The three leadership skills to take your business digital April 14, 2016 It would often seem that, to succeed in the digital world, you need to be a young manager in a startup born with digital DNA, like Alibaba, Uber or Google. This is not the case. Research I have conducted indicates that many traditional companies are successfully transitioning to become digital companies, steered by executives with greying [...]
The subdued mood at the LendIt USA conference this week highlights why the UK market is increasingly the envy of the world April 14, 2016 It surprises me to write it, but it’d be accurate to call Lendit USA – the world’s largest online lending conference, which took place in San Francisco this week – a relatively sober affair. Peter Renton, the founder of Lendit, set the tone from the start, remarking that “the easy money is no longer there”. Renaud [...]
Lazy, selfish? Millennials are actually more outward looking than any other generation April 13, 2016 Some say millennials are apathetic, self-centred and obsessed with social media – but they're actually more outward looking than any generation that has come before them, according to new research. Nick Blunden, global managing director at the Economist, praised the selfie-generation at the Millennial 20/20 summit, saying: "They manage their own personal brands not just as an ego trip, but [...]
London’s fintech bubble hasn’t burst yet as established financial institutions remain desperate to be involved with startups April 13, 2016 Suggestions that London’s fintech investment bubble is about to burst have been largely rebuffed and it would appear banks and other traditional financial institutions are still keen to fund new entrants to the industry. However many are in danger of buying into so-called innovation theatre, collecting a trophy cabinet of proof-of-concept fintech startups that bank customers neither need nor want, [...]
P2P lending: These are the nine key trends in alternative finance April 13, 2016 How will P2P lending fare in a downturn? Can the industry improve securitisation practices? Why did growth slow last year? Is China really the most exciting market? What will consolidation mean for the industry? These are just some of the questions thrown about at LendIt USA. With over 4,000 attendees, including the world’s leading platforms [...]
Finance chiefs turn to interim staff to help cut costs and provide specialist skills April 13, 2016 A job for life is now well and truly a thing of the past, as more finance chiefs turn to interim managers to fill gaps in their roster, a study out today has found. According to the research by specialist recruiter Robert Half Management Resources, nine out of ten (90 per cent) finance chiefs and [...]
Predrinks, anyone? Here’s how brands are getting to grips with Generation Y’s favourite drinking trend April 13, 2016 Anyone who went to university in the past 15 years knows about the phenomenon of predrinks – essentially, getting tanked up before going out in order to save money. But it turns out brands are still working out how to tackle the generation who would rather drink at home than in a club. At the Millennials 20/20 Summit [...]
UK pensions and personal finances: Advisers believe Financial Advice Market Review will not help close the advice gap April 13, 2016 A long-awaited report in the financial advice market, which was published last month, may not help to improve access to advice after all, a notable City investment company said today. A survey conducted by Royal London discovered that almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of advisers believe the recommendations in the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) and [...]
Airbnb’s hired blockchain technology experts April 13, 2016 The home rental startup superstar Airbnb is the latest business eyeing up blockchain technology. Just weeks after Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczy spoke to City A.M about the potential blockchain technology might have in its business, than the company has made several hires of experts in the technology. Several staff from US-based ChangeCoin, a startup which created micro-payments platform ChangeTip, have been snapped up by Airbnb. [...]
Groan. Here’s the definitive ranking of the world’s worst jobs April 13, 2016 We've all made bad choices in life, but some are worse than others. Thus, it is with great regret City A.M. is forced to report that newspaper reporter has, once again, topped a ranking of the world's worst jobs. We're just going to take a minute to digest that. The ranking, by CareerCast, blamed "low salary, [...]
