China unveils stimulus package in bid to kickstart flagging economy September 24, 2024 China has unveiled its largest set of economic stimulus measures since the pandemic in an attempt to kickstart growth in the world’s second largest economy. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced today it had cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points, as well as the amount banks must hold as cash reserves, [...]
Has Labour overdone the doom and gloom? September 24, 2024 Many economists and City business groups have argued that this risks damaging growth. After all, why would households spend and businesses invest in a climate of fear?
Haldane is right – the Chancellor’s doom-mongering is dangerous September 18, 2024 The stories we tell ourselves matter in economics, writes Paul Ormerod
The new payments architecture and Bacs September 17, 2024 | Sponsored Liz Carroll, Senior Product Manager, Financial Marketplaces at Finastra You might have heard that there are plans to modernise some of the key UK payment rails and wondered how these updates will affect your payment processes. In this article, we explore what the changes are and why they are needed. Let’s start at the beginning; [...]
Navigating ISO 20022 in the Bacs world September 17, 2024 | Sponsored Liz Carroll, Senior Product Manager, Financial Marketplaces at Finastra As organisations and financial institutions look for new ways to pay in a growing payments landscape, using a common language for all financial messages allows participants and systems in different markets to communicate in a single, consistent format using agreed terminology. ISO 20022 is a global [...]
A quick guide to the key UK payment rails September 17, 2024 | Sponsored Liz Carroll, Senior Product Manager, Financial Marketplaces at Finastra There are a range of payment rails available in the UK; some widely applicable while others work better for companies operating in certain circumstances. But what is a payment rail? Payment rails refer to the underlying infrastructure and systems that facilitate the movement of money between [...]
Yes, the UK needs more investment – just not necessarily by government September 17, 2024 After all, the public sector isn't always best suited to overseeing large scale investment projects like the disastrous HS2, writes Julian Jessop
The real fiscal ‘black hole’ is government debt September 11, 2024 When one of the most senior figures in investment banking was asked at a private event last week what keeps him awake at night, he replied “government debt”. A recent House of Lords report will not help him sleep any easier. The Economics Affairs Committee has warned of the “grim reality” that at £2.74 trillion [...]
Is there such a thing as a ‘fair’ price? Definitely, maybe… September 11, 2024 Oasis tickets have stirred controversy, but the question of how prices are set in a market goes all the way back to Alfred Marshall and Francis Edgeworth, says Paul Ormerod The pricing of tickets for the forthcoming Oasis tour has stirred up a major controversy. This is not just on social media. Lisa Nandy, the [...]
Labour can’t resist flirting with economic populism September 4, 2024 Keir Starmer’s closest advisors spent last week briefing journalists that this government would be straight with people, and that it would reject the “fake populism” of the Tories which, they claim, raised people’s hopes before disappointing them. Labour figures said that the Prime Minister’s doom-laden introduction to the country was more responsible than attempting to [...]