes products discoverable and purchasable through a single integration.

UK businesses with US entities, including JD Sports and Wolf & Badger, are already selling to US customers through platforms such as Gemini and Copilot, according to Stripe.

The company has also expanded Stripe Radar, its fraud product, to address risks linked to AI-driven commerce. These include multi-account abuse, free trial fraud and pay-as-you-go abuse. The service now also covers Bacs Direct Debit transactions, as well as other local payment methods on Stripe.

“Two things are going to define the next decade for UK businesses: selling globally and building for the AI economy. Today, we’re making both dramatically easier. Whether it’s making your products purchasable through AI agents, localising pricing for a customer in Tokyo, or defending against new forms of fraud, Stripe handles the complexity so businesses can focus on growth,” Conor McNamara, Chief Revenue Officer for EMEA at Stripe, said.

UK customers

UK businesses using Stripe include startups such as ElevenLabs and Synthesia, as well as larger brands such as John Lewis and Lloyds Bank. Stripe also named Currys, Wayve and TripAdvisor among newer UK customers.

The announcement followed Stripe’s partnership with Lloyds Bank to provide its payments infrastructure to UK small businesses. The tie-up adds to competition among payments groups seeking deeper relationships with banks and broader access to smaller merchants.

The latest product push reflects how payment providers are positioning themselves around two overlapping trends: cross-border digital commerce and the rise of AI-based shopping journeys. For UK businesses, the practical appeal lies in reducing the operational burden of accepting local payment methods, pricing in local currencies, handling tax requirements and managing fraud across multiple markets.

For Stripe, the launch also underlines the breadth of services it aims to offer beyond basic payment processing, spanning treasury functions, checkout management, fraud controls and new routes into AI-led transactions. It now supports more than 1.5 million UK businesses and sole traders, including some of the country’s fastest-growing technology companies and established consumer brands.

Residents living in the north Oxfordshire town voiced their woes on the social media community group ‘Bicester General Chat’.

While there was praise for some ‘great’ local Royal Mail posties, others weren’t so happy with the ‘useless’ service they were receiving.

The general consensus is that while post, including letters and parcels, are being delivered, residents receive them later than expected and/or all in one go.

Complaints were raised about post being delivered damaged, being ‘lost’ and others missing important hospital appointments.

Some said despite making complaints and escalating further, they do not receive an update.

Bicester residents take to social media to raise complaints about ‘useless’ Royal Mail postal service (Image: Getty Images)

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We know how important it is for people to receive their post reliably, especially when it contains personal, financial or medical information.

“We take concerns about delays seriously and any customer experiencing a specific issue with their mail should contact our customer services team so it can be looked into.

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“Improving quality of service is our top priority. Nationally, around 92 per cent of letters are currently arriving on time and over 99 per cent within a week, but we know there is more to do to deliver the reliable service customers expect.

“That is why we are making changes through our new delivery model, backed by our improvement plan, to improve reliability for customers across the UK.”

A target of 93 per cent is set for the postal company to deliver first class mail to be received within one working day.

But in Oxfordshire, the Royal Mail is hitting just 67.2 per cent, Liberal Democrat Witney MP Charlie Maynard revealed earlier this year.

This is below the Royal Mail’s claim of delivering 76.3 per cent of first class mail within one day across the UK for the year to March 2025.

Mr Maynard said that in his Witney constituency, people are even missing medical appointments because of late postal deliveries.

In May, services in Bicester (OX25 – OX27) saw delays “temporarily” due to sick absence, resourcing or other “local factors”, the Royal Mail said.

A spokesman said at the time: “In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers.

“We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive.”

Last year, the Royal Mail was taken over by International Distribution Services by Czech billionaire businessman Daniel Kretinsky’s IP Group in a £3.6 billion deal.

Louisiana-born chicken brand Raising Cane’s is setting up shop on Coventry Street in the heart of London, between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.

Although no official opening date has been announced, branded hoardings have now appeared at the site, signalling that the long-awaited launch is edging closer.

The chain, loved by celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Post Malone and Halle Berry, opened its first store in 1996, and as it approaches 30 years in business, is coming to the UK for the first time.

US fast food chain Raising Cane’s set to open its first UK restaurant

The chain has already developed a UK-focused menu featuring both take-out and dine-in meal options, as well as customisable chicken finger combos.

Unlike many competitors, Raising Cane’s keeps its menu simple, offering chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, and its signature Cane’s Sauce.

The sauce, described by fans as “next level,” is a particular point of excitement among British diners, who have shared their enthusiasm online.

One food lover wrote: “Omg I absolutely love Raising Cane’s.”

Another said: “Had this in Vegas.

“It was so good.

“Definitely on a par with Slim Chickens imo.”

A third added: “The sauce is next level.

“I will travel just for that.”

The company is reportedly exploring additional central London locations, including Oxford Circus, Paddington, South Bank, and The Strand, as well as potential drive-thru sites across Greater London.

The London restaurant will be the starting point for the brand’s wider European rollout.

US fast food chain rivalling McDonald’s coming back to UK after 17 years

Raising Cane’s is the latest in a wave of US fast-food brands expanding into the UK market.

Recent arrivals include Popeyes, while Dave’s Hot Chicken and Chick-fil-A have also announced UK expansion plans.

Chili’s Grill & Bar is also looking to come back to the UK after more than 15 years, with hopes of eventually opening more than 100 restaurants across the country.

The chain originally arrived in Britain during the 1990s and operated restaurants in places including Cambridge, Reading and London’s Canary Wharf, but by 2009, every UK branch had closed.

Now, the company is making a fresh attempt at cracking the UK market, aiming to open a flagship restaurant within the next 12 to 18 months before it aims to roll out more sites, reports Need To Know.

Industry insiders say they believe the chain could open between 85 and 100 restaurants if successful, with potential locations including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, and Liverpool.

The Tex-Mex chain is well-known in the US for its burgers, ribs, fajitas, and margaritas.

What US restaurant or fast food chain would you most like to see come to the UK?