Business & Technology
Fime launches trust framework for AI-initiated payments
Fime has launched FACT, a trust framework for transactions initiated by artificial intelligence agents. The system is intended to provide an independent layer for verifying agent-driven commerce.
The move comes as AI systems take on more autonomous roles in payments and digital transactions, shifting from assisting users to searching, negotiating and completing purchases on their behalf.
FACT, short for Framework for Agentic Commerce Trust, is designed to sit between AI systems and payment rails. It provides real-time verification, certification and oversight of transactions initiated by software agents rather than human users.
Fime is positioning the framework as a neutral model that can operate across payment platforms and networks. It says existing approaches are often embedded within specific payment schemes or technology ecosystems, limiting interoperability and raising concerns about conflicts of interest.
Trust layer
At the centre of the launch is a response to a growing problem in digital commerce: payment infrastructure was largely built for transactions authorised directly by people, not for decisions delegated to AI. That raises questions about what can be trusted when an autonomous agent chooses a product, agrees a price or completes a payment.
FACT is intended to address those concerns by verifying several parts of the transaction process, including whether an agent’s actions align with a user’s or organisation’s objectives, whether policy and compliance requirements are met, and whether the transaction can be audited.
The framework also includes what Fime describes as independent auditor agents intended to provide neutral trust verification. The aim is to generate machine-readable trust signals that participants across the payments chain can use when deciding whether to accept, authorise or review a transaction.
Merchants could use those signals when deciding whether to accept AI-initiated purchases. Banks and payment networks could use them as additional inputs for authorisation, fraud controls and risk assessment, while regulators could draw on them for greater visibility into autonomous transactions.
Industry shift
The launch reflects wider industry efforts to prepare payment systems for agentic commerce, a term used to describe transactions initiated and executed by AI agents with varying degrees of autonomy. Interest in the area has risen as generative AI and digital assistants evolve into systems that can take action rather than simply return information.
That shift introduces practical and governance issues for the financial sector. If an AI agent books travel, reorders goods, negotiates a subscription or selects a financial product, payment providers and merchants need ways to assess whether the instruction is legitimate, compliant and attributable.
These questions have implications for fraud prevention, liability and consumer protection. They also matter to regulators under pressure to ensure that automated commercial activity does not outpace oversight frameworks designed for more conventional digital payments.
Fime says FACT is intended to reduce the risk of the market splitting into closed, platform-controlled systems by offering a shared trust framework that can work across a changing payments landscape. The model builds on the company’s existing work in payments and digital identity standards, certification and implementation.
“Agentic commerce is not a future concept. It is already emerging across payment and digital ecosystems. But while we have built systems that allow AI to transact, we have not yet built systems that allow us to trust those transactions at scale,” said Lionel Grosclaude, Chief Executive Officer, Fime.
“FACT introduces the missing layer: a neutral, continuously verifiable trust infrastructure that enables autonomous commerce to grow safely, transparently and globally. This is critical to mass adoption of agentic commerce, so we are already engaging with the ecosystem and will share updates on pilots soon,” said Grosclaude.
Business & Technology
Oxford private school blames VAT for administration as deal struck
Touchload Limited, the company trading as Kings Oxford, was placed into administration by the High Court earlier this month.
Joint administrators Stephen Katz and Mr David Lawrence Birne of BTG Begbies Traynor (London) LLP were appointed on Thursday, April 9.
Public filings show Touchload remains listed as an active private limited company, with its most recent accounts covering the year to December 31, 2024 and its next set of accounts still due by October 1, 2026.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire to be hotter than Venice this week according to Met Office
Kings Oxford. (Image: Kings Oxford)
The administration order allows insolvency practitioners to take control of the business while options are explored, including a potential rescue, sale or managed wind‑down.
Kings Oxford, which operates from its St Joseph’s Campus in Temple Road, Cowley, and a city centre site in St Michael’s Street, offers GCSEs, A‑levels, foundation programmes and English language courses for UK and international day and boarding students.
Its current fee table shows A‑level programmes priced at more than £33,000 per year and GCSE courses in the low‑to‑mid £30,000s.
An Ofsted boarding inspection in May 2023 rated the overall experiences, progress, safeguarding and leadership at Kings Oxford as good.
In a detailed statement, a spokesperson for Kings Oxford linked the college’s financial pressures to the Government’s policy of imposing VAT on private school fees.
READ MORE: Private college with £30k fees in administration after High Court order
Kings Oxford. (Image: Kings Oxford)
The spokesperson said: “Since the Government’s imposition of VAT on private school fees Kings Oxford, along with many private schools in the UK, has experienced a significant drop in student enrolments over the past 18 months.
“The impact among international schools such as ours has been even more severe because parents of international students have multiple English‑speaking options for their children’s education abroad.
“It became clear that the most viable way of ensuring educational continuity for our students would be by being part of a larger, more stable educational group.
“We are therefore delighted that Kings Oxford is now part of the INTO University Partnerships group, a very well‑respected and successful operator within the international education sector.
“This will provide security for students currently studying in Oxford, as well as long‑term stability for Kings Oxford, which we are confident will continue to operate successfully in the city for many more years to come.”
READ MORE: Cotswolds pub unveils £95 seafood platter which needs three days’ notice
Kings Oxford. (Image: Kings Oxford)
Kings Oxford sits within Kings Education, which runs UK and US colleges and will now operate as a distinct brand inside the INTO University Partnerships group under a strategic deal announced this month.
INTO, which works with universities in the UK, US, Australia and elsewhere, said the tie‑up would create a “more resilient, more capable, and more globally connected organisation”, with plans to widen the range of programmes and locations open to students and expand Kings’ offer using INTO’s London facilities.
Mr Andrew Hutchinson, chief executive of Kings Education, said joining INTO marked “an exciting new chapter” and would “create new opportunities and outcomes for our students and partners”, while INTO chief executive Mr John Sykes described the agreement as an “important milestone” that would broaden study and progression routes for international students.
Insolvency notices advise anyone seeking further information about the administration of Touchload Limited to contact BTG Begbies Traynor in London.
Business & Technology
Cyber Scheme launches company accreditation programme
The Cyber Scheme has launched an Accredited Company Programme for organisations that deliver cyber security services. It is aimed at companies of all sizes in the UK market.
The programme assesses organisations on the professional competence of their workforce and links company accreditation to standards set by the UK Cyber Security Council for Chartered Cyber Security Professionals.
Accredited companies will be recognised for verified skills, continuous professional development and service standards. Participants will also be able to access procurement frameworks that require a professionalised cyber workforce.
The accreditation covers specific disciplines rather than providing a single general approval. Companies listed on a planned Accredited Company Register will be recognised in areas including security testing, operational technology, incident response, secure operations, cyber security management, and governance and risk.
The move expands The Cyber Scheme’s role beyond individual certification into organisational assessment. The group already assesses and recommends people for professional titles from Associate to Chartered level across several specialisms, and says it accounts for more than half of all registered professionals through its work as a Licenced Body for the UK Cyber Security Council.
Zeshan Sattar, Director of The Cyber Scheme, said the new model is intended to link the standing of a cyber security provider to the credentials of the staff delivering the work. “Our accreditation programme is built on the principle that trustworthy services come from proven professional competence,” Sattar said.
“The programme assures a company’s services by confirming its workforce capability aligns with the UK Cyber Security Council’s Chartered Cyber Security Professional standards.”
“Professionalisation doesn’t stop with individuals. Skills, standards and continuous development must be embedded within the organisations delivering these services.”
Procurement access
For cyber security consultancies and specialist providers, one of the most immediate commercial effects may come through procurement. Accredited companies will gain visibility in regulated frameworks and routes into domestic and international work, while also improving their ability to recruit and retain professionally registered staff.
This emphasis on frameworks reflects a wider shift in the sector, as public and regulated buyers increasingly ask suppliers to show evidence of recognised qualifications and independently verified standards. By focusing on workforce competence, the programme seeks to create a company-level marker that buyers can use alongside individual certifications.
Jordan Glover, Director of JAG Secure, said the structure addresses a long-standing issue in the market. “The Cyber Scheme’s Accredited Company Programme is something our industry has genuinely needed. It shifts responsibility beyond the individual, tying a company’s credibility directly to the verified competence of the people working within.”
“What’s great is the specialism-based recognition. Companies are accredited for what they actually deliver, whether that’s security testing, incident response, or governance and risk management, rather than receiving a blanket stamp of approval. For a specialist firm like ours, that distinction matters. This is a commitment to quality, transparency and the long-term professionalisation of cyber security.”
Industry context
The Cyber Scheme describes itself as an accreditation body for technical cyber security organisations and professionals, with certifications aligned to standards used in government-backed schemes including CHECK, Cyber Essentials Plus and Cyber Advisor. It says its Cyber Scheme Team Member qualification has become a baseline requirement for technical assurance roles in parts of government and industry.
The new company programme builds on that position by applying professional standards at organisational level. Rather than relying solely on the credentials of individual consultants, the model seeks to show whether a business has embedded training, development and recognised skills across the team delivering services.
Supporters argue that this distinction matters in specialist fields, where firms may be known for one area of work but not others. A register that identifies accredited disciplines could allow buyers to distinguish between providers on a narrower basis than broad cyber security branding.
Paul Toye, Managing Director of Cyber Guarded, said that could give clients greater confidence in the services they buy.
“The programme fills a critical gap by linking professional competence with organisational credibility, giving UK businesses confidence that the advice and services they receive come from trusted, independently verified professionals operating within their recognised specialisms.”
Sattar said the programme is intended to be more than a symbolic label for participating firms.
“Our Accredited Company Programme isn’t just another badge. It’s a strategic advantage that builds trust and confidence, raises the bar and strengthens resilience across the sector.”
Business & Technology
Reconeyez appoints Mark Williams as EMEA Sales Chief
Reconeyez has appointed Mark Williams as Vice President of Sales, EMEA, as it expands following its integration into the VOSKER group.
Williams will lead sales across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where the company is looking to broaden its presence and strengthen support for installers, integrators and other partners. His arrival adds another senior executive to the leadership team as the security technology business enters a broader international growth phase.
He brings security industry experience from senior roles at AMAG and Remsdaq, as well as work with a major integrator. That background spans both the manufacturing and integration sides of the market, which Reconeyez views as central to its regional channel strategy.
Reconeyez specialises in remote surveillance and perimeter protection, with products designed for sites where conventional security systems can be difficult to deploy. Its systems combine wireless, battery-powered devices with cloud-based artificial intelligence to provide visual verification and reduce false alarms in remote and high-risk environments.
The company recently became part of the VOSKER group, a move that sets the context for the latest management change. Reconeyez expects the expanded organisation to support further development of its technology platform and extend its reach in international markets.
Chief Executive Officer Peter Young linked the appointment to that broader expansion.
“Mark joins Reconeyez at an incredibly exciting time for the business. Having joined the VOSKER group, we are bringing together two industry-leading technologies, VOSKER and Reconeyez, to deliver the best in remote surveillance and perimeter protection for remote and hard-to-reach sites.”
With the launch of VOSKER PRO and the expansion of our combined technology platform, we are entering a new phase that will see developments in our AI capabilities, cloud platform, and security technology.
Mark’s deep experience across the security industry, particularly in leading global teams, developing partner-led growth strategies and driving organic growth across international markets, will be invaluable as we continue to scale across EMEA and support our installer and integrator network.”
Regional push
Williams’ experience leading international teams and working with partner networks was a key factor in the appointment. EMEA remains an important region for security suppliers serving sectors such as critical infrastructure, energy and border security, where sites are often remote and operators need systems that can be installed with limited supporting infrastructure.
That backdrop has increased competition around reliability, remote monitoring and alarm handling. Reconeyez argues that autonomous systems appeal to customers seeking to avoid the complexity of traditional fixed installations, particularly in locations that are hard to reach or costly to maintain.
Williams outlined his view of the market in comments released alongside the announcement.
“What drew me to Reconeyez was the technology. The ability to deliver reliable, autonomous security, combining durable hardware with AI-powered detection, in locations where traditional systems simply do not work, is a powerful proposition, particularly as demand grows across critical infrastructure, energy, border security, and other remote environments.”
With the backing of VOSKER and the introduction of new technologies such as VOSKER PRO and video streaming, Reconeyez is expanding what is possible in remote surveillance.
“I’m excited to work closely with our team and partners across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, building on Reconeyez’s reputation for excellence and delivering practical, scalable security solutions, with AI that reduces false alarms, lowers operational burden, and solves real-world challenges for installers, integrators and end users.”
Reconeyez said its combination with VOSKER brings it into a broader global organisation with more than 3 million cameras deployed worldwide and operations in more than 120 countries. That scale could help support product development and channel expansion as it seeks a larger share of the EMEA market.
Williams joins at a time when remote security suppliers are trying to widen their distribution networks while responding to demand for systems that can be monitored and managed across dispersed sites. His appointment underlines the importance Reconeyez places on partner sales as it builds out its regional strategy.
-
UK News2 days agoStarmer says it ‘beggars belief’ he wasn’t told about Mandelson vetting failure as he faces Commons – UK politics live | Politics
-
Crime & Safety1 week agoLorry overturns on Oxfordshire A43 roundabout with driver trapped
-
Crime & Safety2 days agoBicester man denies sexually assaulting two young girls
-
UK News2 days agoPhones to be banned in schools by law in England under government plans
-
Crime & Safety6 days agoOxford teacher who fiddled grades wants banning order ended
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoDrug driving arrest carried out in Oxfordshire market town
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoOxfordshire village fear for welfare incident update issued
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoFirst Indie Oxford Day kicks off with great success
