The South China Sea is a powder keg with disturbing echoes of 1914 July 11, 2016 With all the Brexit drama, it is easy to forget that on the other side of the world a contest for primacy is brewing that will probably do more to tell the tale of what our multipolar world evolves into than anything presently happening in Europe. If the US and China manage their emerging geostrategic [...]
Reassure EU migrants they can stay or watch these vital workers leave the UK July 11, 2016 The London Stock Exchange is run by a Frenchman. The Bank of England is governed by a Canadian. The mayor of London is the son of a Pakistani immigrant. London is, and always has been, an internationally focused, vibrant city, and this outward facing and welcoming nature must continue. It has now been two weeks [...]
Britain needs a state-backed infrastructure blitz to restore confidence in the economy July 11, 2016 Within weeks or months, the UK will have its first “Brexit Budget”. While Westminster focuses slavishly on the question of who might deliver that Budget at the despatch box, it is the content that could shape our economy for decades – and determine whether the European transition we now face is a great success or [...]
As fears of a banking crisis on the continent grow, are mega-mergers the way to fix Europe’s ailing banks? July 11, 2016 Vicky Pryce, a CEBR board member and former joint head of the Government Economic Service, says Yes. Despite concerns about banks perceived to be “too big to fail”, there has been considerable consolidation across the industry already. In Europe, Spanish banks have been reduced from some 50 in 2008 to just 14 by last year. Greek [...]
JWT Europe boss: After Brexit, what now for Britain’s brands and “Brand Britain”? July 11, 2016 What does Brexit mean for British brands and “Brand Britain”? The Friday after the referendum, we conducted a field survey of 1,000 people to gauge public attitudes, and try to get a clearer idea of how consumers expect British brands to behave in the wake of the EU vote. Here are some of our findings. [...]
How lessons from Wimbledon can serve British businesses July 8, 2016 It’s astonishing to think that Wimbledon will be 140 years old next year. Yet, despite its age, it remains the pillar of the lawn tennis world, a longevity that could teach the business world a thing or two about how to create long-term enduring value. Indeed, while the likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams [...]
Unintended consequences: Tinkering with Solvency II July 8, 2016 Tinkering with things is in the nature of regulators. Inevitably, however, well-intentioned tinkering often delivers unintended consequences. Today, the unintended consequences of tinkering are emerging in London’s international specialty insurance market, notably following Solvency II, which specifies the amount of capital that insurance companies must hold to reduce the risk of insolvency. While the impact of the EU referendum [...]
The loss of trust and fear that we’ll lose openness are challenges business must – and can – solve July 8, 2016 The UK’s vote to leave the European Union demands strong leadership in a way few other events in our recent history have required. Since the result of the referendum, much of the language and rhetoric has verged on the sensationalist, provoking a sense of unease at a time when the country needs composure and reassurance. In [...]
SMEs and Brexit: Seeing through the uncertainty July 8, 2016 In the run-up to the referendum, we endured weeks of tension and you often heard people say they’d be glad when it was all over. Sadly it appears hopes of an end to the uncertainty are unrealistic. A post-Brexit political void has opened up. It will be weeks before we know who will lead the [...]
Clinton is off the hook over her private email. Are we right to question the role of her political celebrity? July 8, 2016 The results are in, and people are outraged. And I’m not talking about Brexit. Across the pond, a far less transparent phenomenon has occurred. After many months of anticipation, the FBI has finally recommended against charging Hillary Clinton for using a private server to host her correspondence while she was secretary of state. In legal [...]