Financing for SMEs: Why preparation is key – Investec Comment November 2, 2015 It’s been a fairly regular refrain over the past six or seven years that small businesses can’t access finance. I’ve never been persuaded by that view. It is the case that, due to capital constraints and reductions in headcount, the days when a company could simply call a bank and automatically arrange a loan are [...]
Welfare coddles pensioners at the expense of the working poor – but it needn’t be like this October 29, 2015 The two biggest drivers of government spending, welfare and the NHS, will continue to dominate the political agenda this Parliament. Thanks to Monday’s vote in the House of Lords, delaying changes to tax credits, a £4bn hole in the government’s spending plans has now opened up. As ministers rethink their plans, they should address another [...]
UK pensions: People unwilling to pay full price for pensions advice, warns charity Citizens Advice October 29, 2015 Just two per cent of people are willing to pay a typical independent financial advisor’s (IFA) fee for pensions advice, research from charity Citizens Advice revealed today. While 47 per cent of the more than 2,000 people surveyed said they would be happy to spend some sort of fee for advice on defined contribution pension [...]
Leon founder Henry Dimbleby launches £3.5m crowdfunding bid to create “world-class street food market” in London backed by Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver October 29, 2015 Could London be getting a world-class street food market? Henry Dimbleby, founder of natural fast-food restaurants Leon, and Street Feast’s Jonathan Downey are betting on it. Through London Union, Street Feast’s parent company, the pair is launching a crowdfunding bid hoping to raise £3.5m – enough money to create not just 12 local markets, but [...]
Banks and alternative finance: Liberum’s Cormac Leech how both industries should act October 29, 2015 Elon Musk once commented that “money is low bandwidth” – it’s highly susceptible to being overhauled by the internet. I was reminded of Musk’s observation by Cormac Leech, director of fintech at Liberum. It’s easy to get those inside the alternative lending industry to talk about how it’ll “change banking forever”. But what does someone [...]
UK pensions: Almost £3bn withdrawn from pension savings pots since April this year, HMRC reveals October 28, 2015 HMRC announced today that 251,000 flexible payments from pensions, totalling £2.7bn, had been made since the pension freedoms rules came into effect in this April. In the last six months, 146,000 people have made a withdrawal from their pension under the new rules. The figures also showed that the number of people taking flexible payments [...]
London is Europe’s science and tech capital, and this is why I chose to invest in it October 28, 2015 London is on the up. The capital’s population has hit an historic high at 8.6m people. The Mayor of London’s office predicts that by 2050 that number will reach 11m, with London serving as a magnet for talent from across the globe. But London’s success also creates significant issues: not least how to create jobs [...]
“Er, I’m not disappointed”: Watch parents try to explain their kids’ careers October 28, 2015 Our parents might have pushed us at school, but since we made it to the cut throat world of the office, the majority of us have been on our own. And while parents try their best to be supportive as we struggle through, it doesn't always come across. A new video – brought to you by [...]
Doesn’t wanting to become a bank miss the point of fintech? October 28, 2015 You can barely open a newspaper without seeing news of another challenger bank – each with their own vision for how they can serve customers better. This group was dealt a major blow however, when chancellor George Osborne announced that newly established challenger banks would not be exempt from the eight per cent tax that applies to the [...]
Axa Wealth reveals new business jumped by 43 per cent in the third quarter October 27, 2015 Axa Wealth announced its third-quarter results today, revealing that new business had shot up 43 per cent to £578m. Pensions and funds under management for the pensions and investments company also grew by 14 per cent to £30.4bn. Results were also positive for Architas, Axa Wealth’s multi-manager arm, which reported an increase in assets of [...]
