Exclusive: City fund manager calls for reforms as UK first-time funding is down by a third from 2018 peak July 20, 2021 The number of first-time funding rounds into UK seed-stage startups declined for a second consecutive year in 2020, to 36 per cent below the 2018 peak for such deals, according to new research shared with City A.M. this afternoon. The data provided by Square Mile based SFC Capital also points to reductions both to the [...]
Regulation and investors’ demands push fund managers towards ESG July 20, 2021 Regulatory imperatives and investor demand are driving an increased focus on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles, according to a PwC report published today. The study found that three-quarters of the fund managers questioned – holding £15.5 trillion in assets – are being influenced by investors and policymakers to drive sustainability outcomes. Regulation 76 [...]
‘What I Know Is…’: black professionals share their experiences July 20, 2021 | City Talk One of the main reasons for the under-representation of black professionals in investment management is the lack of knowledge and information about joining the investment profession and the opportunities that it can deliver. For the financial sector which is increasingly focused on sustainability and where corporates are increasingly rewarded for good ESG policies, ensuring that [...]
Exclusive: Two City lawyers on a mission to make their fintech the ‘Amazon of Islamic finance’ July 19, 2021 Islamic Finance Guru (IFG), a UK-based Islamic finance platform, has closed an investment round led by Outward venture capital, as the market for Islamic fintech grows. The UK-based startup has raised £3m from Outward VC and B&Y Venture Partners. The news come just a week after the Boubyan Bank Group announced that the world’s first [...]
Assets under management swell $4.5bn at Ashmore July 14, 2021 Assets under management swell $4.5bn at Ashmore
Majority of UK tenants prepared to pay more for furnished homes July 14, 2021 A furnished rental home can improve your chances of finding a tenant and may increase the monthly level of rental income secured, according to new research by Manor Interiors. The firm have found that over a quarter of UK tenants would more likely view a rental property if it was already furnished. Another 26 per [...]
SoftBank gears up investments in second quarter, dishing out $13bn July 12, 2021 SoftBank’s Vision Fund II has pushed the pedal on its investments in recent weeks, dishing out $13bn in its second quarter, according to reports. The Japanese venture capital fund has injected cash into at least 50 companies, the Financial Times first reported, citing people brief on the data. Many of the companies eyed by SoftBank’s [...]
Plus500 reports ‘positive momentum’ despite customer growth slowdown July 12, 2021 Online trading platform Plus500 today reported positive momentum in its half year trading update, following a bumper 2020. The global fintech group, operating a trading platform for contracts for difference (CFDs), noted a “very strong period of customer acquisition” up to June this year. This followed an “unprecedented” performance in 2020, driven by the pandemic [...]
Bottom-up ESG: New platform wants to give retail investor army voting power for £1 July 9, 2021 Tulipshare is targeting the next generation of shareholders by tapping into their booming interest in retail investment and demand for a corporate ESG overhaul. The new UK-based activist investment platform wants to enable individuals to “vote with their money” for change from the inside at Amazon, Coca-Cola and Apple by investing as little as £1. [...]
UK credit score giant Clearscore heading for unicorn status after $200m Invus injection June 24, 2021 Clearscore, a free-to-use credit check company based in London, has reportedly accepted a $200m (£144m) investment from US-based fund Invus Opportunities. As reported by Sky News, the deal values the company at $700m (£503m), placing it on track for unicorn valuation. The company plans to use the funding to grow its staff numbers, product offerings [...]