Here’s how we build P2P firms that actually service the poor March 2, 2017 Is payday lender Wonga the only alternative finance business that actually addressed credit demand among poor people? A regulatory crackdown on the industry has pushed the most disadvantaged in this country towards hire purchase firms, where they “buy” something on credit, sell it on almost immediately to obtain ready cash, then end up paying back [...]
How health tech is revolutionising the NHS March 2, 2017 Establishing the NHS in 1948 was, in modern speak, a paradigm shift. Much has changed since 1948 however, not least the ageing population: the number of people aged over 65 is predicted to hit 10.8m by 2032, a 39 per cent sector rise since 2012, according to the King’s Fund. With the Government hotly pursuing £20bn of savings [...]
Overzealous EU data protection regulations are more likely to take your job than a robot March 2, 2017 Economist John Maynard Keynes once suggested, tongue only just in his cheek, that if governments want to create jobs, they could fill bottles with cash and bury them, so companies would hire workers to dig them up. The EU’s incoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), its attempt to strengthen and unify data protection laws, looks [...]
The cost of talent and housing threaten London’s digital crown March 2, 2017 The government yesterday unveiled its digital strategy – an action plan for growing the digital economy and making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business. This ambition is undoubtedly very welcome. London is already the best place in Europe for digital startups and scaleups, boasting excellent access [...]
Snap raises $3.4bn in biggest tech float since Facebook March 1, 2017 Snap raised $3.4bn (£2.8bn) amidst strong demand for shares in a New York float that gives it the biggest tech valuation since Facebook. The owner of popular messaging app Snapchat is now valued at $24bn, higher than the $22.3bn expected, Reuters reported. Snap sold 200 million shares at $17 per share, above the range it [...]
These are the five hottest new phones from MWC 2017 March 1, 2017 Nokia 3310 Around £40 nokia.com This unexpected reboot of Nokia’s iconic late 90s handset blew the minds of every 30-something year old at MWC. Made by HMD (the Finnish startup that bought the rights to the Nokia name) this homage to the 3310 roughly mimics the original design while making a few concessions to modernisation. [...]
Uber boss issues apology following heated argument with driver, and says it’s time to grow up March 1, 2017 Travis Kalanick has issued an apology after a video was published showing the Uber boss in a heated argument with a driver over the app's pay rates. "To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement," said the 40-year-old chief exec. "My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in [...]
Twitter’s troll crackdown:It’s going to start identifying abuse without it being reported March 1, 2017 Twitter has two new weapons in the battle against trolls: not only is it going to start identifying abuse before it is even reported – but it will allow users to mute certain keywords. No more "snowflake" jibes for Twitter users… Abuse is the social media giant's Achilles heel – trolling has been responsible for [...]
Steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal’s son-in-law Amit Bhatia is a Snap investor and he expects the IPO to boom March 1, 2017 Snap's impending float will be mega successful, according to a London investor in the messaging app. Amit Bhatia, steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal's son-in-law and founder of Swordfish Investments, took part in a funding round in 2014 that valued the company behind Snapchat at $10bn (£8.13bn). "Far from looking to exit at IPO, I would look to add to my [...]
Transport for London turned a blind eye to the discrimination caused by new writing tests, Uber lawyer tells court March 1, 2017 Uber has today accused Transport for London (TfL) of burying its head in the sand when assessing the level of discrimination involved in its proposed English language testing. The tech giant is challenging the legal basis for rules proposed by TfL which would require private hire drivers to take a written English language test. Legal eagles for [...]