“Top-up” pension scheme to start tomorrow October 11, 2015 Applications for the new "top-up" pension state pension scheme will start tomorrow, which allows pensioners to boost their retirement income by up to £25 per week for a one-off payment. Existing pensioners and those who reach retirement age before 6 April 2015, who are entitled to the state pension are eligible for the scheme. Pensioners can [...]
Travelodge could be snapped up for £1bn as private equity firms close in October 11, 2015 Hotel chain Travelodge has reportedly caught the eye of several private equity firms and could be sold for £1bn instead of floating on the stock market. Advent International is interested in buying the group, as well as a number of other firms, according to the Sunday Times. Deutsche Bank was appointed in July to advise [...]
Boris Johnson is heading on a trade trip to Japan to promote fintech and life science investment… and the Rugby World Cup October 11, 2015 The London mayor Boris Johnson is heading east to promote investment in the capital's fintech and life sciences sectors on a new trade trip to Japan. The out-going mayor is seeking to tie up new deals between the countries in tech innovation and life sciences, as well as retail, in a bid to increase the £950m pumped into the capital [...]
Pension freedom? There’s more to do before savers are really trusted with their money October 8, 2015 Six months ago, George Osborne kicked off what looked like an enormous shake up of the pensions industry – new freedoms that would give those with defined contribution pensions the ability to take their entire pension as a lump sum, with the first 25 per cent free of tax and the usual rate of income [...]
London needs help if it is to spawn more tech unicorns October 8, 2015 Russ Shaw’s piece in this section today rightly highlights London as a great place to be as far as retail technology is concerned – some of the most exciting startups in this space are emerging from the capital. Other sectors, such as fintech, are booming too. However, London doesn’t yet have a great track record when [...]
Adventure capital: Investors pump £1bn into London’s tech sector in 2015 October 8, 2015 Investors have pumped a record £1bn into London’s thriving tech sector this year as the capital’s digital economy rockets, with experts predicting that the capital could soon be on course to challenge Silicon Valley. Data from London & Partners, the mayor’s investment company, shows that London’s technology companies have raked in three-quarters of the [...]
The future of education finance is here – enter new crowdfunding platform EdAid October 8, 2015 There is a new alternative lending platform on the scene, and it’s called EdAid. While we’re familiar with those crowdfunding and peer-to-peer platforms that offer loans to businesses, equity stakes in startups and invoice trading opportunities, EdAid is doing something a bit different: it’s creating a competitor to the government’s Student Loans Company, and giving [...]
The next fintech? Why London can make unicorns a retail reality October 8, 2015 The future unicorns of the UK lie in London’s retail technology sector. This is according to a fifth of Tech London Advocates, in a study of the future growth drivers of London’s technology industry. The truth is, London already leads the world in terms of expertise and knowledge around retail technology. Retail technology is a sector [...]
Now you can buy gold in kilo bars from Royal Mint – and these are the top 10 countries investing in bullion October 7, 2015 The Royal Mint is hoping to attract gold buyers with deeper pockets with the launch of a new kilo bullion bar. Since setting up shop online a year ago with a trading platform that allows retail investors to buy precious metals from as little as £20, sales of gold have increased by more than 50 [...]
Careers: Thinking you’re cleverer than you actually are brings success, but could make you unpopular with your colleagues October 7, 2015 When it comes to success, it's not just having brains that brings you rewards – having an inflated view of your own ability also gives your career a boost. When researchers at Baylor University in Texas compared the academic results of intellectually arrogant students with those of intellectually humble students, they found a clear correlation – [...]
