City to shift €150bn of UK assets into France ahead of Brexit October 13, 2020 Firms have begun shifting around €150bn (€135bn) of UK assets from the City into France ahead of the Brexit transition period deadline, according to the governor of the Bank of France. Francois Villeroy de Galhau told the Europlace International Financial Forum that the Bank of France has authorised asset shifts by 32 companies — mostly [...]
Christmas isn’t cancelled — Santa is accepting buy now, pay later October 13, 2020 One thing’s for sure: we’re going to be tempted to spend more than ever this Christmas, because 2020 has not been a joyful year. Let’s face it, if 2020 were a wine, it would be reduced to being a bin-end, and a pretty poor one at that. But as furlough unwinds, and with a no-deal [...]
Ada Ventures launches £250,000 angel investor programme October 13, 2020 Ada Ventures has launched a £250,000 angel investor programme to create a new generation of investors who may have otherwise been excluded from the industry. The London-based VC firm, named after the first computer programmer Ada Lovelace, has identified five candidates – “Ada’s Angels” – from its Scout programme. Co-founder Check Warner told City A.M. [...]
UK biotech secures record £1bn investment in third quarter October 12, 2020 The UK biotech industry has enjoyed a boom during the pandemic raising a record £1bn in the third quarter alone. Latest figures from the Bioindustry Association and Clarivate representing the UK’s biotech and life sciences sector show the scale of fundraising accelerated between June and August. While companies involved in developing vaccines or treatments have [...]
Childcare, chores, and stereotypes: Breaking down the barriers to female entrepreneurship October 12, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on our economy. GDP has dropped by 20 per cent, and 7.5m people are out of work, with more job losses on the horizon. While business failure rates are currently low, as government support packages begin to be withdrawn we should expect to see more companies fold — and [...]
Trump vs Biden – should investors really care? October 12, 2020 | City Talk There are two things I’m being asked about constantly at the moment: Covid-19 and the US election. As a former politics student who’s always maintained my passion for the subject, I certainly feel more comfortable opining on the latter. But as an investor, how much should I really care if the next US president is [...]
Act now to close the education gap — or our economy will pay the cost for years to come October 12, 2020 If there were ever any doubt about the full cost of closing schools, the answer is now clear. It is a vast price — and one that will have to be paid by the nation on both a human and a financial level for many, many years to come. Alongside the mounting national debt being [...]
On World Homelessness Day, can impact investing help us build back better? October 10, 2020 There is no debating that we are looking down the barrel of a tough six months. An increase in the daily cases of Covid-19 means that the gradual loosening of restrictions has ground to a halt, and the threat of a return to a full lockdown ahead of the festive season will be the Sword [...]
Digital wealth manager Nutmeg records eighth consecutive year of losses October 9, 2020 Digital wealth manager Nutmeg recorded losses of £21m last year as it struggled to break even for the eighth year in a row. Accounts for the year to the end of December 2019, filed on Companies House today, show Nutmeg made a loss of £21.2m, deepening last year’s losses of £18.4m. This comes even as [...]
The pensions triple-lock is unjustifiable in normal times — in the Covid era, it is utterly unconscionable October 9, 2020 Imagine you a Conservative chancellor trying to steer the economy through the midst of the worst pandemic in modern history. You have done your best to protect jobs and support struggling businesses in the face of drastic lockdown restrictions, while tax receipts shrivelled and the healthcare bill has ballooned beyond all previous measures. Despite your [...]