UK pension schemes face £62bn rise in liabilities if interest rates stay low – JLT Employee Benefits October 26, 2015 UK private sector pension schemes could find their aggregate liabilities increase by as much as £62bn if an interest rate rise fails to materialise one year after market expectations, research by JLT Employee Benefits has revealed. If the pension consultancy firm’s predictions are correct, employers might have to find an extra £2m on average to [...]
Businesses call on government to create more stability around pensions regulation October 26, 2015 Most businesses feel pensions regulation stability should be a priority for government, a report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Mercer has revealed. In a survey released today of more than 160 corporate leaders, who between them are responsible for £115bn worth of assets invested in pensions, 79 per cent thought that the [...]
Is a peer-to-peer borrowing bubble on the cards? There’s just one question would-be lenders need to ask before taking the plunge October 22, 2015 People are talking about a bubble in the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending sector, and there are definitely elements of this I agree with, which may be surprising since I am co-founder of a P2P platform. Rather than getting carried away, now is the time for would-be P2P lenders to do their homework before parting with their [...]
How to pick the perfect pooch equity crowdfunding investment – and recognise the dogs October 22, 2015 How often have you heard “experienced” investors say they only expect to find one successful investment in 10? It doesn’t sound like very good odds, and is in fact misleading. Adopting a shotgun approach isn’t investing, it’s lazy guessing. We can all apply some sensible common sense to try to separate the “wheat from the [...]
Why it’s high time we made private equity less private October 22, 2015 The alternative finance revolution is making waves. There’s been much talk about how it is challenging the banks. Now its impact on the investment world is starting to gather momentum. Private equity and venture capital were once the preserve of the ultra wealthy. But I believe that it is the right time to shake up [...]
No big deal: Why there’s no need to worry about the failure of a crowdfunded company October 22, 2015 Equity platform Syndicate Room has had its first fail: Soshi Games, which fundraised in January 2014 on the platform and pulled in £285,000 from investors, has now closed down. The first failure on an equity platform – the fair trade soap manufacturer Bubble & Balm, which raised £75,000 in 2011 via Crowdcube, went bust in [...]
UK’s pension system is still lagging behind: landmark freedoms have not gone far enough say critics October 22, 2015 Sweeping reforms to the UK pension system do not go far enough, according to an international report that says Britain fares badly compared to many peer countries. Despite recent changes, the UK's public and state pensions remain "almost entirely unfunded", say analysts from the Melbourne Mercer Global Pensions Index (MMGPI), while the basic state pension [...]
Financial Conduct Authority warns peer-to-peer lenders may face same rules as banks October 22, 2015 Peer-to-peer lenders, which help to provide an alternative source of financing from high-street retail banks, may soon come under pressure from regulators, Britain’s financial watchdog told MPs yesterday. John Griffiths-Jones, chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), told the Treasury Select Committee that as peer-to-peer lenders and crowdfunders grow and begin to behave more like banks, [...]
Chapel Down looks to rise £1m for Curious Drinks on crowdfunding site Seedrs October 21, 2015 Curious Drinks, the beer and cider brewery belong to British wine-maker Chapel Down has launched a crowdfunding campaign with Seedrs. The brewer, whose offerings include beers made with champagne yeast, is hoping to raise £1m in its equity funding to build a combined brewery and bottling plant in Kent, which it hopes will be operational by December [...]
More than £15bn lies forgotten in pensions and savings in the UK, thanks to Britons forgetting their bank details October 21, 2015 Forgotten passwords and lost details have cost Britons more than £15bn in unclaimed bonds, pensions, insurance policies and lost lottery tickets. Figures from Beagle Street life insurance provider show that as of the end of September, an estimated £5bn was sitting in dormant bank accounts, along with £3bn-worth of pensions that have not been collected, [...]