Visa’s contactless payments soar by 250pc in the UK, as firm reports record revenues in Europe January 26, 2016 Cash is no longer king in the UK, where Visa Europe's contactless payments soared by 250 per cent last year. The electronic payments business said that people purchasing items by waving their Visa credit or debit cards over payment terminals now accounts for 1-in-7 of their transactions in the UK, up from just 1-in-25 a year [...]
UK outperforms Europe for early-stage mergers and acquisitions activity despite Brexit fears January 26, 2016 The UK is outperforming the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for early-stage mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, according to new research published today. Dealmakers in the country are clearly undeterred by the recent market volatility, with data from financial software provider Intralinks showing that the number of M&A deals that are either in preparation [...]
Iranian banks in talks with regulators over resuming London operations January 25, 2016 Two Iranian banks in London are in talks with UK regulators over resuming operations, according to reports. Melli Bank and Persia International Bank had heavy restrictions placed on them in 2009 when economic sanctions were put on Iran. They are now looking to fulfil Bank of England criteria for financial firms, sources told Reuters. The [...]
Twitter names Nathan Hubbard as interim media head January 25, 2016 Twitter has appointed its commerce chief Nathan Hubbard as interim media head, according to reports. Hubbard's appointment comes after chief exec Jack Dorsey confirmed media head Katie Jacobs Stanton, product vice president Kevin Weil and engineering head Alex Roetter were all departing the company. He also said Skip Schipper, the company's head of HR, will be leaving too. Sources told [...]
Heathrow 13: Airport welcomes guilty verdict for Plane Stupid protesters January 25, 2016 Heathrow Airport has welcomed the news that 13 protesters who caused disruption on a runway last year have been told they are likely to be jailed over their actions. The so-called Heathrow 13, who broke onto a runway last July causing numerous flight cancellations, were found guilty of aggravated trespass and entering a security-restricted area of [...]
Commodities in 2016: Silver could go on a winning streak as experts say capex cuts and increased demand will mean silver rises 20 per cent January 25, 2016 When gold prices rise, silver normally does too – and it tends to outperform the yellow metal. Some commodities specialists think silver prices could stage a recovery this year. “There’s an inherent link between the two. Silver is gold’s little sister and when gold moves higher, silver does too,” says Clive Burstow, manager of Barings Global [...]
SThree share price falls although recruiter reveals strong profit and revenue growth in 2015 despite a slump in its energy division January 25, 2016 SThree today reported profits before tax of £37.7m for the year to the end of November, up 29 per cent from £29.3m the year before. Revenue growth for the recruiter, which specialises in placing professionals in industries such as IT, finance and life sciences, was also strong, with revenue for the year rising to £848.8m, up 14 per cent from [...]
Tesco share price falls as Serious Fraud Office’s investigation is set to conclude January 25, 2016 A criminal investigation into Tesco, the UK's biggest retailer, by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is set to come to a conclusion after more than a year, according to Cantor Fitzgerald analysts. The investigation, launched in October 2014 after a multi-million pound profit black hole was uncovered at the supermarket, had been due to be resolved by the end of last year. [...]
FTSE 100 index falls as the price of oil slides again January 25, 2016 The FTSE 100 index fell on Monday as the price of oil slid once again. The UK's blue-chip index closed 0.39 per cent down at 5,877 points, led lower by banks, BT and Kingfisher “The FTSE started up about 17 points at 5917, but as soon as oil came off its better levels of $32.60 down to [...]
Plans for five-storey office block above Farringdon Crossrail station win approval January 25, 2016 Plans to build a major new office building above Farringdon Crossrail station have been given the go-ahead by City planners today, with construction expected to start next year. Designed by PLP Architecture – the architects behind Lipton Rogers and Axa Real Estate's 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper – the five-storey building will sit above the station's eastern ticket hall on [...]