The insurance industry needs to embrace blockchain, starting now January 31, 2018 In March 2017, the expression “financial inclusion” hit its peak popularity on Google. This is excellent news. There are over two billion unbanked individuals in the world today – people with no access to banking services. This is a global problem. In India, 19 per cent of the population – 1.2bn people – is unbanked, [...]
TV presenter Noel Edmonds secures Therium litigation funding for Lloyds HBOS legal battle January 31, 2018 TV presenter Noel Edmonds has secured millions of pounds of litigation funding for a legal battle with Lloyds Banking Group over the actions of HBOS before it was acquired. Therium Capital Management, which specialises in funding expensive legal cases, has agreed a "seven-figure" funding package for Edmonds' claim. The former Top of the Pops and [...]
Is your local M&S closing? Full list of the store closures announced today January 31, 2018 Marks and Spencer announced this morning that it is shutting down a raft of its stores. Here is a full list of the stores set to close by the end of April: Stores closing by April Birkenhead Bournemouth Durham Fforestfach Putney Redditch M&S said staff from these stores will be moved to other outlets nearby. [...]
Bounce founder signs lease for 1 Poultry as flagship for Puttshack crazy golf concept January 31, 2018 The founder of Bounce ping-pong bars and co-founder of Flight Club darts bars has tapped the City of London for his latest social entertainment venture. Entrepreneur Adam Breeden, who also founded All Star Lanes bowling, is to open a crazy golf bar in the basement of the iconic 1 Poultry building. Puttshack is a new [...]
Ford’s Chariot commuter shuttle bus service has just started on four London routes January 30, 2018 Ford's Chariot commuter shuttle bus service has got underway this week, after getting the green light from Transport for London (TfL) on four of the six routes it proposed. In a statement, the car giant said: Chariot’s commuter ride-share service will complement the existing public transport system by offering in-app ride booking for first- and [...]
Lord Hill: Government should prioritise growth over continuity with EU after Brexit – it cannot have both January 30, 2018 Former EU Commissioner Lord Hill has told the government it is "going to have to choose" whether it wants continuity or competitiveness after Brexit – and suggested it should plump for the latter. Hill, who was the commissioner for financial stability, financial services and capital markets union for two years until the referendum, told the [...]
Sorry, homeowners: London is now officially a “buyer’s market” January 30, 2018 London’s housing market is at a critical point, new figures have revealed, with heavy discounting by homeowners desperate to sell their properties tipping the capital into a buyer’s market. The average home in London is now sold at four per cent below its original asking price, up from just 0.5 per cent in 2014, the [...]
Conservative activists “spitting bullets” over Theresa May’s leadership January 30, 2018 Grassroots Tory activists are "spitting bullets" about Theresa May's handling of the government, the latest faction of the party to rebel over her weak leadership. One MP said May was seen as "speaking from both sides of her mouth", adding that angered party members were starting to "put pressure" on MPs to challenge the Prime [...]
Industry leaders warn the City of London is poised to miss out on the UK’s biotech boom January 29, 2018 The UK's biotech industry was thrown into the spotlight last week with a series of reports boasting of the sector’s successes. The BioIndustry Association (BIA) on Thursday declared Britain’s 2017 pipeline of biotech treatments the strongest in Europe. Meanwhile the London Stock Exchange cheered the 20 per cent rise in funds raised for the wider [...]
Number of UK startups launched in 2017 drops amid “muted” government support January 28, 2018 The number of startups launched in 2017 dropped more than 10 per cent to just over 589,000 last year, according to figures published today by the Centre for Entrepreneurs (CFE) think tank. Data from Companies House showed 589,008 new businesses set up shop in 2017, down from 657,790 the previous year. This marked the first [...]