Funding Circle confirms IPO that could value it at £2bn September 3, 2018 Small business loans platform Funding Circle this morning confirmed its intention to IPO in a move that could value it at £2bn. The firm plans to float 25 per cent of its shares to generate £300m on the London Stock Exchange, with its debut being underpinned by Danish billionaire Anders Povlsen, who has committed to [...]
Taxpayers’ Alliance launches competition to find HS2 replacement September 3, 2018 Armchair transport ministers have been given their chance to shine by a new competition to devise an alternative to HS2, the planned high-speed railway. Pressure group the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA), which advocates cutting public spending, has put out a call for ideas on how to spend the £50bn-plus designated for the planned route linking London, [...]
Swiss bank UBS closes in on US rivals in FTSE 100 broker rankings September 3, 2018 Swiss bank UBS has closed the gap on its US rivals at the top of the FTSE 100 stockbroker ranking list for the third quarter (Q3), moving up to joint third place with 22 clients. UBS, which acts for blue chip companies such as oil major BP, mining giant BHP Billiton and consumer goods company [...]
German fashionistas lap up British style as Ebay sales spike September 3, 2018 German interest in British fashion has seen the country rise to second in the list of top export destinations for British sellers on e-commerce site Ebay. The US remains the number one market for British exporters on Ebay, but Germany is now in second place, according to data released today by the website. German consumers [...]
The Hut Group wards off potential buyers as it gears up for Acheson & Acheson takeover September 3, 2018 Online beauty retail company The Hut Group (THG) has rebuffed a series of takeover deals as it looks to expand its own acquisition spending spree. A number of offers valuing the firm at almost £4bn have been turned away by the fast-growing technology company, according to reports from Sky News last night. While strategic and [...]
Diversity among City partners growing at a snail’s pace September 3, 2018 Diversity efforts by hedge funds, private equity firms and other financial services partnerships are failing to enact substantial change, after the number of female partners in the City grew by just one per cent in five years. Women made up 14 per cent of partners at financial services firms in 2017 compared with 13 per [...]
Crossrail’s delay sounds depressingly familiar September 3, 2018 With a plethora of talented engineers at our disposal and a rich history of leading the world in pioneering rail projects, it is depressing to witness Britain’s clumsy approach to improving the country’s transport links. Commuter services into the City still woefully under-serve the UK’s economic engine. Meanwhile, news has broken that Crossrail has succumbed [...]
Minimum wage needs radical reform, says free market think-tank September 3, 2018 The UK's minimum wage structure should be simplified to just one or two different hourly rates for workers aged 18 and over, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said today. The UK has five different minimum hourly wage rates, more than almost any other country. In a new report the IEA said the complicated structure [...]
Aiming high: Junior stock market to hit £1bn of dividends by the end of the year September 3, 2018 Dividends paid out on London’s junior stock market are set to smash the £1bn mark for the first time ever later this year. Companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) are projected to deliver investors £1.16bn by the end of 2018, growing nearly 20 per cent this year and expected to soar another 14 [...]
Thames Water launches major investment after choppy year September 2, 2018 Thames Water has unveiled plans for a record £11.7bn investment project today as it seeks to win back public support following a turmoiled year of regulator fines and bonus pay disputes. In a five-year business plan submitted to regulator Ofwat, Britain’s biggest water company is announcing new funds for leakage reductions and infrastructure resilience. However, [...]