Lloyd’s of London member Beazley’s profits plummet 48 per cent as interest rate hikes dent portfolio March 2, 2023 Shares in specialist insurer Beazley today fell almost nine per cent after the firm told investors its profits had plummeted in 2022 due to a sharp drop in income from its investment portfolio. The insurer said its overall pre-tax profits fell 48 per cent in the year ending in December 2022 to $191m, as rising [...]
Losing momentum on Solvency II reforms would be a missed opportunity to transform Britain March 2, 2023 This is a once in a generation opportunity. That phrase might have become a bit of a cliché, especially in recent years, but the UK’s exit from the EU could ensure that Solvency II reforms really are one of those events. The proposed reforms represent a very significant opportunity to ensure more private sector capital [...]
Law Society takes government to court over solicitors’ legal aid fees March 1, 2023 The Law Society is seeking to force the UK government to give criminal solicitors a 15 per cent pay hike by taking the matter to court. The legal sector trade body is calling on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to give criminal solicitors a pay rise that matches the 15 per cent hike given to [...]
Glencore fined £582m by US court for bribing African and South American officials March 1, 2023 Glencore has been fined $700m (£582m) over the corruption scandal that saw the company’s execs pay more than $100m in bribes to officials in Africa and South America. A New York court has ordered Glencore to pay a $428.5m fine and forfeit a further $272m, after the commodities giant agreed a plea deal last May. [...]
Brexit-backer Arron Banks wins appeal in Carole Cadwalladr libel case February 28, 2023 Brexit-backer Arron Banks has won an appeal in his libel lawsuit against investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr. The UK’s Court of Appeal today said Cadwalladr should pay libel damages to Banks over claims she made in a 2019 Ted Talk concerning the Brexit campaigner’s purported links to Russia. Today’s decision saw the Court of Appeal overturn [...]
Pay for top City lawyers surged to £740,000 as most firms cashed in on Covid profits February 28, 2023 Top City lawyers saw their annual payouts surge in 2022, as a boom in demand for legal services bolstered the sector’s profits. Partners in City law firms saw their annual payouts increase by 15 per cent, to £738,728, as Covid-19 drove a boom in legal sector revenues, new Crowe research shows. The higher payouts [...]
Serco’s revenues surge as UK ‘immigration contracts’ offset a tumble in Covid testing work February 28, 2023 British contractor Serco said its revenues continued to grow in 2022 as surging UK government demand for its ‘immigration services’ offset a drop in Covid-related work. Serco said its overall revenues increased by £109m to £4.53bn in 2022, despite a £480m drop in income from work surrounding Covid-19. Higher revenues from Serco’s businesses running [...]
Former Met police detective sues ex-City lawyer over ENRC hacking claims February 27, 2023 A former Metropolitan police officer has accused an ex-City lawyer of trying to hack his emails to steal information about Kazakh mining company ENRC. Former detective Cameron Findlay has claimed ex-Dechert partner Neil Gerrard orchestrated a campaign of ‘spear-phishing’ attacks against him during a court dispute surrounding the Kazakh firm, US court papers show. A [...]
EY’s China staff asked to wear communist party badges to work February 27, 2023 Staff in EY’s Beijing offices have reportedly been asked to wear their communist party badges to work. A communist party committee in EY’s China business called on party members to wear their hammer and sickle pins in the office, the Financial Times reported. In an email to party members working in EY’s Beijing office, the [...]
Monzo and Wise founders back £8.8m Robin AI robot lawyer project February 27, 2023 A City computing company has raised $10.5m (£8.8m) from backers including top execs from Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) driven, robot lawyer. The founders of fintech firms Monzo and Wise have also thrown their weight behind London’s Robin AI, which is seeking to disrupt the legal sector with [...]