P2P investment: Taking on the banks September 3, 2015 Harriet Green talks to GLI Finance’s Louise Beaumont on how alternative finance is changing the landscape of fundraising for SMEs – and options for retail investors THERE is a sector of alternative finance which too often slips under the radar: the investment firms that put money onto crowdfunding and peer-to-peer platforms which then lend that [...]
Pensioners shun Lamborghini lifestyle as savers opt for sound investments September 3, 2015 Fears that savers would blow their pension pots after new freedoms were introduced have failed to materialise, according to new figures that show Brits opting for sounder investments. Savers took £2.5bn out of their pensions, about £27m a day, during three months following new rules that came into place in April. Yet, during the [...]
Fossil Fuel divestment: The feel-good climate change policy that would undermine public pension funds September 2, 2015 Most would agree that climate change could pose a threat to the economy. However, measures to combat it will ultimately prove counter-productive if they conflict with the interests of the taxpayer. Forcing government to pursue losses from taxpayer-funded investments in the name of environmentalism, for example, would be an obvious misuse of public [...]
Fintech Week London 2015: It’s startups v banks in Fintech expo drinking session September 2, 2015 Caloo callay, it's nearly London Fintech Week, where startups from Shoreditch to Shadwell will be touting their wares to execs from some of the City’s most high profile firms in a bid to become the next big thing in business. Billed as the “world’s largest fintech-focused expo”, economists, bankers and brokers from companies old [...]
UK is investing more in India than any other G20 country September 2, 2015 BRITAIN is investing more in India than any other country in the G20, according to a new report out today from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The CBI, with PwC and the UK India Business Council, found that in the past five years, the UK had invested $22.2bn (£14.5bn) in India, making up nine per cent [...]
Paypal’s new peer-to-peer payment service Paypal.me makes it even easier to send people money with just a link September 1, 2015 With just a tap of your phone – or even your watch – it’s never been easier to pay people back. Now Paypal wants to make it even easier, with a personalised URL. This could be a good thing in the age of an ever-growing “sharing economy”. Asking friends for money back after footing a [...]
Private equity gets boost from small Brit firms August 31, 2015 PRIVATE equity investment into UK small and medium sized firms hit a two year high in the first half of 2015, according to figures, underscoring the insulation small British outfits enjoy from global headwinds. Turmoil in the Eurozone sparked by the Greek debt crisis and ongoing fears over a slowdown in China have hit larger [...]
India Martin: Former JP Morgan COO on why she left to start a nailcare business August 31, 2015 Do I feel like quitting? Yes, every single day,” says India Martin, founder of luxury nail polish firm Only Fingers and Toes. But she won’t. Not only does she know the value of her business, but when you talk to her, you know this is one of the most tenacious people you’ve ever met. [...]
The economic risks looming for small firms – Investec Comment August 31, 2015 Last week’s sharp sell-off in equity markets, apparently sparked by fears over the health of the Chinese economy, dramatically highlighted the risks to the global economic outlook. But the UK is still likely to enjoy moderate growth for at least the next two years. The CBI last week upgraded its UK forecasts for 2015 and [...]
P2P lender Zopa has a new chief executive Jaidev Janardana as Giles Andrews steps aside August 30, 2015 Peer-to-peer (P2P) lender Zopa has announced that former chief financial officer Jaidev Janardana has been promoted to the top spot with immediate effect. Janardana will implement the lenders strategy for its next phase of growth, as it targets £1bn in new loans for 2016, and aims to build a brand that becomes a mainstream service for [...]
