FCA uses emergency powers to stop British Steel Pension scandal advisers selling assets April 25, 2022 The UK’s financial watchdog is using emergency powers to stop the firms who advised British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) victims from selling off assets to avoid paying compensation. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched the emergency asset restriction rules without consultation, in a bid to stop firms from wiggling out of victims’ hard-won redress. [...]
Asset manager Vontobel expresses shock at death of ‘highly respected’ young trader April 22, 2022 A young and “highly respected” trader at Swiss investment bank Vontobel has died at his desk, the asset manager has confirmed to City A.M. Vontobel said it had learnt with “great regret” that a young colleague died in its offices last week. The investment manager refused to comment on the cause of death and asked [...]
Senior lawyers saw their incomes boom during Covid as firms boosted profitability April 22, 2022 Law firm partners saw their incomes increase 8.3 per cent during the pandemic to heights of £825,331 in 2021, on the back of booming demand for legal services. Those working as equity partners in English and Welsh law firms saw their fee incomes rise from £761,981 in 2020 to more than £825,000 the following year, [...]
UAE freezes assets owned by members of the Kinahan crime syndicate April 22, 2022 Assets owned by members of the Kinahan crime family – an Irish gang accused of smuggling drugs and weapons into Europe – have had their assets frozen by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE’s decision to sanction Kinahan gang – which has strong links to some of the world’s most famous professional boxers including [...]
Major firms should be ready for wave of Russian cyberattacks, global spy alliance says April 22, 2022 UK companies should protect themselves against cyberattacks and be wary of hackers exploiting software used to work from home, one the world’s major intelligence alliances has warned. The Five Eyes alliance of spy agencies from the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, has said the Russian government is planning to launch a series of [...]
Private detective admits hacking Wirecard’s critics April 22, 2022 An Israeli private detective has admitted coordinating efforts to hack journalists on behalf of disgraced payment processor Wirecard. Aviram Azari pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit hacking, and aggravated identity theft, for his role in acting as a middleman in the hacker-for-hire scheme. The charges relate to Azari’s role in working [...]
Lawyers value culture and friendships over cold, hard cash, new report says April 21, 2022 Lawyers place more value on culture and friendships with colleagues than they do on cold, hard cash, according to new data from Reuters. A survey of 900 lawyers found those who planned to stay with their firms were more likely to cite their colleagues, firm’s culture, and the quality of their work as their reasons [...]
Former BNP Paribas banker denies terrorising colleagues during $4m employment tribunal April 21, 2022 A former BNP Paribas banker has denied terrorising his colleagues, after filing a $4m (£3m) lawsuit against the financial firm. Former BNP Paribas exec Omar Alami is seeking $4m in compensation for unfair dismissal, after he was fired for humiliating his co-workers in 2019. The ex-head of equity derivatives sales denied “insulting” his colleagues, [...]
Stretched employees face unmanageable workloads due to staff shortages, new survey show April 21, 2022 Almost two-fifths (38 per cent) of workers have said they are struggling to deal with “unmanageable” workloads, as a result of staff shortages, according to a survey from Totaljobs. At the same time, almost half (46 per cent) would like to see their companies hire more workers to make their workloads more manageable, while another [...]
Exclusive: Salesforce chief says tech firm’s City of London offices are amongst the fullest worldwide April 21, 2022 Salesforce’s London offices are now fuller than almost all of its other offices worldwide, Salesforce’s UK & Ireland head has said to City A.M. Speaking exclusively to this paper, Salesforce UK & Ireland CEO Zahra Bahrololoumi said “Salesforce thrives in city centres,” as she explained the firm is now working to upgrade its offices in [...]