Regulators to review financial sector levy in the wake of “unacceptable” IT failures March 13, 2020 Regulators have welcomed a number of reforms to the financial services sector after the Treasury Committee called its IT failures “unacceptable”. The Treasury Committee’s report, which was published last October, called on the regulators to address the growing number of tech issues in the financial services sector. As part of the proposed reforms, the committee [...]
Sunak and Carney hold banking summit to discuss coronavirus outbreak March 12, 2020 The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England held a banking summit today to discuss a coordinated response to support small and medium sized businesses affected by coronavirus. Mark Carney and incoming BoE Governor Andrew Bailey outlined the measures that the Bank announced yesterday morning to help mitigate the economic impact of the [...]
RBS could hold AGM ‘in an empty room’ due to coronavirus outbreak March 12, 2020 Banking giant RBS is gearing up to hold a dramatically scaled-back physical annual general meeting (AGM) due to the coronavirus pandemic, with just core attendees present in person. RBS, like all listed companies with a financial year ending in December, has a legal obligation to hold a physical AGM by 30 June, with the meeting [...]
ECB to let eurozone banks breach key requirements due to coronavirus March 12, 2020 The European Central Bank said that eurozone banks will be allowed to fall short of some key capital and cash requirements as lenders grapple with the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came soon after ECB monetary policymakers announced a new stimulus package, marking an unprecedented synchronised action by the central bank’s two [...]
Bank of England weighs pros and cons of central bank digital currencies March 12, 2020 The Bank of England has asked for people’s views on the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) as it weighs the pros and cons of launching its own. Governor Mark Carney said in a discussion paper published today that although “the creation of a CBDC poses a number of opportunities, it could raise [...]
HSBC interim chief executive’s pay set to rise to £1.3m March 11, 2020 HSBC has revealed chief executive Noel Quinn will receive a 2.5 per cent pay rise, bringing his total salary to £1.3m, while finance boss Ewen Stevenson’s salary will rise to £741k. Last month, the bank unveiled a radical strategy overhaul alongside its annual results. Under the plans, HSBC will cut 35,000 jobs over the next [...]
Budget 2020: Government to tax financial services firms to pay for economic crime fight March 11, 2020 The chancellor said today that the government would bring forward a levy on financial services firms to help pay for the fight against economic crime. It said businesses subject to the money laundering regulations would be subject to the tax which would aim to deliver reforms laid out in the government’s economic crime plan. Businesses [...]
How should investors act in a crisis? March 11, 2020 | City Talk With markets reeling from the effects of coronavirus, Schroders’ Group CIO, Johanna Kyrklund, highlights what investors should focus on. Coronavirus is the latest threat to market harmony that once again poses a timeless question: how should investors act in a crisis? Whether you’re a fund manager, responsible for billions of pounds of other people’s money, [...]
Should the Bank of England consider an emergency interest rate cut in response Covid-19? March 11, 2020 Should the Bank of England consider an emergency interest rate cut in response Covid-19? Vicky Pryce, former joint head of the Government Economic Service and author of It’s the Economy, Stupid, says YES. This is an emergency situation and emergency measures are needed. The Budget needs to focus on providing short-term help, but a joint [...]
Treasury to push back target date to sell off RBS stake March 10, 2020 The Treasury is set to push back its target date for selling its stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in the wake of stock market uncertainty. The government is due to announce tomorrow that it will not divest its 62 per cent stake in RBS until 2025. An exit strategy the Treasury published [...]