We need a British Development Bank to level-up the regions November 24, 2020 Tomorrow, chancellor Rishi Sunak will address the nation and announce the government’s National Infrastructure Strategy. While the focus has primarily been on what infrastructure investments and tax reforms might be on the horizon, there is an opportunity here to think bigger. What Britain needs is a new financing institution, like a British Development Bank, to [...]
Klarna-challenger Zilch becomes first ‘buy now pay later’ firm to secure FCA licence November 23, 2020 The City regulator has issued its first licence to a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)company, months after launching an inquiry into the unsecured credit market. London-based Zilch has become the first company in the UK’s BNPL market to become fully licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Zilch has worked with the regulator for over [...]
Generation Z: Tech Smart Traders November 20, 2020 | City Talk Younger traders have been prominent in the markets for a while now. However, with world-wide lockdown keeping more people at home alone with their devices than ever, record volatility and market opportunities being advertised in every corner of the web, the number of traders under 30 has soared as many have been flocking to retail [...]
Starling becomes first challenger to make a profit November 20, 2020 Starling has become the first of the challenger banks to break even as its rivals record mounting losses, with plans to expand across Europe. Positioned as challengers, digital banks Monzo, Starling and Revolut have faced criticism from investors and the Bank of England for failing to deliver profit. But in a trading update today, Starling [...]
Is going to university actually worth it — and who should decide? November 20, 2020 What are universities for? It’s the sort of navel-gazing question that academics love to pose, and the sort of deep philosophical terrain that pragmatic policy people fear getting sucked too far into. But with the government and regulators looking at new ways to measure and compare the quality of different degrees, it is a conversation [...]
DEBATE: Are fears about remote working’s damage to Britain’s creative potential overblown? November 20, 2020 Are fears about remote working’s damage to Britain’s creative potential overblown? Kristine Dahl Steidel, vice president EUC EMEA at VMware, says YES. The future of work has arrived in the form of distributed workforces, and businesses should not be using this as an excuse for stagnant growth. The facts speak for themselves: new research shows [...]
London dwarfs rest of UK for 2020 startup success November 19, 2020 London leads the UK for new business creation in 2020, with more than 130,989 startups created between January and August. The first eight months of the year saw more than 130,000 new businesses created in the capital, up more than 21% on 2019’s figures, according to data from consultancy business SHL. The number of London [...]
How to think long-term when your shareholders won’t let you November 19, 2020 Before the Covid-19 pandemic, my team conducted a study amongst nearly 700 business leaders across the US and Europe. The results uncovered that 76 per cent of chief executives think businesses need to shift focus from short-term profit delivery to long-term value creation. But so far less than five per cent have made that shift. [...]
Dom’s next job could be in cyber — he just needs the right retraining opportunities November 18, 2020 Dominic Cummings, like many other Brits this year, is considering his next career move. While someone of his stature might have many doors open, a route to a new career is not as clear-cut for most people in the middle of their working lives. A key pledge from the government is to provide long-term support [...]
Regulator issues warning on fintech Lanistar for unauthorised services November 18, 2020 Update: 9:07pm Friday 20/11: The FCA have withdrawn their warning after changes by Lanistar. The Financial Conduct Authority has accused the much-hyped fintech Lanistar of offering unauthorised financial services. Founded by Gurhan Kiziloz, Lanistar this week launched an influencer campaign claiming to be the “world’s most secure card”. But the regulator today has warned that [...]