‘The lazy g**s make me sick’: Lord Sugar berates PwC summer working hours as a ‘bloody joke’ May 6, 2022 Lord Alan Sugar has branded PwC’s summer working hours scheme a “bloody joke”, after the Big Four firm said it would give workers Friday afternoons off. The business leader took to Twitter in a tirade against the decision saying the “lazy gits make me sick.” “Call me old fashioned but all this work from home [...]
British Airways owner IAG predicts bounce back to profitability on return of global travel May 6, 2022 British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) today said it believes the easing of global restrictions and the return of global travel will see it bounce back to profitability. The firm – formed through the merger of Iberia and British Airways in 2011 – said its Q1 2022 passenger numbers were 65 per cent those [...]
Self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor sues crypto exchanges in multi-billion-pound trademark spat May 5, 2022 An Australian cryptographer, who claims to be the inventor of Bitcoin, is suing two of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges over claims they undermined his intellectual property rights by using the name Bitcoin. Craig Wright, who claims to be the real person behind the Bitcoin creator’s alias Satoshi Nakamoto, is suing Coinbase and Payward – [...]
Ex-husband of Formula One heiress accused of taking part in £266m money laundering scheme May 5, 2022 The former husband of Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone’s played a leading role in a £266m money laundering scheme, a court has been told. Socialite James Stunt took a “a very hands-on approach” to running the operation, which saw millions in used noted deposited into the NatWest account of Bradford gold dealer Fowler Oldfield, prosecuters [...]
Allianz strikes deal with South African insurer Sanlam to form Africa’s biggest insurance firm May 4, 2022 German insurance giant Allianz has struck a deal with South African insurance company Sanlam to create the biggest insurer in Africa. The deal will see two firms launch a new joint venture that is set to become the biggest pan-African non-banking financial services firm on the continent. The new firm will operate in 29 different [...]
Government bans services exports to Russia – but UK lawyers excluded May 4, 2022 Ministers have announced a ban on services exports to Russia, including management consulting, accounting and public relations but excluding legal professions. In the latest tranche of sanctions from foreign secretary Liz Truss, Russian businesses will no longer be able to do businesses with UK professional services firms. Many businesses have already cut connections with the [...]
Swiss blockchain developer sues Meta over infinity logo trademark dispute May 4, 2022 A Swiss blockchain developer has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta, over claims the tech giant’s infinity logo bares too many similarities to its own infinity insignia. Swiss non-profit Dfinity filed a lawsuit in a California court, after claiming it would be “severely harmed” by being linked in any way to Meta’s [...]
UK watchdog launches probe into tiny accountancy firm King & King over Sanjeev Gupta audits May 4, 2022 The UK’s accounting watchdog has launched an investigation into four audits carried out by little-known accountancy firm King & King, of firms linked to embattled steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it would be probing King & King’s audits of financial results posted by four of separate companies linked to Sanjeev [...]
KPMG to double size of UK legal practice as part of ‘once-in-a-generation’ growth strategy May 4, 2022 Big Four accountancy firm KPMG is set to double the size of its UK legal practice over the next three years, as it pushes forwards with plans for its “once-in-a-generation” growth strategy. The plan is set to see KPMG hire 220 new lawyers – including 45 new partners and directors – by the end [...]
PwC extends summer working hours policy following success of pilot scheme last year May 4, 2022 Big Four accountancy firm PwC has said it is extending its “summer working hours” programme to June, following the success of the pilot scheme last year. The firm said it will let staff to leave at lunchtime on Fridays for the months of June, July and August of this year. The plan comes after PwC [...]