Gold remains relevant as COVID-19 vaccine sees markets rally December 21, 2020 | Sponsored 2020 has been the year of uncertainty, and this has seen the price of gold reach record highs. How have US election results and news of a COVID-19 vaccine affected gold’s performance, and what’s next? Markets regained a sense of status quo after the result of the US election and assurance that Joe Biden will [...]
FCA fines fall by half in 2020 as Covid takes hit on enforcement December 21, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority handed out £183.6m worth of fines this year, more than half the total bill in 2019. The number of fines has fallen too, from 21 to just ten. Lawyers believe the slowdown is due to the pandemic disrupting enforcement activities, not least the FCA’s ability to conduct witness and suspect interviews. [...]
As we look back on 2020, what can we learn from this unprecedented year? December 18, 2020 The end of any year is traditionally a time of reflection. It’s a chance to take stock and look back on the past 12 months: the successes, the lessons, and the opportunities for improvement. And while other traditions like the office Christmas party have been replaced by virtual events, taking time to step back and [...]
Time’s Up on financial silence: How to break the taboo on female investing December 18, 2020 The past few years have seen the overdue crumbling of long-held taboos that women have had to endure for decades. First, movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp exposed the magnitude of the sexual violence faced by women. Then #MeTooPay uncovered discrepancies in salaries that have fueled the fight for pay equality. And after November’s election, [...]
Robinhood pays $65m to settle SEC charges December 17, 2020 Stock trading app Robinhood has agreed to pay $65m in charges to settle claims it had misled customers about payments it received for handling their trades. Between 2015 and late 2018, Robinhood made “misleading statements and omissions in customer communications… about its largest revenue source when describing how it made money,” according to the Securities [...]
Gocardless nears $1bn valuation after latest funding round December 17, 2020 London fintech Gocardless is nearing unicorn status after its latest funding round amid a digital payments boom. The Alphabet-backed company announced it had raised $95m in its latest funding round led by the venture capital arm of Bain Capital, valuing the firm at over $970m. “This funding round demonstrates the strength of the business and [...]
Tide to introduce new business payroll service in 2021 December 17, 2020 Business fintech firm Tide has announced that is it to release its first payroll service via its banking app in early 2021. Tide Payroll will be HMRC compliant and will allow SMEs to conduct their payroll from within their Tide account with an all-in-one payroll service that will allow users to run payroll and pay [...]
Combining technology with human ingenuity can level the workplace inclusion gap December 17, 2020 The pandemic has affected every person on the planet. It is one of those rare things that we all have in common, although each of us will have experienced it in a different way. One thing is certain: whatever may have been said at the start, Covid-19 has not been a great leveller. From age [...]
Exclusive – Fintech tsar Charlotte Crosswell: ‘Our sector is not a fair and inclusive place’ December 16, 2020 As CEO of Innovate Finance, Charlotte Crosswell is Britain’s leading champion of innovative technologies in banking and finance. On behalf of the the not-for-profit group, which was founded in 2014 and supported by the City of London, she works closely with the Bank of England and the Treasury to support fintech solutions and pushes the [...]
Curve and Plaid team up to bring open banking to UK customers December 16, 2020 Curve, a smart banking platform, has joined forces with Plaid, an open finance data network, to help people manage their money.
