Former Apple retail head Angela Ahrendts appointed to Airbnb’s board May 16, 2019 Airbnb has beefed up its board of directors with the appointment of Angela Ahrendts, former head of retail at Apple. Ahrendts, who is also a former chief executive of luxury fashion house Burberry, will become an independent board member alongside ex-American Express boss Ken Chenault and former Pixar finance chief Ann Mather. She resigned from Apple [...]
Sterling hits three-month low with investors nervous about Theresa May’s successor May 16, 2019 Sterling fell to a three-month low against the dollar today as political turmoil intensified and investors worried about who will be Prime Minister Theresa May’s successor. Read more: Theresa May to set out departure date in June The pound fell for the fifth consecutive day to $1.279, a drop of 0.4 per cent, as the Brexit [...]
Why is the mortgage market strangely resistant to technological change? May 16, 2019 Technology is so pervasive that it is easy to forget just how fundamentally it has impacted our lives. In fact, it is hard to think of an area of life that hasn’t been made more accessible, faster or cheaper. Personal finance is no exception. Price comparison websites, mobile banking, and other innovations have all transformed the [...]
Lloyds Bank avoids shareholder revolt over pension pay but faces grilling from Noel Edmonds over HBOS fraud May 16, 2019 Lloyds Bank has avoided a shareholder revolt over pension pay despite MPs accusing bosses of “boundless greed.” Chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio, Britain’s best-paid bank boss, took home £6.3m last year, which included a pension contribution of 46 per cent – compared to the maximum 13 per cent for other employees. Read more: Lloyds Bank unveils [...]
Goldman Sachs buys United Capital for $750m in wealth management expansion drive May 16, 2019 Goldman Sachs announced it will buy boutique wealth management firm United Capital Financial Partners for $750m (£585.54m) in a move to extend its offering to clients “across the wealth spectrum”. United Capital, which has $25bn of assets under management, will join Goldman Sachs’ $500bn wealth management business that is comprised of Private Wealth Management and Ayco, [...]
Keller Group struggles to shake difficult 2018 as it projects lower interim profits May 16, 2019 Keller Group shareholders headed into the engineering contractor’s annual meeting (AGM) this morning on the back of news the firm’s first half profits will be lower than last year. Read more: Steel giant Arcelor Mittal commits to Notre Dame rebuild The firm, which embarked on a major restructuring last year, warned investors it had experienced [...]
China threatens to strike back after US Huawei ban May 16, 2019 China has threatened to retaliate against the US after President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively blocking American companies from working with telecoms firm Huawei. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang slammed the use of unilateral sanctions on Chinese firms and said the country would take action. Read more: Former spy chief calls for UK [...]
Waitrose sets out £1bn online shopping plan as it prepares for life without Ocado May 16, 2019 Waitrose has revealed a £1bn plan to bolster its online operations today as it prepares for life without Ocado. The upmarket grocer has signed a deal with Today Development Partners (TDP) in a bid to treble the size of its online business over the next three years, as its 20-year relationship with delivery giant Ocado nears its [...]
Accounting software firm Xero grows revenue thanks to strong UK performance May 16, 2019 Accounting software company Xero has posted a sharp rise in revenue for the full year, boosted by strong subscriber growth in the UK. Read more: Financial app store provider OpenFin backed in $17m funding round The figures Operating revenue soared 36 per cent to 552.8m New Zealand dollars (£267.9m) in the year to the end [...]
Bank of England deputy recommends ‘British approach’ to post-Brexit financial regulation May 16, 2019 Britain's financial regulations should be just as strict following Brexit, but more power should be handed to regulatory bodies to create “dynamic” rules, Sam Woods, a deputy governor of the Bank of England, has said. Read more: EU officials mulling post-Brexit financial reforms Woods, who is also chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), [...]