RBS-backed digital banking startup Loot enters administration May 22, 2019 Loot, the digital current account for students, has called in administrators after it was unable to secure funding following the collapse of a potential sale to the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). RBS owned a 25 per cent stake in the fintech firm through Natwest’s digital bank Bo, which is currently under development and invested [...]
Banking unicorn N26 rapped by German regulator in money laundering probe May 22, 2019 Digital banking startup N26 has been ordered by the German banking regulator to step up its anti-money laundering policies, after a probe found the fintech firm was deficient in several areas. Bafin said today it has issued an order against N26 to "take appropriate internal safety measures" in order to comply with rules on customer due [...]
Employers want to use wearable tech to track the health, sleep, fitness and productivity of the office May 22, 2019 If you've woken up and checked your watch for last night’s sleep data, you’re not alone. In the UK, more than five million wearables (such as Fitbits and step counters) are now part of individuals’ everyday lives – 1.96m were sold in 2017 alone. So it’s only natural for employers to be interested in the power of [...]
ii Winter Portfolio doubles after fifth market-beating year May 22, 2019 | City Talk After an amazing fifth winter, our portfolio almost doubles in value and beats all the global indices, proving that international investors are wrong to ignore UK stocks. It also proves it is possible to time the market. Five years ago, our interest was piqued by a stock market phenomenon that promised consistent market-beating returns year [...]
Transferwise becomes Europe’s most valuable fintech at $3.5bn valuation May 22, 2019 Money transfer service Transferwise today announced the completion of a $292m (£230m) share sale, making it Europe’s most valuable fintech company at $3.5bn. Read more: UK named world's top fintech hub as startups rake in £4.5bn Existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and Baillie Gifford expanded their holdings in Transferwise, while investment was also provided from funds [...]
How to cope with the confusion around social care costs May 22, 2019 Distracted by the ongoing Brexit crisis, the government appears to have shoved the not-so-small issue of social care to one side. With a growing elderly population (by 2046, a quarter of the UK population will be aged 65 or over), and proportionately fewer taxpayers able to prop them up, the rising cost of social care [...]
Is two-year low the nadir for IAG shares? May 21, 2019 | City Talk Investors have taken these results as a cue to pick up cheap stock, betting that the worst is over. In the context of its financial year, the first quarter will probably be one which International Consolidated Airlines Group (LSE:IAG) will want to forget. As can be seen from the demise of several smaller airlines over [...]
The future looks bright for university graduates May 21, 2019 This month, university students across the country are being tested on their chosen field of study. As if the exam season weren’t stressful enough, final-year students also have to deal with acute cases of so-called employability anxiety. This generation is already described as the “most anxious in history”, so adding extra stress makes for a [...]
Analysts downgrade Neil Woodford flagship fund due to ‘underperformance’ May 20, 2019 Analysts at Morningstar have downgraded veteran investor Neil Woodford’s flagship fund due to underperformance. Woodford Equity Income fund’s rating was lowered from bronze to neutral, which is the research group’s second lowest ranking, following “persistent” redemption requests as investors exit. Read more: Fund manager Neil Woodford doubles stake in Card Factory The fund, which was [...]
Lloyds Bank has more great news for income investors May 20, 2019 | City Talk It already pays a big dividend, but there's even more to like about Lloyds after last week's announcement. Around this time next year, Lloyds Banking Group's (LSE:LLOY) vast army of loyal shareholders will receive their first quarterly dividend. The news, announced last Thursday, will be well-received by the bank's investors who will value a more [...]
