The biggest economic stories of 2015 and 2016 – Investec Comment December 21, 2015 Seven years after cutting them to record lows, last week, the US Federal Reserve finally put speculation to rest about when it would begin the process of increasing interest rates, announcing a small 25 basis points rise. This was hardly a surprise: it was almost completely factored into markets, so the real question was over [...]
The UK is fantastic at starting business, but notoriously bad at growing them: We need sharing data to turn startups into the next Facebook December 17, 2015 The UK has the potential to lead the digital revolution – boosting productivity and our economic power in the process. Some 15 per cent of the nearly 600,000 businesses registered with Companies House in 2014 were digital. By 2030, the UK is set to employ 7.1m people in science-based roles and the digital sector already [...]
The great liquidity squeeze: How to get SMEs to market December 17, 2015 Asset Match’s Stuart Lucas explains why investors must put pressure on firms when it comes to exit plans. Investors in private businesses – whether they are angels, high net worth individuals, institutions or even sophisticated retail investors – are always, ultimately, looking towards the potential payout that an exit (traditionally an IPO or trade [...]
Fintech challengers like Square, ApplePay and Funding Circle could undermine banks’ credit ratings in 2016 according to Standard & Poor’s December 16, 2015 The rise of fintech is challenging traditional banks, and could even undermine their credit rating, according to Standard & Poor's. The ratings agency expects global investment in 'non bank' financial service to be worth $24bn (£16bn) this year, double the figure in 2014. Traditional banks are still trying to adapt to the low interest rate, and [...]
UK Pensions: ICAEW warns that the secondary annuity market could leave pensioners worse off December 16, 2015 The government's newly-unveiled secondary annuity market may only benefit a handful of people and could leave many pensioners worse off, an industry body for accountants has warned today. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) also cautioned that the plans, which were announced by the Treasury yesterday, were likely to be expensive to implement. John [...]
Crowdcube and Deliveroo join Tech City UK’s rising stars in the Future Fifty programme December 16, 2015 London-based restaurant delivery app Deliveroo is among the 15 new entrants to the Tech City UK Future Fifty programme. The Future Fifty, part of UK Trade and Investment, celebrates, and supports, 50 of the UK's rising tech stars, and this year's entrants are a testament to the growing force of e-commerce. Also joining Deliveroo on [...]
Former Barclays chairman Sir David Walker joins London blockchain startup SETL December 15, 2015 A former Barclays chairman and City veteran has joined a London-based fintech startup underpinned by the blockchain in another major signal that the technology is gaining traction in the banking world. Sir David Walker, who chaired Barclay between 2012 until earlier this year, will chair SETL, a blockchain-based payment processor and settlement company. Walker is a veteran of the banking world [...]
UK pensions: Industry experts react to the Treasury’s secondary annuity market plans announcement, cautioning that people should seek advice and not rush decisions December 15, 2015 That’s not festive spirit in the air you’re sensing – people are getting pretty excited about the Treasury’s announcement this morning of plans to create the long-awaited secondary annuity market. However, pensions industry figures are urging the five million people currently receiving income from an annuity not to get too carried away. The changes are [...]
Treasury reveals details of its plan to extend pension freedoms as economic secretary Harriett Baldwin unveils plans to create “new secondary annuity market” December 15, 2015 The Treasury has revealed details of its plans to extend pension freedoms to more than five million people as part of a move to create a secondary annuity market. Economic secretary to the Treasury Harriett Baldwin said this morning the tax restrictions will be removed from 6 April 2017, making it easier for people to sell their annuity for an [...]
Forget a fintech bubble: 2016 will be the year this booming market finally gets serious December 14, 2015 In 2015, global fintech investment will top $20bn, up from $12bn in 2014. There are wide-ranging estimates of the number of fintech players around the world today, but some say it’s surpassed 10,000. In China, there are over 2,000 marketplace platforms alone. The big banks are clambering over one another to invest in (or play [...]
