UK pensions trends: FTSE 100 defined benefit pension schemes are increasingly bolstered by bonds April 11, 2016 FTSE 100 companies now hold a record £315bn worth of bonds across their defined benefit (DB) pension pots, research released today has found. According to the study by JLT Employee Benefits, FTSE 100 companies increased the value of bonds they held in their DB pension scheme assets by roughly £25bn over the year to the end of September [...]
Now Nationwide is testing behavioural biometrics instead of pins and passwords for logging on to online banking April 10, 2016 Pins and passwords are so passe. Nationwide is the latest financial institution to explore new ways of verification and authentication, testing out a new method of accessing your bank account based on how you use your phone – from the way you hold it to the speed you type. And with 70 per cent of us [...]
Appraising your boss: Is honesty the best policy? April 8, 2016 Q: Human resources have asked me to fill out an anonymous “360 degree” appraisal of my boss. Should I seize this rare opportunity to tell the truth (that he’s an aggressive glory seeker with one priority – himself) or would that be career suicide? This quandary – whether to tell the truth, or not, about [...]
EU referendum: City of London Corporation chief in Brexit warning to the capital’s fintech sector April 8, 2016 London's multi-billion pound fintech sector is being urged by the City of London Corporation to speak up in favour of Britain staying in the European Union. In a speech to be delivered on Monday, the Corporation's policy chairman Mark Boleat will say: “It is far better to have ‘entrepreneurs for Europe’ than ‘bankers for Brussels’ [...]
Bank worries over fintech and an approaching “Uber moment” are subsiding, new research finds April 7, 2016 Bank worries over fintech and an approaching "Uber moment" are subsiding, a new study suggests. A survey of 127 finance industry professionals by Autonomous Research found that while fintech is seen to matter more, the perceived “Uber risk” is receding. Read more: Fintech is coming to take your banking job Nine per cent of those surveyed said [...]
City watchdog reminds firms managing funds to watch their language in customer communications April 7, 2016 Firms managing funds must be careful to make sure their product descriptions are clear and free of jargon, the results of a review published today show. The review by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that, while the majority of the firms it studied in its sample were investing in line with the strategy they [...]
This Chinese boss gave 10 employees Maseratis, then took them on the drive of their lives April 7, 2016 Thought an away-day to the local paintballing centre was exciting? Try working with Chinese boss Ni Hai Shan, who presented 10 of his employees with £98,000 Maseratis as their year-end bonus – then took them on a mad journey along China's "highway of death". The People's Daily Online reported that 29-year-old Hai Shan, whose family business [...]
High performing teams need a psychologically safe environment April 7, 2016 Have you ever been in a meeting with your superiors, disagreed with what is being said, but kept quiet for fear of being judged or, worse, dismissed? If you make a mistake at work, do you worry it may be held against you? Do you find that keeping your cards close to your chest is the [...]
From unicorns to cockroaches: Alejandro Cremades on why the startup funding landscape is about to change April 7, 2016 The funding landscape for small businesses in the United States is about to change significantly. Next month, the Jobs Act Title III – the regulation that will give non-accredited investors (people making under $200,000 a year or with a net worth of under $1m excluding their primary residence) the opportunity to invest in startup companies [...]
Steel crisis: Why is everybody suddenly so fascinated by pension pots? April 6, 2016 The ongoing steel crisis has brought to the forefront not only questions about the UK's dwindling manufacturing industry but also worries about just how some of the country's biggest pensions commitments can be funded. So, the steel workers haven't been topping up their pension pots? Not exactly. Tata Steel's workers are members of the British Steel [...]
