Profit warning hits NCC’s share price in the wake of key contract cancellations December 13, 2016 Shares in cyber security firm NCC flopped over 14 per cent in early trading on news of a profit warning. The Manchester-based firm was forced to admit that's first half-year earnings failed to cut the mustard and a gap in earnings from its assurance division had "become too significant to fill in the second half". “Whilst [...]
Ex-Barclays boss Antony Jenkins is joining bitcoin wallet startup Blockchain December 13, 2016 The former boss of Barclays, Antony Jenkins, is getting deeper into the world of fintech, joining the board of the largest bitcoin wallet startup in the world, Blockchain. “Blockchain technology has the potential to reinvent the way we use money and contribute to a finance system that’s high quality, low cost, secure, fair and transparent,” said [...]
UK investors flock to fintech firm BullionVault as gold prices soar December 12, 2016 London fintech group BullionVault attracted a 90 per cent increase in UK gold investors this year and saw annual trading volumes increase by more than a quarter. Market volatility and uncertainty surrounding the EU referendum in June and ahead of the US election in November led gold and silver prices to soar, contributing to a trading [...]
The number of Uber drivers fighting for workers rights has doubled December 12, 2016 The number of Uber drivers claiming they are workers rather than self-employed has now doubled as a further 25 drivers joined as claimants in a legal case which ruled in favour of them in October. It brings the total number of drivers in the case seeking rights to holiday and sick pay along with other benefits to 50, [...]
UK video startup Newsflare lands £2.4m December 12, 2016 Newsflare, a British media startup, has landed a multimillion pound cash injection from a young investment fund aimed at boosting the country's creative industries. The £2.4m fresh funding comes from Edge Investments' Creative Enterprise Fund and will help the three-year-old startup's expansion. Read more: The Memo proves investors still like media startups, with six-digit funding The Newsflare platform connects user [...]
De La Rue shares rise after it says it will acquire DuPont Authentication to strengthen its tech-led identification business December 12, 2016 Banknote maker De La Rue's shares were up 3.45 per cent in afternoon trading following an announcement it would acquire the authentication business of DuPont Electronics and Communications for $25m (£19.7) in cash. DuPont Authentication produces secure, anti-counterfeiting technology used to authenticate a range of products from consumer electronics to secure identity documents. The authentication company has a well-established customer [...]
Another British tech firm has been bought by a foreign company December 12, 2016 Shares in e2v, the British tech firm which supplies imaging sensors that help the Hubble space telescope and the Mars Curiosity Rover take pictures, have jumped almost 50 per cent after agreeing a £620m sale to US-based Teledyne. In the latest example of a US firm being snapped up by a foreign company, the conglomerate [...]
The secret to happiness? Scientists have a new theory (and it’s not money) December 12, 2016 Can money buy you happiness? It's a perennial question asked by exhausted shoppers and scientists, but new research has identified two other factors with greater influence on your life satisfaction than mere money. It's mental health and having a partner which determine your happiness more than income, or even education, London School of Economics researchers have discovered. Read more: Generation [...]
Bill Gates and top investors want to fight climate change with $1bn cleantech fund December 12, 2016 Bill Gates and several other top investors are planning to launch a billion dollar fund to plough into companies innovating in the energy space in the fight against climate change. The Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) fund is also backed by venture capitalists John Doerr and Vinod Khosla of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Khosla Ventures, respectively. Read more: [...]
Blockchain chief executive Peter Smith talks smart contracts, homelessness and starting the world’s largest bitcoin wallet December 12, 2016 When I speak to Peter Smith, he is mid-juggling three events in as many days: a board meeting, moving his entire London team to new offices, and the office Christmas party. “We haven’t even had the office opening yet, but it’s all been fine,” he reflects. The first of these requires a day trip to [...]