How new London mayor Sadiq Khan can solve London’s startup funding crisis May 12, 2016 I would like to congratulate Sadiq Khan on becoming London’s new mayor and it is encouraging that he claims he will be “the most pro-business mayor London has ever had”. There is a booming startup scene in the capital which, if supported, will benefit our City for generations to come. But success is by no [...]
The storm is here: This is what you should expect to happen to P2P following the Lending Club catastrophe May 11, 2016 It's been a rather dark few days for the alternative lending industry. On Monday, news broke that the chief executive of US giant Lending Club, Renauld Laplanche, had been forced to resign by his board. First, the platform disclosed that it sold near-prime loans to a bank (Bloomberg reported that it was Jefferies) which it knew [...]
Ryan Bertrand’s secret second career as a fintech entrepreneur – and John Terry is backing his latest venture May 11, 2016 The history of football’s relationship with technology is a chequered one, from the game’s long resistance to implementing goal-line gadgetry to the tale of former Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell taking a power drill to his toenail in the misguided belief that it would relieve pain. Ryan Bertrand hopes to change that perception. When he is [...]
How financial services Goliaths can survive the threat of fintech Davids May 11, 2016 Fintech disrupters versus traditional financial services incumbents. To some, this supposed rivalry resembles that of the battle where the smaller and more agile David slays the large and mighty Goliath. But is this necessarily the fate that lies ahead for the big banks? It’s easy to understand how this rivalry has been built up, with fintech [...]
Quality, not quantity: Here’s why women make better traders May 11, 2016 In a field where females represent just 15 per cent of the workforce, you can perhaps be forgiven for assuming men are naturally better traders than women. But recent research by Alexander Mann Solutions and Trading Hub, a global financial information services company, indicates quite the opposite. The study tested 350 entry-level graduates over four [...]
As the founder of US industry giant Lending Club resigns under a cloud, is this the beginning of the end of P2P? May 11, 2016 Bill Blain, a strategist at Mint Partners, says Yes. Lending Club is a long expected smell-the-coffee moment for the sector. The firm sold loans to an investor that did not conform to its instructions, highlighting multiple regulatory risks. The sector is vulnerable to bad news, exacerbating the slow growth and overspending problems many platforms face. It’s [...]
Six of the best challenger banks: Disgruntled with HSBC, Lloyds, RBS and Barclays? We highlight the cream of the alternatives May 11, 2016 The big four high street banks – that’s Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and RBS – have had their fair share of scandal over the years and many people have been left disgruntled with the service they’ve received. There’s been a lot of inertia in banking, with few people willing to move their main account. Nearly 60 per [...]
Visa Europe records three billion contactless payments over the last 12 months May 10, 2016 Card company Visa has recorded three billion contactless transactions in Europe over the past year. In April alone, European consumers used their cards 360m times, clocking in at almost 140 transactions per second. Contactless now accounts for one in every five Visa card payments in Europe, up from one in 60 in 2013. In the [...]
Investment by private equity firms across Europe rose in 2015 as buyouts climb May 10, 2016 Private equity investment across Europe grew by 14 per cent last year as investors pumped more cash into startups and high-growth firms across the continent. A total of €47.4bn was invested into companies by private equity firms in 2015, according to industry association, Invest Europe, up by one-seventh on last year. "Despite volatile financial markets and macroeconomic [...]
How Benjamin Franklin and Martin McGuinness demonstrate why you should make love to your workplace enemies (not literally, of course) May 10, 2016 In the world of work, we often have an enemy. It could be our boss who hates us and gives us more work than the laws of physics allow. It could be that colleague who blocks everything we do or even think of doing. It could be the finance director who slashes our budget out of [...]
