We’ve not even scratched the surface of fintech’s true potential – and banks will struggle to keep up May 26, 2016 Fintech innovation has seen rapid growth over the past few years and is producing businesses with scalable products. In turn, senior executives at banks are responding to the challenge these businesses present and have begun to set up their own incubators to capture this rapid innovation. Driving much of this has been the rise of [...]
The secret to building consensus around a bold new strategy May 26, 2016 Boardrooms, senior executives and politicians alike are facing growing challenges when it comes to getting decisions made. Whether it’s dealing with issues around the EU referendum, new company policies or investing in new technology, the number of different stakeholders involved is higher than ever before. In a room of different opinions, it is easy to fall [...]
There’s a big hole in student finance: From bonds and P2P to income share agreements, here’s how you can invest in the next generation May 26, 2016 The costs of university may have spiralled, but it still pays to have letters after your name. According to the Sutton Trust, a masters degree can earn you an average of £5,500 more per year than a bachelors alone. But finding the money to pay for higher education is difficult, particularly for international students. Few [...]
The Trump effect: Why it pays to remain sanguine about the rise of the Republican renegade May 26, 2016 With his infamous “Great Wall” plans and talk of repealing “horrible” free trade deals – neither of which would be good for global business – Donald Trump is in step with the rising trend towards protectionism and populism seen in Europe. If the presumptive Republican nominee wins the Oval Office in November, City investors may [...]
Here’s why banks have – and can keep – the upper hand over P2P lenders May 26, 2016 I asked a former chief investment officer of a huge bank a couple of years ago which bank would buy up P2P firms first. They replied: “no, which P2P firm will buy a bank?” Deloitte’s report this week on marketplace lending (MPL) suggests they were wrong. It concludes that the success of P2P lenders is [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Maike Currie talks to Hermes Investment Management’s Harriet Steel about success, failure and building things May 26, 2016 Most people detest building. Whether it’s a new build, extension or renovation, chances are it will feature somewhere on the list of life’s more stressful events, perhaps only a few notches below death, divorce, starting a new job and moving home. Harriet Steel, global head of business development at Hermes Investment Management, however, relishes it. [...]
Forget negative interest rate gloom. In robotics Japan has a ¥9.7 trillion opportunity May 26, 2016 A negative interest rate and the perceived failure of Abenomics have undermined investor confidence in Japan, stealing attention from robust fundamentals and an untapped growth story. Strong company earnings and structural reforms combined with improving governance are creating real value in innovative sectors of Japan’s equity market, such as robotics. Japan has always been seen [...]
PPI still tops the list of most complained about financial products May 26, 2016 Consumers are still feeling the effects of one of banking's biggest scandals, with complaints about Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) still topping the list of woes heard by the Financial Ombudsman Service. A report released today by the Ombudsman revealed that it is still receiving up to 4,000 PPI cases each week and that half of all the [...]
Get ready to meet your new co-worker…in seven weeks’ time May 25, 2016 Good news: if you've been using the empty desk next to you as extra storage space for piles of paperwork, a study out today suggests you have a while before you'll need to tidy up. A survey of financial services executives by recruiter Robert Half discovered that it takes an average of seven weeks to [...]
Samsung’s Apple and Android Pay rival will launch in Europe next week May 25, 2016 Samsung is heading into battle with Apple and Google in the war for mobile tap and pay users by focusing on extras such as membership and loyalty schemes as it launches Samsung Pay in Europe for the first time. The Korean smartphone maker is facing stiff competition from Apple Pay which launched last year and Google’s Android Pay [...]
