FCA extends credit card payment freeze until October July 1, 2020 A credit card payments freeze could be extended for another three months for customers still suffering from the economic impact of coronavirus, the financial watchdog said today. After imposing a three-month pause on repayments for those struggling amid the fallout of the pandemic on the economy, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said firms must [...]
FCA puts UK banks on notice on overdrafts but will not open formal inquiry July 1, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will not open a formal inquiry into overdraft charges by UK banks, but said there would be a full evaluation of lenders’ pricing next year. In January, the financial watchdog gave banks just two weeks to explain changes to their overdraft rates which would leave around eight million consumers worse [...]
Schroders takes majority stake in Asian real estate firm July 1, 2020 Schroders has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Asian real estate investment firm Pamfleet, which currently has $1.1bn in assets under management. The asset manager said the deal strengthened its private assets and real estate capabilities. It comes after the recent acquisition of the German real estate specialist, Blue Asset Management, and [...]
Feeling sluggish? How to boost morale after 100 days in lockdown July 1, 2020 It’s now been 100 days since the UK’s workforce went remote. Initially designed to be a three-week precaution, it’s clear that working from home has evolved into an indefinite future in many industries. While some workers have found it relatively easy to exchange cappuccinos and commutes for Nescafé and Netflix, it has naturally been a [...]
Transferwise gets FCA authorisation for investing July 1, 2020 Transferwise has been granted multiple new licences by the Financial Conduct Authority, which means it will soon allow users to earn a return on account funds. Transferwise offers banking accounts to users in the UK, the EU, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland, but does not hold a full bank licence. The new licences [...]
Investment industry bodies urge Euronext to call time on long trading hours June 30, 2020 Two investment industry bodies have called on Euronext to trim its trading day by 90 minutes, as the exchange’s consultation on cutting trading hours draws to a close. The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) and the Investment Association (IA) today called on the pan-European exchange to cut its trading day to seven hours, [...]
A pandemic is no excuse for the return of all-male boards June 30, 2020 At the 30 Per Cent Club, we never believed in “one and done”. Losing your only female director and reverting to an all-male board is all too easy, as Dominos found out earlier this month. Of course, that’s not the case for Aston Martin, which had two women non-executive directors and a female chair until [...]
London Stock Exchange enters talks to buy stake in Primarybid June 30, 2020 London technology startup Primarybid is in talks to sell a chunk of its business to Britain’s stock exchange, following a successful partnership between the pair. London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), the parent firm behind the London Stock Exchange, has entered detailed discussions with Primarybid about an investment, Sky News reported. Primarybid is an everyday investing [...]
Standard Life Aberdeen boss Keith Skeoch to step down June 30, 2020 Standard Life Aberdeen today announced chief executive Keith Skeoch is stepping down after five years at the helm. The departure of Skeoch, who will be replaced by former Citigroup executive Stephen Bird, comes just months after chairman Martin Gilbert left the firm. Skeoch was one of the architects of the £11bn merger of Standard Life [...]
Confession of an ESG sceptic: How I learned to stop worrying and love ESG June 30, 2020 For a long time, it would be fair to say I have been brutally sceptical about Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) investment. However, the Covid-19 crisis has turned ESG from a trendy investment fashion to something that matters. My scepticism began with the fact that ESG was an unbalanced concept. Too many people focus only [...]
