Carlos Portela explains what Santander Breakthrough is offering ambitious SMEs across the UK September 22, 2015 What is Breakthrough? We’re passionate about helping ambitious businesses to succeed. Building long lasting relationships with businesses runs deep in our heritage, which has helped us to appreciate the challenges they face and the support they need to overcome them. Here to fuel your entrepreneurial aspirations, Breakthrough is built around the needs of ambitious [...]
Republican Scott Walker to drop out of 2016 presidential race September 21, 2015 Republican governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is planning to drop out of the 2016 presidential race, according to media reports. Sources told the New York Times that difficulties raising money, bought about by his decline in the polls, mean Walker is no longer vying for the Republican presidential nomination. He was towards the top of [...]
Independent Catalonia would have to leave Eurozone says central bank September 21, 2015 An independent Catalonia would face almost certain ejection from the Eurozone, and the collapse of its banking system, the head of the Spanish central bank warned today. "The exit from the euro is automatic, the exit from the European Union is implied," Bank of Spain chief Luis Maria Linde said during an event in Madrid [...]
Balfour Beatty and Carillion win roads contract worth up to £292m September 21, 2015 A JOINT venture between construction groups Balfour Beatty and Carillion has won a Highways England contract to upgrade part of the A14. The companies expect the deal to generate around £292m in revenue for the joint venture. The construction package is part of the wider A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, to which the government [...]
Which? calls on FCA to investigate credit card balance transfer fees September 21, 2015 Consumer advice group Which? will today release figures that show only four per cent of consumers are able to correctly calculate credit card balance transfer fees. Balance transfers allow part or all of a card’s debit balance or debt to be transferred from one card to another. According to Which?, 21 per cent of people [...]
New UK restaurant openings soar as pubs dwindle September 21, 2015 The number of restaurants across the UK surpassed the number of pubs that are predominantly drinking holes for the first time this year, fuelled by the booming casual dining trend and improving consumer confidence. Research released yesterday by AlixPartners and CGA Peach reveals that a net 1,770 new restaurants opened in the year to 30 [...]
Government action on broadband puts UK ahead of European peers September 21, 2015 THE UK government’s approach to extending superfast broadband access costs less than state sponsored initiatives in other countries. This is part of the reason that the UK will outperform its European peers on telecoms performance for the next five years, and will become one of the best performing countries in the world by 2020, according [...]
Saxo Bank boss to leave the board September 21, 2015 SAXO Bank’s co-founder and co-chief executive Lars Seier Christensen has decided to step down at the end of 2015, after 20 years on the company’s board. His co-founder Kim Fournais will continue as sole chief exec. From 1 January 2016, Saxo’s board will consist of Fournais, Steen Blaafalk, group finance chief and risk officer, and [...]
Channel 4 bids to retain Lord Burns as chair September 21, 2015 Channel 4 is reported to be in talks with government officials and the media regulator, Ofcom, in a bid to retain Lord Burns as its chairman beyond the end of his second term in January. Discussions are taking place between Ofcom and the department for culture, media and sport (DCMS), according to Sky News, which [...]
Rail adds £10.1 bn to UK economy September 21, 2015 Britian’s rail industry is adding up to £10.1bn a year to the national economy, according to a new report. Economists at Oxera Consulting carried out the research on behalf of the Rail Delivery Group, an industry lobby group representing train operators. The economists found that rail boosts economic productivity by up to £11.3bn each year [...]