Banks need to make Brexit job decions in the first half of 2017, says Citi’s European chief January 24, 2017 Citigroup’s European boss has said his bank, and others, will make decisions on Brexit-motivated job moves in the first half of this year. James Cowles, Citi's chief executive for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said his firm’s issue is with its broker-dealer business, which is currently headquartered in the UK. “We come into this actually from [...]
HSBC to close another 62 branches this year January 24, 2017 HSBC is set to close another 62 branches across the UK this year, the banking giant announced today. This takes the total number of branches closing this year to 117. The move marks the end of "HSBC's branch restructuring programme", Antonio Simoes, chief executive of the banking giant, said. “We now feel we have the right branch network that [...]
The Green Investment Bank’s stalled sale risks red faces January 24, 2017 The sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) has stalled amid speculation that the government fears ending up with egg on its face from a botched privatisation. The GIB, set up by former business secretary Vince Cable to mobilise private sector capital into the renewables sector, is seeking a new owner to boost investment into [...]
Luxembourg doesn’t want to steal London’s finance crown January 24, 2017 If a week is a long time in politics, then seven months is practically a lifetime. That is how much time has elapsed, of course, since Britain voted to leave the European Union, and we are now finally learning what Theresa May and her government want from the complex negotiations that are set to follow the [...]
EU follows UK lead and considers plans to test bank defences against a cyber attack January 23, 2017 The EU is contemplating plans to test banks' ability to repel cyber attacks in an initiative that would mirror measures already put in place by the Bank of England. Cyber and technological-enabled attacks have been on the Bank of England's radar since 2013 with 30 out of 35 "core firms" having completed the UK's cyber stress testing [...]
Financial adviser DeVere Group launches new private bank January 23, 2017 Those looking for a place to stash their cash have a new option, with financial consultants DeVere Group today launching a private bank. DeVere Group Bank St Lucia, which the group understands to be the first private bank to be independently owned by a financial advisory firm, was created out of the firms acquisition of Arton Bank. DeVere snatched up [...]
Business secretary backs City as a “huge national asset”, and hopes there won’t be fewer bankers as a result of Brexit January 23, 2017 The business secretary has today given his backing to the City of London, calling the financial sector a "huge national asset". His comments come just days after bosses from UBS and HSBC warned they could move thousands of jobs overseas because of the Brexit vote and, in particular, the risk they might lose valuable access rights to [...]
Financial services report gloomiest outlook since 2008 crisis January 23, 2017 Hiring increases in the face of falling optimism rounded off a mixed picture for the financial services sector in the quarterly survey run by the CBI and PwC. The survey of 103 firms showed declining sentiment for the fourth consecutive quarter. A drop of 35 per cent in optimism about the overall business situation was [...]
Nil points: Why boring Dublin and provincial Frankfurt won’t steal London’s financial services crown January 23, 2017 As chief executive of a UK SME reliant on a successful financial services sector, Brexit caused a mixture of emotions in me – anger and fear being two of them. But chief executives count action among their traits, so rather than listen to the relentless speculation about Article 50 and its implications, I downloaded the [...]
Macquarie’s rival SDCL lays out its plans for Green Investment Bank as talk grows of ham-fisted privatisation and possible flotation January 23, 2017 The Green Investment Bank (GIB) needs to be built up before it can be floated in several years' time according to a UK-based international consortium which wants to be reconsidered as a buyer for the government-owned bank. The consortium, SDCL, is backed by the UK's Pension Protection Fund, Hancock of the US and Mitsui of Japan. It [...]