Fintech founders choose their favourite business books August 8, 2016 Stuck for what to read this summer and want to use the time improving your business acumen? City A.M. has asked five of London’s leading fintech founders what they’d recommend. Hiroki Takeuchi, co-founder of GoCardless, the online direct debit provider Five dysfunctions of teams, by Patrick Lencioni I love books that introduce me to [...]
It took Britain 12 years to join the EU – don’t expect the break-up to go much faster August 8, 2016 Theresa May was only a little girl when Neil Sedaka’s plangent song “Breaking up is hard to do / Now I know / I know that it’s true” was a Number One hit. Britain has announced it wants to break up with Europe, but it is turning out to be a harder to do than [...]
China dominates top spots in Global Cities 30 index while London’s place slides on Brexit vote August 8, 2016 China has claimed three of the top five spots in an inaugural Global Cities 30 index, while London has slipped from its intended fourth spot to 10th following the vote to leave the EU. Shanghai was crowned the top global city in the list, compiled by real estate fund Schroders out of an analysis of 161 cities, [...]
Voting for Hillary Clinton is the last thing I ever thought I’d do. But this is our moral test. August 8, 2016 “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke Every time I come to London, my good friend Dan and I make a point of seeing one of the city’s peerless museums together, as an enjoyable way to break up the monotony of the endless meetings I [...]
Brits flash the plastic despite EU vote fears August 8, 2016 Card spending in the UK climbed in July as consumers flocked to hotels, bars, and restaurants. The latest Visa spending index was up from 0.9 per cent year-on-year in June to 1.6 per cent in July. However this was weaker than the rate of increase seen at the beginning of the year. The hospitality industry drove [...]
The growing gap in payment terms between SMEs and larger businesses is threatening survival August 8, 2016 The gap between how long it takes large and small businesses to be paid by customers continued to grow with SMEs waiting almost double the length of time as their larger counterparts. Small businesses now have to wait an average of 71 days compared to the average of 38 days for larger businesses according to data [...]
Businesses still smiling following Brexit vote, except for those in manufacturing August 8, 2016 Businesses remained relatively upbeat following June's Brexit vote, as figures out today show companies' confidence dipped less than expected. BDO's business output index for July, which measures expected orders for the three months ahead, has slipped from 99 to 98.2, while its business optimism index, which measures confidence about the six months ahead, fell from 98.9 to 97.9. The [...]
Apprenticeship levy needs to be more flexible according to new survey of London businesses August 8, 2016 MANY London businesses want more flexibility from the upcoming apprenticeship levy, a new survey has found, prompting a leading business group to call for the Government to pay heed to the needs of smaller firms. According to a poll conducted by London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with ComRes, more than a third [...]
London businesses hardest hit in latest PMI figures as employment falls August 8, 2016 London businesses were harder hit after the EU referendum result than those in any other UK regions, a newly released index has revealed. The Lloyds Bank Regional Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) also found employment in the capital fell in July, ending a 38-month period of expansion. “The local economy felt a significant downturn following the EU [...]
UK bosses’ pay packets soar 10 per cent to over £5m but pay ratio narrows August 8, 2016 The pay ratio between top bosses and their average employees has narrowed, according to new research published this morning. Figures from the High Pay Centre show that the pay ratio dropped from 148:1 to 140:1 between 2014 and 2015, even though the typical pay packet of FTSE 100 chief execs jumped from £4.96m to £5.48m. The data comes [...]