London should double down in its commitment to arriving Hongkongers February 12, 2021 London has a global responsibility to stand up for Hong Kong – for the autonomy of its people
Out with the old: Time to reform the legal profession for the benefit of all sides February 11, 2021 It may seem like an odd time to be thinking about reforming the way lawyers work, but if so much can change because of a pandemic, why shouldn’t the post-Covid era be a period of reform and progress? This year will be the first in which the UK’s ability to compete in the global professional [...]
Covid crisis is an opportunity to put digital at the heart of our democracy February 11, 2021 It’s official: the long-awaited climax of the London Mayoral race is scheduled for May 6th, when polling stations across the city will throw open their doors for the first time since the start of the pandemic. But in a world now heavily mediated by online interaction, questions must be asked as to why this opportunity [...]
‘Buy Now Pay Later’ regulation must be matched by genuine action February 11, 2021 Few payment methods have experienced such exponential growth as ‘buy now pay later’. In a year that has kept us at home, the convenience and flexibility it offers consumers has more than trebled demand. Five million of us have spent £2.7 billion using the service since the pandemic began. But with ease and flexibility, comes [...]
City’s professional know-how matched with UK construction expertise could be a global titan February 11, 2021 Despite political enthusiasm for ‘Global Britain’, we are missing out on a sizeable slice of a $14 trillion a year worldwide construction market owing to a lack of collaboration between two otherwise successful industries – the built environment sector and financial/advisory services. The built environment and infrastructure sector is one of the unsung heroes of [...]
Brexit: Restoration of common law principles gives financial services the tools to be innovative February 10, 2021 Now that the UK has left the EU, it is time that we re-set the legal framework of our financial services. This is not the emotional reaction of a Brexit optimist – although I do believe that there are many advantages to our leaving the European Union – but rather a pragmatic assessment based on [...]
Social mobility could be the next hot-button issue – and smart firms would be wise to act now February 10, 2021 Here’s a game for your next tedious Zoom meeting. Take a look at those attentively nodding heads and ask yourself: how many went to an ordinary school? By ordinary I don’t mean a comprehensive so exceptional that the local estate agents memorise its catchment area. I mean the rest. The average to poor ones. The [...]
Burnley and Asda are unlikely warnings of debt-driven troubles February 10, 2021 It has been a week of mixed messages. Not just on the release from lockdown, but on the economy. The Bank of England indicated that banks have been given six months to prepare for negative interest rates. The Monetary Policy Committee was quick to clarify that this did not mean that they would necessarily cut [...]
Be careful of stepping into trouble when market fundamentals are still so shaky February 10, 2021 Yogi Dewan is CEO and founder of Hassium Asset Management. Many investment houses are again forecasting a bull market in 2021. Whilst I am neither bullish or bearish this feels like an accident waiting to happen. Whilst we remain positive near term, markets now look very overvalued and very overbought. Investor sentiment seems once again to be [...]
Office Politics: Apprenticeships aren’t the only way to nurture young talent February 9, 2021 This week is National Apprenticeships Week – a focal point of the national drive to make more training accessible for young people. But rather than a laser-like focus on apprenticeships or to focus on the Kickstart false-start – what it should be about is businesses recognising that apprenticeships aren’t the only way, and there are [...]