Germany emerges as main concern for London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse as UK government appears unopposed to merger February 21, 2017 German opposition to the London Stock Exchange’s tie-up with Deutsche Boerse is fast emerging as the main area of concern for the companies, given the UK government and European Commission are seemingly on board. Deutsche Boerse’s chief executive, Carsten Kengeter, is to host local German politicians at an exclusive venue in the state of Hesse [...]
London’s Tory MPs band together to battle business rate plans February 21, 2017 London's Tory MPs are banding together to propose reforms to business rates as the pressure builds on chancellor Philip Hammond. Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond told City A.M. that MPs were reflecting the fact that capital business faces some of the steepest increases in the country. “The pressure is building at a time when it's very difficult [...]
Going Dutch: Fieldfisher to launch in Amsterdam in May February 21, 2017 Fieldfisher announced today it is opening a new office in Amsterdam in May. The Dutch endeavour will be structured under a Swiss Verein model and will have five partners, all from Kennedy Van der Laan. "We've been looking at setting up an office in the Netherlands for a while," said Michael Chissick, managing partner of Fieldfisher. "We've [...]
Euronext launches new listing for family-owned firms February 21, 2017 Euronext has launched a new listing dedicated to family businesses, covering 90 companies across France, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands. The launch is part of initiatives designed to provide support for family-owned firms and promote financial markets as a source of financing. Read More: Euronext shareholders approve clearing deal as company awaits LSE-DB news The 90 [...]
HSBC slashes its bonus pool for the year, but chief exec Stuart Gulliver’s annual handout rises February 21, 2017 HSBC has cut its bonus pool by 12.3 per cent following a worse-than-expected 2016, although chief executive Stuart Gulliver saw his annual bonus grow. The banking giant revealed its total group variable pay pool for the year was slightly over $3bn (£2.4bn), down from $3.5bn in 2015. Meanwhile, bonuses to go around investment bankers fell to [...]
Brazen French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron tells London – I want your banks to move to Paris after Brexit February 21, 2017 French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to lure banks from London to Paris in the aftermath of Brexit, striking a bullish and undiplomatic tone during a visit to Downing Street. "I was very happy to see that some academics and researchers in the UK because of Brexit are considering coming to France [...]
Private equity houses battle it out for £500m UK IT services firm Claranet February 21, 2017 Private equity houses Blackstone and Inflexion are battling it out for a stake in a £500m-valued British IT services company, City A.M. has learned. US-based private equity firm Abry Partners is in the process of selling Claranet, which it invested in in 2012. Read more: Private equity giant buys majority stake in London cloud tech company [...]
HSBC profits plunge 62 per cent as one-off costs eat into bottom line, and bank mulls moving 1,000 jobs to Paris because of Brexit February 21, 2017 HSBC revealed this morning that its profits have dropped dramatically after a series of one-off hits eroded its bottom line, and added that it was considering moving 1,000 jobs from London to Paris because of last year's Brexit vote. Shares in HSBC Holdings dropped 4.5 per cent at the open and were down 6.5 per [...]
Gresham House launches a platform for pension funds that want to make an impact February 21, 2017 Mammoth pension funds are to be able to invest into smaller, socially responsible projects through a new platform announced today. The initiative has been created by AIM-quoted investment house Gresham House and has attracted cornerstone interest from Berkshire's local government pension fund, alongside a 20 per cent shareholding the fund has agreed to take in Gresham House itself. Larger pension funds [...]
Now Gatwick Airport workers are being balloted for strike action over “poverty pay” February 21, 2017 Gatwick workers who help passengers with reduced mobility will vote for strike action in a dispute over pay, Unite said today. The ballot, of 200 members, opens on Thursday 23 February and closes on Thursday 9 March. The union has warned that "significant strike action" will go ahead if members back industrial action in the ballot. Unite said [...]