Treasury minister quits over government’s ‘lamentable’ Covid fraud record January 24, 2022 A Treasury minister resigned today over the government’s “lamentable” record on Covid fraud, after billions were stolen from Covid support schemes. Lord Theodore Agnew – previously responsible for government efficiency – said oversight of the Covid loan schemes by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) and the British Business Bank had been [...]
City boom: Banks launch record recruitment drive… yes, despite Brexit January 24, 2022 The City’s banking jobs market is booming in a sign that London is scuppering bets laid on Brexit hitting its attractiveness, reveals a fresh study released today. UK banks have never been looking to hire this many staff, with vacancies in the sector skyrocketing 129 per cent over the last year, according to research carried [...]
Bumper year for shareholders as UK dividends rebound to hit £94bn January 24, 2022 Shareholders enjoyed bumper payouts last year as dividends rebounded from a pandemic slump to hit £94.1bn, new figures have revealed.
Staley Barclays successor Venkat given £6,500 a month to move to London January 23, 2022 The banker that was swooped in to lead Barclays after the lender’s former chief executive Jes Staley quit has been given £6,500 a month to cover the cost of moving to London for around two years. CS Venkatakrishnan, known as Venkat in the City, was parachuted into Barclays after Staley left the British banking titan [...]
Nation of hungry entrepreneurs: Two in three UK employees plan to launch their own business January 22, 2022 A record two in three British employees plan to start their own business at some point in the future, a jump of more than 10 per cent compared to a year ago, according to new data shared with City A.M. this morning. In fact, one in ten Brits don’t want to wait and plan to [...]
The unstoppable rise of the challenger bank: Canary Wharf’s retail giants have reasons to be worried January 22, 2022 If traditional retail banks have paid any attention to the latest data from the City watchdog, they have reasons to be worried, because challenger banks are increasingly taking over traditional banking services from established financial institutions. In fact, nearly 10 per cent of all accounts are now held with a so-called digital “challenger” bank. A [...]
Exclusive: Most investors could not care less about ESG and sustainability January 20, 2022 With COP26 a few months behind us, more than half of UK investors admit sustainable investing is not a priority for them, with just under 45 per cent saying it is important and it is a priority in their investment portfolio. In fact, less than a third of British investors say COP26 and the UK [...]
Exclusive: ‘Keep a cool head in hairy markets but avoid being an ostrich’, says City grandee and fund chief Andrew Bell January 20, 2022 Witan Investment Trust is a well-know name in the City’s investment space. It can trace its history back to 1909 when it was set up to manage the investment affairs of Sir Alexander Henderson, who later became the first Lord Faringdon. Today it holds over £2.2bn on behalf of more than 28,000 shareholders, using a [...]
JPMorgan tops list of European M&A advisers with $301.5bn deals January 20, 2022 JPMorgan has topped a list of European M&A advisers in terms deal-value after working across $301.5bn worth of deals in 2021, according to new data.
Competition is heating up amongst retail banks, says FCA January 20, 2022 Fierce competition in retail banking is driving choice and lowering prices for consumers according to the UK financial watchdog.