Rabobank invests in online mortgage broker Trussle January 20, 2020 Rabobank’s strategic investment arm, Rabo Frontier Ventures, has contributed to a £7.5m funding round in online mortgage broker Trussle. Rabo Frontier Ventures joined the latest round of funding alongside existing investors Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, Finch Capital and Propel Venture partners. The fresh round of funding brings Trussle’s total to £26.7m after the tech [...]
Queen join Her Majesty on commemorative coin January 20, 2020 Queen have become the first band to appear alongside Queen Elizabeth II on a commemorative coin available from today. The Royal Mint announced that the coin is the first in its “Music Legends” collection. The coin commemorates all four members of the band and includes their instruments. The group’s logo is placed in the centre, [...]
Nuclear startup Tokamak raises £67m in funding round January 20, 2020 Tokamak Energy, the nuclear startup who are aiming to produce grid connected fusion power by 2030, have raised £67m in a funding round. The raise, which was the Oxfordshire-based company’s largest to date, involved both long-time backers such as Legal & General and new ones like Dr Hans-Peter Wild. Wild is best known as the [...]
Trafigura to take six per cent stake in President Energy January 20, 2020 Global commodities trader Trafigura has bought a six per cent stake in oil explorer President Energy, which focuses on Latin America. The deal, which will see Trafigura invest up to $10m (£7.7m), will help the oil firm to reduce its net debt. According to the terms of the deal, the payment platform will take an [...]
Octopus to take over Engie’s 70,000 UK households January 20, 2020 Challenger energy supplier Octopus has agreed to take over Engie’s UK household energy business, after the French firm decided to leave the domestic market. The deal, which will see Octopus supply Engie’s 70,000 UK customers, is the quickly-growing business’ sixth acquisition in two years. Octopus, which currently has 1.4m customers – or five per cent [...]
Anglo American makes £405m bid for Sirius Minerals January 20, 2020 Anglo American have agreed a £405m rescue deal with the board of embattled Sirius Minerals, it was announced this morning. Under the agreement, Sirius shareholders will receive 5.50p for each share, a 34 per cent premium on the British mining firm’s 4.10p closing price on 7 January. The deal is a lifeline for Sirius, which [...]
Markets set for further highs as sentiment remains strong January 20, 2020 Global markets started the week pushing all-time highs as the ramifications of the US-China trade deal continue to be felt. After last week saw the S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq and the Euro Stoxx 600 all hit new records, the Nikkei nudged up 0.2 per cent this morning to sit roughly seven per cent below all [...]
Five of the best fee-free football transfers January 20, 2020 | City Talk Football clubs across the Premier League, Europe and further afield are always eyeing up their next potential stars. To kick off the winter transfer season, here’s our selection of the top fee-free football transfers. After all, the best things in life are free, as the saying goes. Remember, you can enjoy fee-free international payments whether [...]
What happened to the pound, euro and US dollar in 2019? January 20, 2020 | City Talk It has been a year of ups and downs for sterling, largely dominated by political and geopolitical factors. Investors’ concern over the outcome of Brexit largely overshadowed other factors. Despite celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019, it wasn’t a banner year for the euro. Over the last 20 years, the euro has strengthened by 27 [...]
What does 2020 hold in store for the pound? January 20, 2020 | City Talk Brexit cast a long shadow over the pound in 2019. Additional factors that influenced the value of sterling – caution from the Bank of England, faltering economic results – were all seen through the lens of Brexit. Now that parliament has backed the Brexit bill, the focus may move slightly from the challenges of uncertainty [...]