HSBC’s SME loan fund to double help for international businesses September 26, 2019 HSBC is set to double the amount ringfenced for international businesses in its small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) loans fund this year, with the help available for the agriculture sector also set to rise. The bank’s 2019 SME fund will total £14bn, a £2bn increase on last year’s figure and the largest fund since the [...]
Student housing provider IQ Student Accommodation appoints advisers for float or sale September 25, 2019 The owners of UK student housing provider IQ Student Accommodation (IQSA) have reportedly hired banks to advise on a float or a sale. IQSA has appointed Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and real estate adviser Eastdil Secured to oversee the sale or listing of is £3.5bn student housing portfolio, Sky News reported. Read more: Greene King [...]
Wework likely to postpone listing to 2020 after chief executive steps down September 25, 2019 Wework is reportedly likely to postpone its initial public offering (IPO) until next year after chief executive Adam Neumann stepped down yesterday. Bloomberg reports that the office sharing company is likely to delay its float until 2020, but said nothing had yet been finalised. Read more: Wework chief executive Adam Neumann steps down following botched [...]
PM calls for parliament to face ‘day of reckoning’ through no confidence vote September 25, 2019 Boris Johnson has thrown the gauntlet down to parliament, telling Labour and all the other opposition parties to put down a vote of no confidence in him, to force an election. The Prime Minister called for parliament to face its “day of reckoning”, as Labour MPs shouted “resign” and “you should be in jail”. Johnson [...]
Raab ‘confident’ Iran behind attacks on Saudi oil facilities September 25, 2019 UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab said today that the government was “confident” Iran was behind the major attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities earlier this month. In a statement to parliament Raab said: “We are now confident that Iran was responsible. The evidence is clear, and there is no plausible alternative explanation.” Raab said the [...]
US proposes $1bn fund to replace Huawei network equipment September 25, 2019 US politicians have outlined plans for a $1bn (£805m) fund that would allow small telecoms firms to replace network equipment made by controversial Chinese tech giant Huawei. The proposed bipartisan legislation comes after a bill approved by the US Senate Commerce Committee in July that would allow roughly $700m in grants to remove Huawei equipment. [...]
Beano Studios hires former Vice UK boss Matt O’Mara September 25, 2019 Beano Studios has tapped the former chief executive of Vice UK as the rebellious comic book classic continues its expansion into digital entertainment. Read more: DC Thomson Media launches new monthly women’s magazine Platinum Matt O’Mara will join the company in the newly-created role of chief commercial officer, reporting directly to boss Emma Scott. O’Mara, [...]
FDM Group taps Tech UK chair Jacqueline de Rojas to join board September 25, 2019 Recruitment firm FDM Group today said it has appointed tech titan Jacqueline de Rojas as a non-executive director. Read more: London overtakes New York to steal global fintech investment crown De Rojas, who is president of trade associations Tech UK and Digital Leaders, will join the board of the FTSE 250 firm from the beginning [...]
Sterling falls nearly one per cent against the dollar as UK’s constitutional crisis bites September 25, 2019 The pound fell 0.9 per cent against the dollar today as the UK’s constitutional crisis reached a new pitch following yesterday’s dramatic Supreme Court ruling. At 4pm £1 was trading at $1.2373, a fall of more than 0.9 per cent. The pound also fell 0.37 per cent against the Euro with £1 buying €1.1294. Read [...]
Thomas Cook: UK will try to recoup £100m repatriation bill from companies September 25, 2019 The government will go to credit and debit card companies as well as travel insurers for money in the coming weeks, in a bid to recoup the cost of repatriating tens of thousands of stranded Thomas Cook customers after the firm went bust on Monday. Giving an update in the Commons, transport secretary Grant Schapps [...]