Starling Bank secures unicorn status with £272m funding round March 8, 2021 Starling Bank today confirmed it has raised £272m in its largest ever funding round, confirming its status as Britain’s newest unicorn. The digital bank raised the funds in a series D round led by Fidelity Management and Research. The Qatar Investment Authority, Railpen — the investment manager for the £31bn Railways Pension Scheme — and [...]
Should you look at Irish whiskey as an investment? March 5, 2021 With St Patrick’s Day on the not-too-distant horizon, thoughts inevitably turn to iconic festivities to be enjoyed. For many this involves toasting a taoscán of Irish whiskey. The day and drink are synonymous with each other. But this year maybe you should think about investing instead of drinking your whiskey? The Irish end their toasts [...]
City Corporation creates new Covid Business Recovery Fund March 4, 2021 | City Talk The Court of Common Council, the City of London Corporation’s main decision-making body, has today (4 March) agreed to create a new Covid Business Recovery Fund of up to £50 million. At a virtual meeting, elected Members decided unanimously that grants from the Fund will be made available to small and independent retailers and hospitality [...]
Budget reactions: Optimism and relief to Sunak’s plans March 4, 2021 Following Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement yesterday, of a raft of new support measures alongside plans to shore up Britain’s finances in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the details of this year’s Budget gradually become clear to SMEs, entrepreneurs, startups and others in London and across the country. Sunak set out extensions to the furlough [...]
Accounting startup Countingup secures £9m Series A round March 4, 2021 A business account that claims to simplify bookkeeping has secured a £9.1m Series A funding round as it looks to expand its offering ahead of changes to HMRC rules. London-based startup Countingup, which currently has 34,000 customers, offers a business current account with built-in accounting software to help both the self-employed and accountants. It has [...]
Deliveroo picks London for multi-billion pound listing March 4, 2021 Deliveroo has confirmed it will choose London for its long-awaited IPO. The delivery firm will list with a dual-class share structure in what will be a major boost for the capital. It is expected to be the largest float in London this year. It comes just a day after a Treasury-commissioned review by former EU [...]
Budget 2021: Government to guarantee five per cent mortgages on homes up to £600,000 March 3, 2021 The government will introduce a new scheme that will allow individuals to put down just a five per cent deposit on homes valued up to £600,000. From April, the government will introduce a the scheme that will provide a guarantee to lenders across the UK that offer mortgages to people with a deposit of five [...]
Budget 2021: Pensions lifetime allowance frozen for five years March 3, 2021 The pensions lifetime allowance will be frozen at its existing level until April 2026, in a move that effectively decreases its value when inflation is taken into account. The Chancellor today said the lifetime allowance would remain at its current £1,073,100 for the next five years, rather than increasing in line with inflation. The move [...]
Google launches $2m fund to help bridge funding gap for Black tech founders March 2, 2021 Google For Start Ups launches fund to tackle lack of black talent in tech
G20 nations including UK agree to raise IMF funds March 2, 2021 The G20 agrees to inflate IMF funds as a gesture to poorer countries to help them recover from pandemic.
