Former boss of Poundland owner Steinhoff reported to the police January 31, 2018 The former chief executive of embattled retail giant Steinhoff has been reported to the police by the firm. Markus Jooste resigned from Steinhoff, which owns Poundland and Bensons for Beds in the UK, last December when the company postponed its financial statements. Read more: Activist short-selling fell in 2017 as hedgies dug for overvalued stock [...]
Central banks have “considered issuing cryptocurrencies”, Italian economy minister says January 31, 2018 Italy’s economy minister has revealed that some central banks have considered issuing cryptocurrencies in order to avoid bubbles. “Some central banks are looking into, and have even considered issuing, cryptocurrencies, to avoid bubbles that explode and do damage sooner or later,” Reuters reported Pier Carlo Padoan said today at an event in Milan. Interest in [...]
Bitcoin price rise sends blockchain job vacancies soaring in the UK – and interest from candidates January 31, 2018 The number of jobs related to blockchain technology is rocketing – as is interest in the positions – according to new jobs data, on the back of the rising price of bitcoin. Blockchain job vacancies tripled in December 2017 to 83 job listings per million, up from 26 per million in the same month a [...]
Manchester United remain most popular club online in China as Anthony Martial tops Premier League players January 31, 2018 Manchester United may trail title rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, but at least in China they continue to reign supreme. Named the richest football club in the world last week, United have retained the mantle of being the best-performing European football club online in the burgeoning market in the seventh annual Red Card [...]
SSE share price up as it starts early talks with the CMA over its merger with Npower January 31, 2018 SSE has revealed it is in early talks with the competitions watchdog over its plan to merge and spin off its household energy supply and services businesses with German-owned Npower. The firm, Britain’s second-largest energy supplier, announced late last year that it planned to create an independent supplier with Germany’s Innogy. SSE said it has [...]
Capita share price drops more than a third: This is how City analysts and experts reacted January 31, 2018 Outsourcing giant Capita announced the suspension of its dividend as part of a transformation plan this morning – and shares duly plunged by more than 40 per cent. The group has been struggling with a subdued market for some time now: former boss Andy Parker stood down last year after revealing a 33 per cent [...]
Santander UK arm sees impairments triple after Carillion collapse but group profits rise over 2017 January 31, 2018 Losses from the collapse of Carillion dented profits at Santander’s UK arm, as profits rose across its global operations. Impairments at Santander UK tripled year-on-year to £203m, mainly reflecting loans to the outsourcer and construction firm. Carillion entered liquidation on 15 January after rescue talks with the government and lenders failed. Nathan Bostock, Santander UK [...]
Facebook and Instagram bans adverts for bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings and binary options January 31, 2018 Facebook is banning adverts for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies just days after the UK’s finance watchdog warned of scams online involving the digital currencies. The social media giant, which has more than 2bn users around the world, will also ban the promotion of financial products “frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices”, including binary [...]
Capita share price drops 35 per cent as it reveals transformation plan January 31, 2018 Shares in Capita dropped 35 per cent in early trading today, after the outsourcing firm said it would suspend its dividend and seek equity, based on the findings of an extensive review into the company. At the end of last year, Capita’s shares were hit after the group said the market for outsourcing contracts had [...]
London startup Ahauz is helping millennials buy a home with an innovative new Help to Buy-style scheme January 31, 2018 Forget ditching coffee and avocados, a new startup which describes itself as the “bank of mum and dad for everyone” is aiming to help more young people get on the property ladder with an innovative take on the Help to Buy scheme. Ahauz is set to start offering first-time buyers help by offering a loan [...]