Upsurge in FCA voluntary resignations costs watchdog over £7m July 16, 2021 The cost of the Financial Conduct Authority’s “voluntary resignation programme” has surged to over £7m compared to just £200,000 last year. The watchdog’s figures, published in its annual report for the year to April, showed the jump, in the number of staff who took advantage of its “Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme” (MARS) in the year [...]
‘Stable-coins’: Japan to join race to regulate digital currency July 16, 2021 Japan is gearing up its efforts to regulate digital currencies internationally, according to reports, as other economic powers race to push out their own, ‘more stable’, tech-based currency. It is a sign that the Japanese government, alongside other G7 states, fear that the growing popularity of digital currency could rattle current financial systems beyond repair, [...]
Mounting inflation could trigger early end to BoE’s bond buying July 15, 2021 An external member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee has warned that surging inflation could prompt the central bank to end its bond buying programme early. Michael Saunders said in a speech on Thursday: “if activity and inflation indicators remain in line with recent trends… options might include curtailing the current asset purchase [...]
Morgan Stanley beats expectations as investment banking income climbs July 15, 2021 US bank Morgan Stanley smashed analysts’ expectations for second quarter earnings and revenue, driven by record levels of capital market activity boosting its investment banking business. Revenue at the banking giant came in at $14.8bn, much higher than the $13.98bn estimate. Earnings per share hit $1.85, topping analysts’ estimates of $1.65. Read more: JPMorgan profits [...]
Inflation to soar to four per cent, warns BoE deputy governor July 15, 2021 The deputy governor of the Bank of England has warned that inflation could soar as high as four per cent, double the Bank’s target. Sir Dave Ramsden said in a speech on Wednesday that he “wouldn’t be surprised to see the whole inflation rate potentially rising as high as four per cent for a period [...]
UK banks expect a rush of defaults in coming months July 15, 2021 UK banks expect defaults to rise over the coming months as households struggle to service debt taken on to cope with the financial pressures of the Covid crisis, new figures released today reveal. According to the Bank of England’s latest Credit Conditions Survey, banks expect default rates on unsecured lending – or credit card lending [...]
FCA outlines plans to spot fraud and ‘poor behaviour’ faster after LCF debacle July 15, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said this morning it plans to invest £120m in improving its data capabilities over the next three years to crack down on fraud and misconduct. The UK’s financial watchdog outlined plans to overhaul its practices and vowed to be faster at spotting fraud and poor behaviour by banks. These include [...]
BlackRock hikes wages by 8 per cent July 15, 2021 BlackRock is set to provide its employees an ‘off-cycle’ salary hike. The world’s largest asset manager plans to boost pay by 8 per cent. “Your initiative, commitment and teamwork helped ensure that through the pandemic we supported our clients,” Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink and President Rob Kapito said. The company is the latest finance giant [...]
The City post-Brexit: A discussion about the Square Mile’s future in Global Britain July 14, 2021 This discussion focuses on the Treasury’s strategy paper on MIFID2, the proposed review of the prospectus regime, the post-Hill Review and the latest Treasury paper on Solvency2. Also on how and whether the UK should open up more to cryptos in the wake of the crackdown on Binance, and thoughts on what we could/should do [...]
Powell: US inflation likely to run hot in coming months July 14, 2021 US inflation is likely to continue to run hot in the coming months, according to the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. US Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell said in remarks prepared for the US House of Representatives Financial Services Committee that price rises “will likely remain elevated in coming months”, but will “moderate”. Read more: [...]