Innovate Finance chief exec Charlotte Crosswell to step down in May April 6, 2021 Innovate Finance’s chief executive Charlotte Crosswell has today announced that she will step down from her role in May. Crosswell has run the industry body for the UK’s fintech sector since 2017. Janine Hirt, the body’s chief operating officer, will take over on an interim basis. Her four years in charge saw Crosswell lead Innovate [...]
Facebook’s Giphy takeover to face in-depth competition probe April 1, 2021 Facebook’s takeover of Giphy will face an in-depth competition probe in the UK after the social media giant declined to offer remedies to the regulator’s concerns. The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) last week gave the companies five days to address worries that their deal could harm the digital advertising market and the supply of [...]
Silicon Roundabout: What will London’s tech hub look like after lockdown? April 1, 2021 The cluster of tech companies in East London, also known as Silicon Roundabout, was largely born out of the last financial crisis after soaring rents pushed companies out. This time round the fate of East London may look a little different as tech companies make remote working the norm. Remote working is here to stay [...]
Worlds collide: Non-fungible tokens could bring new use-cases to decentralised finance April 1, 2021 | Sponsored If you’ve been watching the crypto scene or even following trends among your favourite artists, you’ve probably heard the term ‘non-fungible tokens’ (‘NFTs’ for short). NFTs are having their spot in the limelight: over $200 million has been spent on NFT artwork in just this past month alone. NFTs are taking their place in pop [...]
Amazon and Google unveil plans to send workers back to the office April 1, 2021 Amazon and Google have both made changes to their work-from-home policies as they look to encourage workers back into the office. In a memo to employees, Amazon said it expected most of its corporate staff to be back in the office by early autumn. The company said it planned to return to an “office-centric culture [...]
Monzo finance chief leaves for crypto platform Luno April 1, 2021 Monzo’s chief financial officer is the latest top-level executive to leave the digital bank after just two years with the challenger bank. Alwyn Jones, who joined Monzo in September 2018 from Barclays, will join cryptocurrency firm Luno as CFO as cryptocurrency gains traction among top financiers. Luno is a leading crypto exchange launched in 2013 [...]
8 weird and wonderful applications of CRISPR technology March 31, 2021 | City Talk Techno-optimists like to talk about the notion of a “singularity” – a time when technology progresses so rapidly that life is transformed beyond recognition. The driving force of this hypothetical event is typically regarded to be artificial intelligence becoming omnipresent. But what does omnipresent AI really mean for everyday life? ‘Technoking’ Elon Musk says that [...]
Online learning platform Coursera jumps on US stock market debut March 31, 2021 Shares in online learning company Coursera surged by almost a fifth following their debut on the New York Stock Exchange today, valuing the company at more than $5bn (£3.6bn). Coursera, which offers online courses from top universities and companies, opened at $39 per share this afternoon — 18 per cent above its IPO price of [...]
Nick Clegg defends Facebook algorithms as platform revamps news feed March 31, 2021 Sir Nick Clegg has launched an impassioned defence of Facebook’s algorithms, insisting the platform had empowered people and denying it was responsible for increased polarisation. The former deputy prime minister, who is now Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, said people needed to “make their peace” with algorithms and acknowledge they were “here to stay”. [...]
Apple leads $50m funding round in record label disruptor United Masters March 31, 2021 Apple has led a $50m (£36m) investment in United Masters, an independent music platform aiming to challenge the dominance of major record labels. United Masters, which was founded in 2017 by former label executive Steve Stoute, provides a platform for artists to distribute their music while retaining ownership of their master recording rights. This is [...]