Letters: Are we trusting the Bank? May 13, 2022 [Re: UK recession to hit sooner than first thought as economy shrinks unexpectedly, yesterday] With the UK seemingly entering a period of stagflation, it’s clear that the Bank of England has taken the right course of action by raising interest rates earlier this week – a necessary move to help tackle the challenge faced by [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Inside Nato’s Nordic expansion and enlargement policy May 13, 2022 Finland has announced it wants to apply to join Nato within days, while Sweden is also considering the option. The two countries bordering Russia aim to strengthen their security in the aftermath of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. If the two countries send their applications next week, Nato should accept them quickly, but the full [...]
Windfall tax would be sticking-plaster policy for a short-sighted government May 13, 2022 Nothing is certain but death and taxes, goes Benjamin Franklin’s famous quip. As war grinds on in Ukraine, we have no shortage of the former. The question occupying the Treasury today is whether one should lead to the other. Should the energy giants’ huge recent profits – a direct result of the war in Ukraine [...]
Credit inclusivity must go beyond buy now pay later to cater for those in need of access May 13, 2022 Credit has a huge inclusivity problem in the UK. It’s encouraging to see buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) firms make moves to share their data with credit referencing agencies (CRAs) ahead of regulatory deadlines. However, there’s much more to be done to help millennials improve their credit, and a real risk in advising consumers to increase BNPL usage [...]
Musk has a delicate balance to strike between the perils and protections of anonymity May 13, 2022 Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has had the world speculating over the direction of the social media giant – which is used by over 200 million people every day. The billionaire was in the spotlight again this week, as he claimed that the removal of Donald Trump from Twitter was “foolish in the extreme”, sparking [...]
Letters: Boeing at the crossroad May 12, 2022 [Re: Boeing turbulence continues as Air Lease says future of new jet at risk, May 10] The fact that Air Lease Corp’s Executive Chairman has questioned Boeing’s 777X project seems to have further heaped pressure on an already beleaguered business. While there are enough industry leaders who have renewed their faith in Boeing’s ability to [...]
Queen’s Speech starts to tip the scales for renters May 12, 2022 This week’s Queen’s Speech has been heavily criticised for failing to ease cost of living concerns, and for letting down struggling families and vulnerable groups in our society. And fairly so. Progress has been made, however, on one crucial area of concern for millions of people – “no fault” evictions. Their official name is Section [...]
Welcome the era of integrated finance, led by banks and fintechs partnerships May 12, 2022 The digital revolution is transforming the way people do business and, whether we like it or not, innovation is now at the heart of our banking system. Traditional banks are no longer lone players in the field. Fintech innovators are gaining momentum by fully digitising their services and revitalising customer relations. These new players know [...]
To reap the benefits of venture capital we need an environment that fosters growth May 12, 2022 Firms supported by British venture capital will have a critical role in addressing some of the most important targets set for the country by the government. They can participate in the UK’s ambition to be a science and tech superpower, in the strategy to advance regions up and down the country, and of course in [...]
Hong Kong’s sham elections mark another loss for democracy-loving people May 12, 2022 American poet Maya Angelou said: “When someone shows who they are, believe them the first time”. Millions of Hongkongers are this week asking what sort of chief executive the newly “elected” John Lee will be – warily recalling his brutality as pro-Beijing security chief, violently crushing the city’s pro-democracy movement. Lee has shown Hongkongers exactly [...]