Crowdfunding in the age of the consumer October 16, 2019 It became clear that fintech companies began to prize crowdfunding three years ago. Monzo crashed our servers in 2016 when it raised £1m in 96 seconds. Last December, the now-serial crowdfunding neobank raised £20m from retail investors. The staggering thing about Monzo’s raise — and it speaks volumes about where both crowdfunding and fintech have [...]
DEBATE: Is the G7 warning the end for Facebook’s libra? October 16, 2019 Now that the G7 has issued a warning against the cryptocurrency, is this it for Facebook’s libra? YES, says Ana Bencic, president of Nexthash. Facebook’s libra is the most high-profile example of a centralised cryptocurrency and is a living example of how it will be perhaps the last one to exist. The G7’s warning to [...]
Voter ID is a misguided solution to a problem that doesn’t exist October 16, 2019 Out of all the policies revealed in the Queen’s Speech on Monday, one seemingly minor proposal should ring alarm bells: an intention to introduce compulsory voter ID at polling booths. The aim is ostensibly a laudable one. It is important to ensure that elections are secure and fair, and this precaution is meant to tackle [...]
You can tune out, the Brexit melodrama won’t get fixed anytime soon October 16, 2019 A few weeks ago, I took a break from reading the news because I was worried that Brexit developments were stressing me out too much. When I returned to the papers late last week, I was relieved, and hardly surprised, that I hadn’t missed much. As we approach the 31 October Brexit deadline, we appear [...]
This year’s Nobel economics laureates have made the world a better place October 16, 2019 This year’s Nobel Prize in economics, announced on Monday, was a ray of sunshine amid the prevailing media gloom. The Prize was awarded for the work the new laureates had done on the alleviation of global poverty. This is one reason to be cheerful about it. Another is that Esther Duflo became only the second [...]
Watchdog censures Boohoo and Missguided over ‘sexual’ adverts October 16, 2019 The advertising watchdog has censured retailers Boohoo and Missguided over adverts that contained “offensive” and “socially irresponsible” sexual references. In an online video ad for women’s fashion brand Missguided, young women in swimwear were depicted in “seductive poses”, including one shown with a strawberry between her lips. Read more: Deliveroo astronaut ad banned over misleading [...]
Click and collect services could boost in-store sales October 16, 2019 Investment in click and collect services could boost bricks and mortar sales as customers make last minute purchases when they pick-up items in store. More than eight in 10 customers said they buy extra items in store when using click and collect, according to the latest research, and more than three quarters of retailers said [...]
Eco-friendly product sales surge on climate change awareness October 16, 2019 Environmentally aware consumers moved away from one-use plastics this year as climate change activism hit the headlines, sparking a surge in sales of eco-friendly items. Sales of reusable straws increased 1,573 per cent at John Lewis due to heightened awareness of the environmental impact of single-use plastics. Read more: Climate activists target bankers during second [...]
Brexit negotiators will keep talking until ‘one minute to midnight’ as summit looms October 15, 2019 Brexit talks will stretch until “one minute to midnight” in order to secure a last-minute deal at this week’s European Council, Downing Street sources said yesterday. Negotiators were locked in talks throughout the night after EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said a legal text must be on the table by this morning at the latest, [...]
Woodford winds down: Stockpicker’s troubled investment empire collapses October 15, 2019 The investment empire of former star fund manager Neil Woodford came crashing down tonight after a bruising day which saw him sacked as manager of his flagship fund and resign from the remaining two, cementing the embattled stockpicker’s spectacular fall from grace. The closure of Woodford’s Equity Income Fund (WEIF) was announced this morning by [...]