London Tech Week: Much more than bearded coders working in coffee shops June 20, 2016 London Technology Week aims to turn the eyes of the world onto the UK capital’s thriving digital industry, celebrating the diversity of specialisms, expertise and talent in the city. At the first of 400 events, expected to be attended by 43,000 people over the next five days, the formal launch achieved just that. Fashion tech [...]
France’s strikes show why Europe is in a doleful spiral of absolute decline June 20, 2016 “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold/ Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world… The best lack all conviction, while the worst/ Are full of passionate intensity.” – WB Yeats, The Second Coming, 1920 Last week we looked at a counter-intuitive, but just about possible, positive alternate future for Brussels, with EU elites at last [...]
The UK is about to become a world leader in artificial intelligence June 20, 2016 With the news that Magic Pony has been acquired by Twitter, we are witnessing a crucial turning point – five of the world’s biggest technology companies have now purchased UK-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies. See Magic Pony Technology and Twitter, SwiftKey and Microsoft, VocalIQ and Apple, DeepMind and Google, and Evi and Amazon. Over the coming days [...]
From telecoms provider to tech innovator: Can the old guard make the leap? June 20, 2016 The global telecoms industry faces the most challenging risk environment in living memory. Profitability is being squeezed by disruptive competitors, regulatory change and unrelenting cyber attacks. The threats facing telecoms today are diversifying and multiplying. At BDO our recent industry report, 2016 Telecommunications Risk Factors Survey, highlights strategic and operational risks reported by sixty telecoms [...]
Let’s make London the tech capital of the world June 20, 2016 Today marks the start of London Technology Week, a fantastic opportunity for thousands of tech experts from all over the world to descend on the capital to learn and share new ideas and shine a light on this hugely important sector of our economy. London is an established global leader in business services and international [...]
Tech is now everywhere – and fundamental to London’s growth June 20, 2016 The third London Technology Week will formally start today in Shoreditch with entrepreneurs, academics and government leaders coming together to celebrate technology – the city’s fastest growing industry. A lot has changed since the inaugural launch in 2014. London now has a global reputation for producing world-class tech companies, with more unicorns than any other [...]
EU referendum: Economic scare stories are getting dangerous June 20, 2016 With just days to go until the country votes, and after a pause following the tragic and appalling events of last week, referendum campaigning has resumed. The Remain camp has been gaining ground, but its lead is not comfortable enough for David Cameron to sleep easily. Warnings about the potential impact of Brexit on the economy [...]
The murder of Jo Cox was an attack on our society – but freedom and justice will prevail June 20, 2016 The chancellor of the Exchequer and the governor of the Bank of England joined leading City figures at the Mansion House last week for the annual Bankers’ Dinner. The mood was of course very different to previous years after the shocking and horrific death, earlier that day, of the MP Jo Cox. The chancellor, the [...]
How London can take on San Francisco to become the true global hub for the tech and digital sectors June 20, 2016 Today marks the start of London Technology Week, a fantastic opportunity for thousands of tech experts from all over the world to descend on the capital to learn and share new ideas, and to shine a light on this hugely important sector of our economy. London is an established global leader in business services and [...]
As the Bank of England launches an accelerator, will fintech transform central banking as much as other financial services? June 20, 2016 Nick Bouch, financial services data leader at PwC, says Yes. The rapidly changing tech landscape raises a challenge to central banks to keep pace with the sophistication of the economic activity they govern. With the rise of blockchain, cloud, mobile and robotics, economic activity is shifting at an ever increasing pace from physical to digital. [...]