Alliance Trust, City of London and Bankers Investment Trust: Dividends at these 19 investors have been raised for 20 or more years in a row March 7, 2016 While high-profile banks such as Barclays and a number of companies have had to cut their dividends already this year, if you're an income seeking investor, don't be put off: the dividend heroes are here. A list of 19 investment companies with at least 20-year records of dividend rises, dubbed the "dividend heroes", has been [...]
BBVA acquires Finnish digital banking startup Holvi March 7, 2016 The Spanish bank BBVA which last year invested £45m for a stake in UK challenger bank Atom has snapped up a digital banking startup in Finland. Helsinki-founded Holvi, set up in 2011, has been acquired for an undisposed sum. "We’re excited about Holvi as we share a vision about the benefit of technology for the customer. They use [...]
International Women’s Day 2016: Female traders’ bonuses are half that of their male counterparts – while it takes women bankers six months longer to be promoted March 7, 2016 The banking sector already has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to diversity among the genders – but things are about to get worse, after new research suggested some female bankers can expect a bonus less than half the size of their male counterparts. The research, by salary benchmarking site Emolument, found while men in [...]
Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk talks Japan, business trips and blockchain March 7, 2016 Most kids make it no further than the TV when they’re off school sick. But Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder of Airbnb, wasn’t like most kids. Aged 12, at home ill one day, he taught himself how to programme using one of his dad’s – an electrical engineer – books. “I started buying more and more books. [...]
We need some better speakers on the London speaker circuit: When anyone can be an “authority”, any fraud can get an audience March 7, 2016 I used to be in awe of people who were recognised as an “authority” on something or other. Those who spoke at conferences. Or frequented panel discussions. Or gave prolific press commentary. Or – the pinnacle of any career – appeared on TV. If a CV saying “X regularly speaks at high-profile industry events” landed [...]
Event sponsorship: How to build brand value March 7, 2016 Sponsorship – whether of a sports team or event, a conference or a concert – can be an effective way to build brand presence and awareness for the overall benefit of your business. And it’s not only an option for larger companies. Sponsoring a smaller event, especially if your broader activation strategy is clever, can [...]
Helping more women into the workplace could net the UK £170bn in economic benefits, and boosting digital skills could help us achieve equality earlier March 7, 2016 Supporting women in the workplace is about more than fairness, as a report out today has discovered it could also drastically boost the UK's finances. According to the study by accountancy giant PwC, if the UK was as good as getting women working as Sweden, which is the highest-performing country for helping women into work, [...]
BIS warns market volatility was just the beginning as global credit binge stalls and investors lose faith in central banks March 6, 2016 The volatile start to the year for financial markets may only mark the beginning of a realisation that the world economy has become more fragile, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) warned today. “The tension between the markets’ tranquillity and the underlying economic vulnerabilities had to be resolved at some point. In the recent quarter, we may have [...]
George Osborne scraps pension reforms package including tax relief plans March 5, 2016 Chancellor George Osborne will scrap plans to introduce a package of reforms on pensions including cutting tax relief for higher earners. It was feared that the radical reforms, which would have made pension pot withdrawals tax-free but eliminated relief on contributions, could have triggered a run on savings and backlash from high-earning voters. A product of an [...]
From experience to tenacity: Here are five key traits shared by all successful entrepreneurs March 4, 2016 Confidence, passion or a true belief in their business idea is the route to success for many entrepreneurs, and while these qualities are often the most celebrated, they will rarely deliver in isolation. When you scratch the surface, many entrepreneurs also possess a broader set of skills and personality traits that help them in all areas [...]
