M Restaurant’s Martin Williams on Wagyu, division bells and building a brand January 25, 2016 There is something of the Midas touch about Martin Williams. Forty minutes into an interview about his restaurants, M Threadneedle Street and M Victoria Street – currently two of the capital’s trendiest hangouts – he mentions his previous life as an actor. Despite being successful on stage and TV in his early twenties, the on-off [...]
Q&A: Enotria’s CEO on acquiring Coe Vintners January 25, 2016 Troy Christensen, chief executive of Enotria & Coe, and Gary Edwards, growth and acquisition finance at Investec, explain the background, challenges, and motivation behind premium wine supplier Enotria’s acquisition of Coe Vintners. Why did Enotria decide to acquire Coe Vintners? Troy Christensen: Enotria was founded in the 1970s with the intention of bringing the best Italian [...]
UK pensions: Flat rate pensions tax relief would be “fairer” and encourage people to save more for their retirement, but pensions ISA would be a bad idea, says industry body January 24, 2016 A single rate of pensions tax relief would make the system simpler, fairer and more sustainable, according to a statement made by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) over the weekend. The ABI, which has been calling for reform to higher rate pension tax relief since 2013, has urged government to consider introducing what it [...]
JP Morgan’s Pencils Down initiative is proof the City’s financial institutions can adapt to millennials’ needs January 22, 2016 Millennials, Generation Y, the yoof – call them what you like, but HR departments the land over are going to increasingly desperate lengths to attract the people currently taking their first steps into working life. Kids these days are demanding, high-minded and tech savvy, oft-cited research tells us. They expect oodles of spare time, with [...]
Blockchain payment revolution: How to ensure confidence in twenty-first century transactions January 22, 2016 We are on the threshold of a revolution in financial services which promises extraordinary leaps in efficiency for all kinds of transactions. And arguably the biggest obstacle to our society reaping the full benefit of this findustrial revolution is the issue of trust in transactions. When stock exchanges developed centuries ago, a handshake between (predominantly) [...]
Venture Capital investing in the UK reaches $1.3bn in the last quarter of 2015, bucking global trends January 21, 2016 Venture Capital firms invested $1.3bn (£910m) in UK companies in the last three months of 2015, capping off a record-breaking year. In total, UK start-ups received $4.75bn in venture capital funding last year from 400 deals, according to the latest data from KPMG and venture capital database CB Insights. This bucked the global trend: there was a 30 [...]
Equity crowdfunding: The 2016 refresher guide for investors January 21, 2016 Alternative finance has provided us with several new asset classes, and one of them is equity crowdfunding. In 2015, the global crowdfunding industry grew to $34.4bn – more than doubling from a year earlier – according to a report from Massolution. In the UK, research from Alt Fi published in November of last year suggested [...]
Blockchain technology is useful – just not for everything January 20, 2016 You may have heard of blockchains and Bitcoin as exciting new innovations but you’d be forgiven if you’re confused about what they are or their relationship to each other. Blockchains provide a way to store information so that many people can see it, keep a copy of it, and add to it. Once added, it [...]
Davos 2016: Why London fintech can transform the 21st century January 20, 2016 In recent years, there has been cynicism about the objectives of the World Economic Forum annual meeting at Davos, with reports of parties, private jets and closed-door discussions. However, the core purpose of the forum should not be dismissed in an era of global upheaval, tensions and economic uncertainty for billions across the developed and [...]
As challenger banks, fintech and digital payments take off, here are four reasons why 2016 will be the year banks are on the run January 20, 2016 Until recently, managing your money meant dealing with a bank. For both businesses and individuals they were pretty much the only game in town. But that’s no longer the case. Thanks to digital challengers, tech startups and the ongoing fallout from the financial crisis, banks face huge competition in all areas of their business. Each [...]
