A post-Brexit City: MPs ask the right questions January 25, 2019 City in the morning, Westminster in the afternoon – there was a time when this was the daily routine for a number of MPs. These days, alas, one is hard-pressed to find a parliamentarian who truly understands the Square Mile, but former corporate lawyer Nicky Morgan can claim to be one of them. As head [...]
London startups take the lead in Tech Nation’s fourth Upscale accelerator January 25, 2019 City startups have landed more than two thirds of the places available on Tech Nation’s fourth Upscale acceleration programme, beating out over 100 applicants. The digital entrepreneur network, which also runs a fintech accelerator backed by the Treasury, has selected 30 startups as “ones to watch” in 2019. The fast-growing tech firms will enter the programme’s [...]
Business lender Iwoca gets a helping hand with £7.5m from London fund Augmentum Fintech January 24, 2019 Small business lending challenger Iwoca is planning to close its next funding round within weeks, as the first stage of investment is revealed. London-listed fund Augmentum Fintech has plugged £7.5m into the round, which City A.M. understands to be part of a much larger series D raise to be announced in early February. A representative for Iwoca declined [...]
Here’s what happened to the UK professional jobs market in 2018 and what to watch out for in 2019 January 24, 2019 It is not unusual after the rest and relaxation of Christmas for people to consider their current career path and decide to search for new opportunities. But it’s also important for these prospective jobseekers – and hiring managers – to look back at the previous year, in order to learn about the current state of [...]
Robinhood rival Freetrade moves into US stocks as transatlantic retail investing battle hots up January 22, 2019 London fintech startup Freetrade has today launched US stock trading on its app, in the midst of growing rivalry in the commission-free trading space. The app, which offers users the ability to invest in stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) directly without paying commission, said it will start with a curated list of 120 US stocks, including the likes [...]
This is the year for businesses to find their purpose in life January 22, 2019 One year ago, BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink called on businesses to define their societal purpose, sending a message to the corporate world that working towards profit alone was no longer good enough. Last week, Fink’s push towards purpose was in the papers again, when a hacker concocted an elaborate hoax in the form of [...]
Why collaboration, not competition, will digitalise banking January 21, 2019 Across every sector, businesses are looking to technology to reduce costs and improve their products and services. But most big financial services firms simply aren’t set up to create, drive, and wield new tech innovation – certainly not to the degree that a startup can. Big companies are hampered by legacy IT systems and complex [...]
London-listed Draper Esprit to double down on European tech with £100m share placing January 21, 2019 Venture capital firm Draper Esprit has today announced it will acquire a larger stake in funds managed by its European counterpart Earlybird, with the intention of raising £100m through a fresh share placing to finance the move. The London-listed tech investor first partnered with Earlybird in July last year, committing up to £76m into the German firm's [...]
Augmentum Fintech backs London will-writing startup Farewill in £7.5m round January 21, 2019 London-listed venture fund Augmentum Fintech has today announced a £4m injection into probate startup Farewill, leading the firm's £7.5m series A fundraise alongside the venture arms of the Daily Mail and M&C Saatchi. Other investors in the round included Transferwise chief executive Taavet Hinrikus, Innocent Smoothies parent firm Jamjar, Kindred Capital, Tiny VC and Venture Founders. Farewill claims [...]
Davos is a chance for the UK to step-up and collaborate in the digital revolution January 21, 2019 After the drama of last week in Westminster, it’s the 49th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum that will take centre stage over the next few days. I will join more than 100 heads of government, as well the globe’s leading companies, international organisations, and NGOs in making the annual visit to Davos. Brexit [...]