AEW UK long lease real estate investment trust (REIT) raises £80.5m in initial public offering June 1, 2017 AEW UK’s long lease real estate investment trust (REIT) has raised £80.5m in an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange today. AEW UK Investment Management, which is the British subsidiary of AEW Global, said last month it is hoping to raise up to £150m in the IPO. The proceeds are expected to [...]
A no deal Brexit would be “an economic disaster”, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will today warn June 1, 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will today raise questions about his party’s approach to Brexit, repeating attacks on Prime Minister Theresa May’s “reckless” attitude and warning that quitting Europe without a trade deal would risk a “jobs meltdown”. Corbyn’s shadow cabinet has committed to securing a deal with Europe. In the Labour manifesto, the party said [...]
Bitcoin made available to millions of UK retail investors as a leading platform offers access to the cryptocurrency June 1, 2017 Investing in bitcoin will no longer be the preserve of professionals and the tech-savvy, as one of Britain’s largest investment platforms will allow retail clients to jump on board the cryptocurrency bandwagon. The price of bitcoin has surged over the last year, currently trading at $2,456, almost five times its value one year ago. And [...]
Zopa’s raised £32m ahead of challenger bank launch, from Spotify and iZettle-backer Northzone and India’s Wadhawan Global Capital June 1, 2017 Online peer-to-peer lender Zopa has raised fresh cash in preparation for the launch of its own challenger bank. The £32m comes from Wadhawan Global Capital, an Indian financial services firm and Northzone, the venture capital firm which has previously backed Spotify, iZettle and MarketInvoice, among others. Read more: Zopa just got full approval as a [...]
Artificial Intelligence is a threat to society, an EU committee (EESC) has warned June 1, 2017 Artificial intelligence (AI) could pose a threat to the fabric of our society, according to an opinion published last night by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The EESC’s Workers’ Group, which is comprised of representatives from national trade unions, found 11 areas in which AI raises societal concerns – ranging from labour to [...]
It’s official: The UK has fallen to the bottom of the G7 for GDP growth June 1, 2017 Bad news for Theresa May ahead of the election: the UK’s GDP growth puts it right at the bottom of the G7. Growth figures published by Canada late last night confirmed what most economists already knew: the UK’s 0.2 per cent growth in the first quarter of this year put it next to Italy as [...]
Was Trump wrong to hire son-in-law Jared Kushner? June 1, 2017 With recent allegations about a ‘backchannel’ with Russia, was Trump wrong to hire son-in-law Jared Kushner? Sarah Kendzior, journalist and scholar of authoritarian states, says YES. Donald Trump is attempting to build a dynastic kleptocracy through abuse of executive power. Autocrats are typically paranoid and insular, relying on family and installing them in the government, [...]
These are the 100 most disruptive startups in the world (and a third are from the UK): Roman Abramovich-backed Storedot, AI chip maker Graphcore and cancer detection scientists at Grail top list June 1, 2017 A Bristol-based startup developing computer chips for artificial intelligence, an app for helping kids manage money, and a fintech just backed by Aviva, are among the UK startups to be named the most disruptive in the world. AI chip firm Graphcore was ranked second in the annual list identifying companies with the potential to “influence, [...]
KKR drives off with Q-Park after £2.6bn offer puts the firm in exclusive talks, beating an offer from Macquarie May 31, 2017 Car parks are more valuable than they look, if KKR’s latest deal is anything to go by. The behemoth investor is set to acquire Q-Park, a network of multi-storey car parks operating across northern Europe, after making a near-€3bn (£2.62bn) offer. Netherlands-based Q-Park, which owns more than 70 UK car parks, is currently owned by [...]
EU agrees new rules to increase access to venture capital funding for small and medium-sized businesses, including those listed on growth markets May 31, 2017 Small and growing companies should soon see increased access to venture capital funding, after the EU agreed yesterday on reforms to the European Venture Capital Funds (EUVECA) regulations. The changes will promote jobs and growth, according to the European Commission, by broadening the range of businesses which venture capital funds can invest in. They will [...]