SocGen is set to expand its St James’s Square office by 8,000 square feet June 16, 2016 French banking giant Société Générale is about to double the size of its St James’s Square office. The bank, which is headquartered in Paris but operates major offices across London, is also moving ahead with plans to move into a new larger Canary Wharf office in 2019. The St James's office houses SocGen's private-banking arm and currently covers 8,000 square feet. [...]
European banking shares take a hammering as Deutsche Bank falls to its lowest ever June 16, 2016 European banking shares dropped today – with Deutsche Bank's share price falling to its lowest-ever in early trading. Deutsche shares fell as low as €12.94 , 2.5 per cent lower, while the UK's big four lenders were also hit, with HSBC dipping 1.1 per cent to 420.95p, Barclays falling 2.5 per cent to 157p, Royal [...]
Fintech and blockchain top Mark Carney’s Mansion House agenda June 16, 2016 London's status as the world leading centre for fintech is set to be cemented on Thursday when it tops the agenda of the governor of the Bank of England at a prestigious City event. Mark Carney will centre a major speech on the subject of fintech and blockchain technology at the annual Mansion House dinner, his first to address the disruptive sector in [...]
Brexit is a massive opportunity for Britain’s world-beating financial services industry June 16, 2016 So what will a vote to leave on 23 June mean for our financial services? Simply put, it will be business as usual but with a massive opportunity to leave behind the EU’s “one size fits all” regulation and develop our world-leading industry under a strict and independent Bank of England. Never again should the UK taxpayer [...]
Financial sector faces toughest competition in nearly a decade June 16, 2016 Banks are facing their toughest squeeze on profitability in nearly two years as fierce competition in the financial services industry puts pressure on bottom lines. The latest quarterly survey of the sector from the CBI and PwC found that more firms are feeling pessimistic than optimistic about the outlook for the industry for the second quarter [...]
Betting odds indicate 62 per cent probability of Remain as banks plan to draft in senior traders ahead of referendum night volatility June 15, 2016 Betting odds indicate that there is now a 62 per cent probability of a Remain vote in next week's referendum, according to Betfair. The implied probability of an In vote fell on Tuesday to around 55 per cent but then recovered to around 62 per cent later in the day, the bookmaker said. The slight [...]
The City of London will prosper in or out of the European Union June 15, 2016 A friend tells me why he is voting Remain. “My wife works for a French bank and they would pull out of London if we left the EU.” That’s fair enough. Assuming the French bank set up in London to access the EU, then it’s logical to assume it would leave after Brexit. But a [...]
Standard Chartered boss speaks out about anger over “cancer” of bad behaviour June 14, 2016 Standard Chartered's chief executive has attacked the "cancer" of weak controls at the bank, which he says is the reason for misconduct among senior staff. Bill Winters gave an "angry" talk to Standard Chartered's 1,500 high-ranking managers since taking the helm a year ago and has sent staff memos slamming inordinate expenses and inappropriate financial [...]
Goldman Sachs accused in court hearing of using gifts of prostitutes and Moroccan getaways to win Libyan business June 13, 2016 Goldman Sachs has been accused of lavishing Libyan officials with gifts such as prostitutes and trips to locations like Morocco in a bid to secure business in a court hearing today. In a case that opened at the high court in London today, the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) is taking legal action against Goldman Sachs on allegations that the [...]
Brexit bank headache, 7 years of limbo: What Europe said on Brexit today June 12, 2016 Top leaders in Europe's finance world have spoken out on the Brexit debate on Sunday, with warnings of a headache for German banks and seven years of "limbo" in negotiations. German banks would be hit if Britain voted to leave the European Union, the head of the country's financial watchdog has warned. The heavy exposure of [...]