The Covid-19 vaccine race in numbers: UK leads the global pack March 18, 2021 With many countries being at different phases of their response to the ongoing pandemic, City A.M. looked at Covid-19 policies and vaccination numbers around the world, based on data provided by the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. The interactive map below offers a visual representation of practically every country’s Covid-19 response, [...]
UK audit shakeup: Big Four face FTSE client caps, new watchdog and a clampdown on directors March 18, 2021 Big Four dominance in the UK audit market may be diluted under new plans announced today that would see stricter regulation of the sector and executives at major firms. The government hopes the proposals, published in a consultation today by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), will lead to greater transparency in [...]
City Moves: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? March 17, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. IoD appoints new chair The Institute of Directors (IoD) has appointed a new chair after a thorough search process, who will step into the role next Monday. Patrick Macdonald is set to take [...]
London remains Europe’s major global finance centre despite Brexit hit March 17, 2021 London has held on to the second spot in a respected international study of financial centres, despite the double whammy of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. London sits behind only New York and remains Europe’s only major global financial centre, remaining a number of spots ahead of Frankfurt and Zurich. But Asian competitors Shanghai, Hong [...]
UK says Russia is its ‘most acute threat’ as China tensions dialled down March 16, 2021 The UK government has today warned that Russia is its “most acute threat”, while also potentially extending an olive branch to China after escalating tensions over the past year. The government’s long-awaited integrated review of defence, foreign and development policy outlined a plan to pivot away from Europe and toward the Indo-Pacific in a landmark [...]
Before the Bell: Europe lags behind as Germany and France hit pause on AstraZeneca vaccine March 16, 2021 After an initially positive start markets in Europe rolled over and finished yesterday in negative territory, after Germany, followed by France, Italy and then Spain said they were pausing the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns that it might be a contributory factor in certain cases where blood clots have been reported. The suspensions [...]
Premier League footballers asked to encourage young Brits to get Covid-19 vaccine March 15, 2021 Premier League footballers are being asked to encourage young Britons to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Government ministers believe the move will increase take-up among under-30s, reports The Sun, after polling found one in six had reservations about the jab. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has written to Premier League clubs to seek their help in reaching [...]
Central London retail footfall records double-digit growth weeks before stores reopen March 15, 2021 Central London retail footfall jumped last week as lockdown fatigue grew ahead of the date when restrictions will begin to ease. The number of shoppers visiting central London increased 14.3 per cent, ahead of other UK cities which recorded a more modest uplift of 2.3 per cent on average. Despite the double digit increase in [...]
$76.7bn of SPAC IPOs break all-time record only ten weeks into 2021 March 15, 2021 So far this year, 258 global special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPOs have been brought to the market, up to the end of last week, surpassing the full year annual record of 256 set during 2020 in just 10 weeks. According to new Refinitiv data, published this morning, global SPAC IPO proceeds total just over [...]
BDO wins biggest international audit client replacing Big Four firm KPMG March 15, 2021 BDO in the UK, German and the US has won its largest ever international audit client, replacing KPMG as auditor of software giant SAP. The challenger firm will take over from KPMG as SAP’s auditor for the 2023 financial year. According to SAP, BDO has a “modern and innovative audit concept”. The decision to take [...]