Von Der Leyen’s vaccine strategy violates the EU’s founding principles February 9, 2021 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has conceded that individual countries could have vaccinated their populations quicker had they acted alone rather than relying on the EU’s collective vaccine purchase and distribution program. She has effectively acknowledged that her vaccine procurement programme violated a fundamental principle of the European Union’s founding treaties. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has published an op-ed in the leading German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “I ask myself the same questions every day: Could we have been much [...]
Back to basics: Three ‘Rs’ can revive the High Street February 9, 2021 The news this week that Asos has bought Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge from the failed Arcadia group is the latest evidence of the rapidly increasing dominance of younger online retailers over the traditional bricks-and-mortar fashion stores. The deal comes hot on the heels of Boohoo agreeing to pay £55m for the Debenhams brand last week. And [...]
Is central London finished? International investors think otherwise February 9, 2021 It is a strange experience going into central London right now. Areas that are normally bustling with crowds or chaotic with commuters lie still – even Pret A Manger has reduced its menu and opening times. Those who live outside of Zone 1 and for whom memories of maroon coffee cups, the underground and the [...]
Hunting for unicorns could see us miss the easy targets February 8, 2021 Every year, the health of Britain’s venture economy, and particularly tech, ecosystem is judged by the number of unicorns – companies that have secured billion-dollar valuations. The number of unicorns goes up, and the growing strength of the emerging next generation of UK businesses is celebrated. At the pinnacle of the apex, it’s a good [...]
The new Greenback: Why investors are getting high on medicinal cannabis firms February 8, 2021 Avihu Tamir is CEO of Kanabo For years, advocates of medicinal cannabis products have predicted that the industry is set to revolutionise healthcare – and make investors a tidy profit. That time may finally be coming. Take our firm, Kanabo Group, which became the first medicinal cannabis company to get approval from the Financial Conduct [...]
London is a leader in green finance but we must strive for more February 8, 2021 The pandemic has propelled our global community towards a major crossroads in 2021, and we arrive knowing that the direction we choose will prove critical for the future of our societies and our planet. It has accelerated systemic changes in the global economy and demonstrated the absolute need for international collaboration across governments and institutions [...]
Social media’s failings have made regulation almost inevitable February 8, 2021 The GameStop saga has thrown light, once again, on the power of social media. Having dramatically increased the stock price of a loss-making video game retailer, the two-million strong subreddit r/WallStreetBets has shown that with enough will, a single group can take on even the powerful world of hedge funds–and make itself some money in [...]
Here comes Govtech: It’s time to digitise government and the public sector February 8, 2021 Boris Johnson’s first telephone call with Joe Biden in the White House reportedly included some joshing over which of them had first used the phrase ‘Build Back Better’. Whether it was the Prime Minister or the President, it is set to be the leitmotif of the global post-Covid recovery. Economies have been devastated, individuals have [...]
The year the music died? Industry needs an insurance scheme or risks total collapse February 7, 2021 Over the course of the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption and harm to the live music industry. Lockdown affected physical sales. The shutting of public venues, such as restaurants and bars, caused lost revenue from background music services and performance income. Undoubtedly, significant restrictions to our everyday lives have forced the [...]
How do you replace somebody like Jeff Bezos? February 6, 2021 There are very few CEOs who are household names, and fewer still whose actions, ethics and business acumen are discussed as widely as Jeff Bezos. Jeff Bezos and Amazon are almost interchangeable – he basically is the company which he has worked so hard to build. This week though, the founder and CEO of Amazon [...]