Creditinfo has acquired full ownership of Latvian credit bureau KIB Latvia, raising its stake from 51% to 100% after a 13-year partnership.

The deal gives the London-headquartered group full control of the bureau’s Latvian operations and deepens its presence in the Baltic market. It also ends a shareholder structure that included several of the country’s major banks.

Credit bureaus sit at the centre of consumer and business lending markets, supplying data that banks and other lenders use to assess borrowers and manage defaults. Full ownership of KIB Latvia gives Creditinfo direct oversight of a business that helps shape how credit data is shared and used across Latvia’s financial system.

Creditinfo plans to increase investment in the local market and expand the bureau’s services. This includes data products for financial institutions, businesses and consumers, as well as broader activity in business information, fraud and identity services.

Latvia is part of a Baltic banking market where lenders face pressure to strengthen risk controls while extending access to finance. Credit bureaus have become more important as regulators, banks and fintech companies place greater emphasis on data quality, identity checks and credit transparency.

Against that backdrop, full ownership gives Creditinfo more scope to align local operations with its regional strategy. The group said the move would support stronger data sharing, risk management and responsible lending practices in the market.

Satty Saha, Group Chief Executive Officer at Creditinfo, said the acquisition reflected a long-term commitment to the country.

“This acquisition reflects our long-term commitment to Latvia and our confidence in the market’s continued growth,” said Satty Saha, Group Chief Executive Officer, Creditinfo Group. “With experience across 30 regions worldwide and strong innovation capabilities, we are well-positioned to deliver greater value to Latvia’s financial services ecosystem and support better-informed decision-making for businesses and consumers alike.”

The transaction also marks a shift away from local banking shareholders. Elari Tammenurm, Regional Director for Continental Europe at Creditinfo, named Swedbank, SEB, Citadele and Luminor among the shareholders involved in the process.

“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our fellow shareholders – Swedbank, SEB, Citadele, and Luminor – for their constructive collaboration throughout the process. We also greatly appreciate the support of our advisors at COBALT in Estonia and Latvia. We’re excited about the future and expanding access to finance in the region,” said Elari Tammenurm, Regional Director, Continental Europe, Creditinfo Group.

Established in 1997, Creditinfo operates in more than 30 regions through credit bureau and related data businesses. Its operations span credit information, business information and risk management services for lenders, public bodies and other institutions.

The Latvian deal fits a broader pattern of consolidation and expansion among data providers serving financial markets. Companies in the sector are seeking closer control of local assets as demand rises for credit data, fraud screening and identity verification, particularly in smaller European markets where banking systems are digitising quickly.

In Latvia, the ownership change may matter most in the day-to-day operation of the credit bureau. A single owner can move faster on investment decisions, product development and regional integration than a consortium structure, especially as services expand beyond traditional credit reporting.

Creditinfo said its planned development in Latvia would include enhanced analytics, digital services and consumer-focused products aimed at improving access to credit. It also plans to keep investing in technology, staff and partnerships in the country as it integrates the bureau more closely into its wider Baltic and European business.

8×8 has launched Retail Nationwide in the UK, a communications product for retail teams using shared devices and working across shifts.

It is aimed at stores where staff move around the shop floor rather than work from fixed desks with assigned handsets. Incoming calls can ring on all connected devices, allowing the nearest available employee to answer instead of routing calls to a single phone.

This addresses a common problem in stores, where communications systems are often designed for office use and can leave branch teams hard to reach. That can result in missed calls, uneven customer response and extra work for IT teams managing multiple sites.

Each licence supports one desk phone and up to five shared mobile or tablet devices. Configurations can also be standardised across locations, which 8×8 expects will reduce the time needed to set up communications when new stores open.

Retailers have been looking for ways to support frontline staff handling in-store customers, online orders and customer queries across channels, often with tighter staffing levels. The launch places 8×8 in a market where suppliers are tailoring communications software to the practical needs of distributed store networks rather than office-based workforces.

“UK retailers are managing more complexity with leaner teams than ever with staff helping customers, dealing with online orders, trying to answer queries across multiple channels, and so much more,” said Michelle Kelly, Retail Expert at 8×8.

“The communication infrastructure many stores are running on wasn’t built for that. It was built for a world where everyone has a desk and phone and has been shoehorned into retail, resulting in a poor employee and customer experience. Retail Nationwide changes all that and has a pricing model that reflects the retail reality,” Kelly said.

8×8 also highlighted the product’s administrative benefits for businesses operating dozens or hundreds of outlets. Standard settings across branches and support for shared mobile devices are intended to simplify onboarding and remote management for store estates with frequent staff turnover and changing device needs.

Global Telecom Networks, a channel partner working with 8×8 on the product, said retail customers had raised concerns about both access and cost under conventional licensing structures. Those issues can be more acute in sectors where large numbers of workers share devices across shifts.

“What we hear consistently from UK retailers is that their frontline teams are difficult to reach and expensive to equip,” said Vipool Umaria, Chief Operations Officer at Global Telecom Networks.

“The licensing model alone creates friction – staff turnover, licences go unused, IT has to keep pace with store changes. Retail Nationwide cuts through all of that. It’s a model built around how retail actually staffs and operates and that attention to detail in the industry is why we are working with 8×8,” Umaria said.

Broader retail push

Alongside Retail Nationwide, 8×8 is also presenting other retail-focused products tied to post-purchase support and sales interactions. These include Aftersale Assist, which uses self-service tools and one-way video support for after-purchase issues, and Sales Assist, which provides AI-based prompts and insights for sales teams.

It also offers mobile device management integration, support for shared handheld devices, centralised remote configuration across sites and a managed version of its Work app for deployments based on mobile device management systems.

These additions show 8×8 is trying to expand its retail position beyond voice and messaging by linking store communications with customer support and sales tools. For retailers, the pitch is that frontline communications, device management and customer engagement software can sit within the same supplier relationship.

Retail remains a significant test case for communications providers because store operations combine high staff turnover, multiple locations, shared hardware and the need for rapid customer response. In that environment, even small delays in answering calls or rerouting enquiries can affect service levels and sales conversion.

The UK debut of Retail Nationwide reflects pressure on suppliers to build products around how shop floors work in practice. Each licence works with a desk phone plus up to five shared mobile or tablet devices, allowing stores to cover more of the working environment without assigning a separate licence to every employee.

Chinnor-based Cakes of Curiosity won the Cakes and Sweet Treats category at the Guides for Brides Customer Service Awards 2026, which celebrate excellence in the UK wedding industry.

Winners are selected based on real reviews left by couples and are recognised for delivering exceptional service throughout the wedding planning journey.

Cakes of Curiosity stood out for consistently high review ratings and glowing feedback from couples.

One anonymous couple who booked the company said: “Every single tier looked absolutely stunning and tasted even better than we could have imagined.

“They even catered to our gluten free guest by creating him his own mini cake which tasted just as amazing as the main event.”

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Melanie, the owner of Cakes of Curiosity, at The Guides for Brides event (Image: Cakes of Curiosity)

Melanie Aldridge, the owner of Cakes of Curiosity said: “I can not fully explain what winning this award means to me.

“Each cake is created with passion, pride, and a commitment to excellence, treating every wedding as if it were my own.”

Winners are selected based on real reviews left by couples and are recognised for delivering exceptional service throughout the wedding planning journey.

Nikita Thorne, head of strategy at Guides for Brides, said: “Couples are entering the wedding planning process more informed and more discerning than ever before.

“This year’s awards have highlighted just how many businesses are rising to meet that expectation.”

Among the winners was also Oxford Event Hire Ltd, Oxford-based business Illustration by Kiwi, and Charlton Bespoke Artisan Flowers.