Olympic medallist and entrepreneur Hannah MacLeod talks Rio 2016 and mining magnesium July 5, 2015 Sitting down for an interview wasn’t easy for Hannah MacLeod. Not because she is busy (though she is), but because she’s currently suffering from “a couple of broken ribs”. The Olympic Bronze medallist shrugs it off – it “comes with the job” – but playing hockey for Great Britain isn’t the only one she has. [...]
What entrepreneurs can learn from sport – Investec Comment July 5, 2015 It's as true in sport as it is in business: everything you do has a risk attached. I’m a rower and have been training for the past two years to compete at the Paralympic Games in Rio next year, but there was nothing inevitable about me getting to this stage in my career. Before [...]
Former Apple exec Jeff Martin joins London smart city startup Pavegen as crowdfunding reaches £2m July 5, 2015 London-based tech startup Pavegen which creates hi-tech flooring with the potential to power cities has announced that Jeff Martin, formerly a senior executive at Apple, will join its advisory board. The news came as the firm announced it has smashed its crowdfunding target, raising nearly £2m from online investors. Martin worked with iconic Apple founder [...]
Summer Budget 2015: Is the government about to change how it taxes pensions? July 3, 2015 With the summer Budget now just days away, much of the finance sector has busied itself trying to second-guess what the chancellor will say when he takes to the despatch box. And one briefing paper, quietly published yesterday afternoon, might provide a clue: changes to pension taxation. Read more: How investment trusts can boost your [...]
Optimal Payments share price rockets on optimism over Skrill takeover July 3, 2015 Shares in online payments provider Optimal Payments rocketed by more than 11 per cent this morning, after it told investors the long-awaited reverse takeover of rival Skrill would be complete by the end of the month. Read more: Optimal Payments aims for the main market after Skrill buyout In a trading update issued to the London [...]
Barclays cheque scanning tech leaves other banks in the past July 2, 2015 Barclays customers are ahead of the curve when it comes to financial technology, as the bank’s secure cheque-scanning service was made available to all smartphone customers yesterday. Cheque imaging, which iPhone-owning Barclays clients have been able to use since last year, allows anyone using their banking app to pay a cheque into an account [...]
UK tech sector receives record funding, and it’s largely thanks to London FinTech July 2, 2015 UK technology startups received a record amount of funding in the first six months of the year, according to figures from London & Partners. Read more: It's official – London's the capital of European tech Between January and June, the sector managed to attract almost £900m in venture capital investment, which compares to a [...]
Greek bailout crowdfunding campaign: Seven amazing numbers about the Indiegogo campaign to save Greece July 2, 2015 A campaign by one Londoner to crowdfund a bailout for Greece, first reported by City A.M on Monday, set the internet alight this week as the country teeters dangerously close to an exit from the Eurozone. The scheme to raise the cash needed to prevent Greece defaulting on its debts has gained astonishing attention – [...]
Debt: The alternative lending landscape July 1, 2015 Loan-based alternative finance might be victim to sloppy definitions, but it is too significant to ignore Alternative finance grew by 168 per cent in the UK last year, according to a report by Cambridge’s Judge Business School. While the oft-vaunted equity crowdfunding saw volumes totalling £83m in 2014, debt-based lending, via crowdfunding and peer-to-peer [...]
Banco Santander and Monitise partner on a London-based £20m FinTech fund July 1, 2015 One of Europe's biggest banks and one of London's most successful Financial Technology startups are joining forces to invest in technology companies that will disrupt the global financial services sector. Banco Santander and Monitise are partnering on a new fund worth up to £20m that will seek out investments in the burgeoning FinTech sector. The equally [...]
