A new corporate-backed fintech lab has opened in London August 22, 2016 The investment firm behind one of London's top venture capital funds is doubling down on one of the hottest areas of tech with a dedicated lab specialising in all things fintech. Octopus Investments, whose venture capital firm Octopus Ventures backed successful startups such as Swiftkey (acquired by Microsoft), Magic Pony (bought by Twitter) and Zoopla, will launch a fintech [...]
Startups in London raised more funding than in any other European city this year August 22, 2016 Forget Brexit fears: London's startup community is alive and well, new research has suggested – with startups in the capital receiving more investment in the first half of this year than in any other European city. This chart, put together for City A.M. by Statista using figures from EY's Startup Barometer Germany report, shows London startups received €1.3bn (£1.1bn) [...]
For the love of bags: Jardine of London founder Mary Jardine talks music cases, the Queen, Brexit, and why she’s on the hunt for a partner August 22, 2016 "It felt like I’d always been the spectator. It dawned on me that I wanted to be the one taking part; the one driving something forward.” Mary Jardine, founder of handbag startup Jardine of London, was approaching her fiftieth birthday when she decided she was going to set up her own business. Jardine of London isn’t [...]
Businesses have a duty to help end the scourge of youth unemployment in London August 22, 2016 On Thursday, the tense wait will finally come to an end for thousands of students who will find out their GCSE results. Last week thousands more received their A-Level grades, and both sets of results could determine these young people’s futures. Whether it’s deciding to continue into higher education or take on additional training – [...]
Foreign investments help shareholders as UK dividend growth lags August 22, 2016 The UK is lagging behind other developed markets in terms of dividends, a report out today has found. UK dividends fell 3.3 per cent on an underlying basis in the second quarter of 2016, according to the Henderson Global Dividend Index. In addition to the falling value of the pound, steep cuts from Standard Chartered, [...]
These 30 European universities have the highest-paid graduates (and they’re not the ones you think) August 19, 2016 That much-coveted place at university might not actually earn you as much as you hoped: new research shows UK institutions are disconcertingly far down when it comes to the eventual salary of their graduates. The figures, put together by salary benchmarking site Emolument.com, show graduates from the universities traditionally seen as the UK's top two – Oxford and Cambridge – aren't necessarily the [...]
City A.M. Unregulated podcast: The art (and science) of charm, with Jordan Harbinger August 19, 2016 This week, the team go back to charm school with Jordan Harbinger, the host of the Art of Charm podcast. We ask what it takes to be charming, and whether charmers are born or made. What does George Clooney have that others don't – and can we use our newly-acquired skills to charm our way [...]
Don’t fire your coach too fast: What Olympians can teach business owners August 19, 2016 As an athlete turned business owner, I’ve twice experienced the thrilling, yet gruelling, journey of building something from the ground up. The challenge of achieving an Olympic gold medal win and starting a business aren’t dissimilar. Many of the lessons I learned through my years as an athlete have been invaluable to my entrepreneurial venture in [...]
High pay red tape likely to cause a muddle, warns new research August 19, 2016 Politicians who wade into regulate pay could wind up doing more harm than good, a report out today warns. The Institute of Economic Affairs' research found previous attempts to rule against high pay had backfired and governments would be better off focusing on cleaning up complex tax systems and closing up loopholes. In particular, the report noted [...]
UK fintech funding has fallen – but don’t panic just yet August 18, 2016 Cash being ploughed into the UK's fintech startups fell in the latest quarter – but don't panic just yet. The value of funding declined by 12 per cent to $103m (£78.4m) in the second quarter of the year, however, the number of deals being done in one of the hottest sectors remained steady, the latest figures from KPMG and CB Insights [...]
