City Moves for 9 February 2016 | Who’s switching jobs February 9, 2016 Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking has strengthened its technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) team in London with the appointment of Natalie O’Byrne as mid-markets relationship director. With six years’ experience in corporate banking, she joins the nine-strong TMT team having previously worked in a similar role for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking looking after clients [...]
Banking data to become open by the end of the year as industry and regulators work on ambitious banking standards and open API plans February 9, 2016 Banking could be made simpler for customers – from comparing mortgages to switching accounts – with ambitious plans for banks and regulators to streamline the sharing of data as soon as the end of the year that would establish the UK as a world leader in financial technology and banking innovation. A group of leading experts appointed by the Treasury [...]
UK insurance firms feeling the pressure from the top and the bottom of the market – PwC February 9, 2016 Insurance firms are feeling the pressure from below and above, according to new data out today from accounting group PwC, with bosses citing regulators and new competitors entering the market as two of their biggest concerns. The survey revealed that 94 per cent of insurance chief executives are concerned that over-regulation in the sector could [...]
Skills gap could put brakes on UK’s car manufacturing boom – Automotive Council and SMMT February 9, 2016 The UK's booming car industry, one of few bright patches in the country’s struggling manufacturing sector, is being threatened by a shortage of skills. There are up to 5,000 current vacancies in the automotive industry, according to figures published today by the Automotive Council. Around 19 per cent of the unfilled vacancies were having a significant impact [...]
Think tank Niesr criticises quality of facts in UK immigration debate February 9, 2016 A London think tank has slammed the quality of the debate on immigration, arguing that better facts would improve the discussion. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) showed a short video to focus groups to test the view that public attitudes on immigration are stubborn and based on emotion rather than evidence. One [...]
Oil prices: Will rising Chinese demand lift all oil tankers, or is that just another market cliche? February 9, 2016 Let's face it, I am as guilty as anyone – perhaps even a little bit more guilty than most, truth be told. Guilty of adding to the noise which is clearly befuddling investors as they try to negotiate these schizophrenic markets. My lame excuse, I suppose, is that it’s kind of what I’m paid to [...]
A day with Zac Goldsmith: Just one of the prizes up for grabs at the Conservatives’ Black & White ball February 8, 2016 Guests at the Tories' Black & White Ball just can't get enough of hanging out with Conservative MPs it seems. Despite having to fork out at least £5,000 for a standard table for ten, and up to £15,000 for a premium table, one of the guests at the lavish event, held last night at the Brewery in [...]
Cheers for that, Storm Imogen: Scientists have found winter can reduce your concentration span February 8, 2016 You might have thought all the hours whiled away gazing wistfully out of the window in the summertime would dent your performance at work – but it turns out we're actually sharper during the summer. A new study by a team at the University of Liege has found people's brains are sharper and attention spans higher around [...]
Smartphone batteries that last for a week could be available soon as Intelligent Energy strikes deal with manufacturer to add hydrogen fuel cells to handsets February 8, 2016 While smartphones have changed the world mainly for the good – constant access to Google makes winning arguments and pub quizzes that much easier – they don't match up to their brick-like predecessors in one very important way – battery life. While old faithfuls like the Nokia 3210 could last for days without having to be [...]
Media mogul Michael Bloomberg says he is considering running for US President in 2016 White House race February 8, 2016 Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York and owner of the global media group that shares his name, has said he is considering entering the race for US President. When asked whether he would pursue a nomination, Bloomberg told the Financial Times he was "looking at all the options". "I find the level of discourse and [...]