Shawbrook’s share price is sliding after its largest investor sells 10 per cent stake November 12, 2015 Challenger bank Shawbrook's share price was one of the largest fallers on the FTSE 250 this morning, after its largest shareholder announced plans to sell its stake in the company. Special Opportunities Fund (SOF), the shareholder, is planning to sell a ten per cent stake. Shawbrook's share price was down 7.7 per cent at 332.8p per share [...]
You can now buy land in space – as long as you live in the US November 12, 2015 It's now possible for businesses and individual people to own parts of space – and it's likely to be asteroids they put their money on. This week, Congress passed the final version of the Commercial Space Bill, which will give limited property rights for resources extracted from asteroids. Called the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, the [...]
Blockchain is the single biggest fintech innovation of the decade November 12, 2015 Despite the enormous attention being lavished on digital currencies such as bitcoin, the reality of the situation is we won’t see one hit the mainstream for many years. Before central banks commit to issuing a digital pound or dollar they will need to be assured about several factors, including proof that there are no vulnerabilities [...]
ONS figures: UK businesses earned over £1 trillion in 2014, although mining and quarrying slowdown dents figures November 12, 2015 UK businesses earned over £1 trillion last year, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures published today. The ONS Annual Business Survey showed that the Gross Value Added at basic prices (aGVA), which relates to the income of businesses less the cost of goods and services consumed in creating that income, for UK non-financial businesses [...]
Google, Lego and Red Bull: New website Kontor lets you nose around the world’s best offices November 12, 2015 Bored of your bog-standard office? Now you can indulge your fantasies of a snazzy workplace with a new website, which lets users snoop around some of the world's best alternatives. Kontor's search function offers a glimpse into the inventive, colourful and at times wacky office design of companies such as Google, Lego and Red Bull. The Pinterest-style website, billed as a [...]
Zut alors: Not a single UK company makes the Top 100 Global Innovators list again – but French firms make up 10 per cent of the list November 12, 2015 The UK may be leading the way when it comes to sectors such as fintech – but it turns out the rest of the world beats us when it comes to innovation. For the fourth year in a row, not a single UK company has been included in the Top 100 Global Innovators list. The [...]
This is when most British people get grey hair, dodgy knees and back problems November 12, 2015 Some people embrace their grey hair as a sign of wisdom, others do everything they can to cover it up. But whichever category you fall into, you can expect to see the first silver strands when you're 39. This is according to a survey carried out by the South West News Service, which worked out the [...]
UK house prices: Buyers and sellers care about completely different things when assessing the value of a property November 12, 2015 What would you care most about when buying a house? That it smells of fresh-baked bread or what the local crime figures are like? You might think that buyers and sellers would place value on similar things, especially considering that most people in the process of buying one house are also simultaneously selling another, and [...]
The moment Mario Draghi got glitter-bombed by a protestor November 12, 2015 Spectators were shocked when this protester livened up European Central Bank president Mario Draghi's regular press conference … by jumping onto the table, screaming "end ECB dictatorship" and showering him with what looked like a glitter bomb. She was then rushed away by security guards, as she smiled and made a "V for victory" sign at [...]
London Fire Brigade sends almost 60 firefighters, eight engines to tackle Old Street blaze November 12, 2015 Update: Firefighters have brought a huge blaze, which broke out in City of London's Old Street, under control. London Fire Brigade originally dispatched 35 firefighters and six fire engines to attend the incident. It then increased that to eight fire engines and 60 firefighters. LFB was called out at 8:44am this morning, and received 26 calls in total. [...]