RSA share price dips as insurer reveals impact of recent hurricanes in the US and Caribbean November 2, 2017 Insurer RSA booked a £50m loss over the recent hurricanes in the US and Caribbean, but said markets were “largely unchanged” elsewhere in the third quarter. The figures The group reported year-to-date net written premiums of £5.1bn in the third quarter, up eight per cent from the same period of 2016. UK premiums rose five [...]
eDreams Odigeo hints at a merger on the horizon with a strategic review November 2, 2017 Barcelona-based travel booking firm eDreams Odigeo could be about to sell itself or merge with another company after it announced a strategic review this morning. Unsolicited approaches from potential investors prompted the unanimous decision by the board to being a review and appoint Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor. At the same time, the company [...]
It’s official: Fintech startup Transferwise closes $280m funding from top investors led by IVP and Old Mutual November 2, 2017 One of the UK’s star fintech startups has closed a huge new funding round from top investors, including an early backer of Netflix, Snap and Twitter. Transferwise has raised $280m led by Silicon Valley venture firm IVP and Old Mutual Global Investors. Sapphire Ventures, Japan’s Mitsui & Co and World Innovation Lab have also jumped [...]
Augmented reality startup Snatch wins £4.4m in latest funding and backing of LastMinute.com founder Brent Hoberman November 2, 2017 Augmented reality game Snatch has won £4.4m in seed funding from a raft of investors, including the co-founder of Lastminute.com The startup, established by British co-founders Joe Martin and Jamal Hirani, officially launches its app in the UK this week. It has attracted backing from LastMinute.com founder and cexecutive chairman of First Minute Capital Brent [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan taps ex-NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg’s consultancy to help draft smart city strategy November 2, 2017 The Mayor of London is tapping the former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg to boost the capital’s plans to become a tech driven connected “smart city”. Sadiq Khan will today announce that Bloomberg’s consultancy which he launched after leaving office in 2013, Bloomberg Associates, will help draft a Smart London Plan that is [...]
Theresa May limps on as Jeremy Corbyn swaggers through Prime Minister’s Questionscorbyn November 2, 2017 Jeremy Corbyn may have a certain swagger these days but he hasn’t lost his capacity to surprise Westminster-watchers. The Labour leader has been getting the better of Theresa May at Prime Minister’s Questions lately, and with the wind in his sails he could have done so again yesterday. He has the Tories on the ropes [...]
The march of time: How war led to some of horology’s finest innovations, from diving watches to the chronograph November 2, 2017 Halfway through Pulp Fiction, with typically unnerving intensity – not to mention outrageous casual racism – Christopher Walken’s Captain Koons coaxes a young Butch Coolidge from his TV cartoons and presents him with ‘The Gold Watch’. This time-piece, he explains, was so important to his father that, while detained in a Vietnamese prisoner of war [...]
DEBATE: With sexual harassment in the news, does the City need to confront its own problem? November 2, 2017 With sexual harassment in the news, does the City need to confront its own problem? Carrie Osman, chief executive at tech and fintech strategy firm CRUXY&CO, says YES. It’s easy to point fingers at Hollywood and claim this is not a problem for “us”. But harassment and sexism permeate society, and the City needs to [...]
A digital Brexit will spur us to rethink the nature of the state November 2, 2017 As Brexit negotiations continue, with the EU playing for time and the UK insisting that talks move onto the future relationship, the uncertainty can be unsettling for even the most experienced of commentators. However, this uncertainty should not stop us thinking about how we can transform the UK to meet future challenges after we leave [...]
Napoli 2, Manchester City 4: Sergio Aguero breaks City scoring record as they reach Champions League knockout stage November 1, 2017 Napoli 2, Manchester City 4 Striker Sergio Aguero savoured a night to remember after he fired his way into the record books – and Manchester City into the Champions League last 16. Aguero’s 178th goal since joining City – a clinical second-half finish – eclipsed Eric Brook’s 77-year-old tally and saw the Argentina star become [...]