Female entrepreneurs are breaking down doors and lighting a path March 18, 2020 International Women’s Day, which took place less than two weeks ago, always provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress that business has made towards gender equality. Over the last decade, I have seen an increase in opportunities through a tidal wave of new businesses led by women, driven by a growing trend towards people [...]
Kames Capital suspends property income fund due to market uncertainty March 17, 2020 Kames Capital has become a victim of the turbulent market as it temporarily suspends its property income fund. In a statement to investors, Kames said: “Following continued market volatility and uncertainly for property funds, which began with the 2016 Brexit Referendum and continued in recent weeks with the Corona Virus pandemic the valuers of the [...]
DEBATE: Is now a good time to invest in gold? March 17, 2020 Is now a good time to invest in gold? Monica Tepes, investment companies research director at finnCap, says YES. Now is a good time to buy gold if you believe that we are in the early stages of an economic crisis or in a prolonged period of low economic growth. In a risk-off environment and [...]
Transferwise partners with Alipay as it targets expansion into China March 17, 2020 Transferwise has teamed up with Chinese payment platform Alipay to offer its users money transfers to China, as the London-based payments company moves to expand into the lucrative market. Under the partnership, Transferwise’s users will be able to send Chinese yuan from 17 currencies to users of Alipay, a subsidiary of e-commerce giant Alibaba. Alipay [...]
Monzo launches free and premium business accounts March 17, 2020 Digital bank Monzo has today launched its business bank accounts to the wider public, introducing a free-to-use Lite account and a paid-for Pro iteration. Both types will come with a business current account, mobile and web access, a debit card, categorised spending and in-account cash separation using its Pots feature. Those on the Pro account, [...]
We should hasten the shift from cash, not try to delay it March 16, 2020 Tucked away far down in the text of the Budget was a commitment that the government would protect access to cash and “ensure that the UK’s cash infrastructure is sustainable”. The fact that the UK could become cashless within a decade has caused alarm among some politicians and pressure groups, who have pointed out that [...]
How important is work-life balance to employees? March 16, 2020 | Sponsored Employers who want to attract more job applicants – particularly younger ones – should talk about their work-life balance policies when recruiting, suggests research by Shainaz Firfiray. Dr Firfiray’s experimental study involving 189 MBA students aged between 26 and 40 found that people were more likely to apply for a job that promised flexibility than [...]
Investment companies increase dividends in falling markets March 16, 2020 Global markets have been spooked by the coronavirus outbreak in recent weeks, but 21 investment companies have increased their dividends for more than two decades. The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has today published a list of its 21 “dividend heroes” which have consistently increased their dividends for 20 or more years. City of London [...]
Monzo, Revolut and Starling Bank gear up for coronavirus lockdown March 16, 2020 Preparations at the UK’s top three digital banks for an eventual shutdown due to the spread of coronavirus are well underway, as most staff work from home and remote rehearsals take place. Most staff at both Monzo and Revolut’s offices around the world are now working from home, while at Starling Bank it is an [...]
The sleep conundrum: The UK’s other health crisis March 16, 2020 The UK population is facing a new sort of crisis — and no, this is not Covid-19, but the sleep conundrum. With two thirds of the UK working population struggling with poor sleep, research from Rand reveals that UK employers are losing up to £40bn and over 200,000 working days per year. While this is no [...]
