New Crossrail 2 delays could jeopardise plans for the £31bn project’s route February 14, 2018 A £31bn plan to build a second Crossrail risks going off track as fresh delays threaten to hinder the intended route for the new railway, with concern over land and property costs around parts of it which aren't safeguarded. With funding and a hybrid bill which would give the green light to a revised Crossrail [...]
Vote of confidence? This Japanese bank just signed for a huge new office in the City February 13, 2018 A Japanese banking giant has given a vote of confidence to the capital by signing for a vast new office space at the redeveloped Broadgate scheme on Liverpool Street. The European arm of Sumitomo Mitsui will take 161,000 sq ft at 100 Liverpool Street, part of the Broadgate development. The lender will take the first [...]
Why the UK stock market might not be as appealing as it looks February 13, 2018 If the Brexit negotiations last year seemed tense, they are likely to pale in comparison to the upcoming discussions regarding the terms of the new trading relationship between the UK and Europe. UK politicians are not in agreement about what they are trying to negotiate and what, if anything, would replace the EU Single Market [...]
Starling Bank announces partnerships with mortgage broker, investment and pensions firms and insurer in open banking push February 13, 2018 Starling Bank will today unveil four new partners for its in-app marketplace, raising the prospect of customers buying insurance and even gaining a mortgage through the bank's app within weeks. The digital-only bank will launch an integration with Pensionbee in its app from today, with digital investing service Wealthsimple, mortgage broker Habito and Kasko travel [...]
Among the uncertainty, crypotocurrency derivatives should still be treated seriously by investment professionals February 13, 2018 | City Talk Last year saw a major change in the way that news outlets covered bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Though cryptocurrencies have generated outrageous headlines in the years since their initial introduction, 2017 marked a milestone in their transition from fringe investment to alternative asset. Bitcoin derivatives, which would make the investment accessible to a broader pool [...]
Now Oxfam have been rocked by scandal. Where did it go wrong? February 12, 2018 OXFAM IS IN the news. On Sunday, the charities watchdog demanded that the world-famous anti-poverty organisation explain whether there was any truth to the accusation that staff used prostitutes in Haiti in 2011 and then covered it up, allowing at least one of those people to work for another aid agency. The suggestion is [...]
Serious Fraud Office slaps Barclays with new charge over Qatar capital raising scandal February 12, 2018 The UK's fraud watchdog has today hefted a new charge onto BarclaysBank, in relation to an emergency fundraising it conducted in the summer of 2008. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today charged Barclays with giving "unlawful financial assistance", after it raised £4.5bn in June 2008 and £7.3bn that October from investors including Qatar Holding and [...]
UK petrol prices: Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda kick off war at the pumps February 9, 2018 A UK petrol price war has kicked off with three of the big four supermarkets slashing prices at the pumps. In the last few minutes, Sainsbury's mirrored an earlier move by Asda and Morrisons this morning to knock 2p off a litre of petrol and diesel. Sources at Tesco said a decision had yet to [...]
Metro Bank says it will create 900 new jobs in 2018 February 9, 2018 Metro Bank today said it will create almost 900 new jobs over the course of 2018 as it swims against the tide of big bank branch closures. The challenger bank's plans contrast with those of Lloyds, the largest UK retail banking operation, which this week said it will cut 900 jobs, moving half that number [...]
No more excuses for Theresa May’s lack of discipline and decision February 8, 2018 What to do with a rebel MP who has made it her mission to campaign against the government’s stated policy and is dominating the airwaves with her disobedience? I am referring to Anna Soubry, and her gripes last weekend about how the “35 hard ideological Brexiteers who are not Tories” should be kicked out of [...]