Bankers to face new fitness test under FCA rules March 16, 2015 Financial services firms will be forced to vet thousands of staff each year and make sure they are “fit and proper” to perform their roles under a new framework being finalised by City regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) will today publish the final proposals for a new regime [...]
HSBC: French prosecutor requests criminal trial over tax dodging allegations March 13, 2015 A French prosecutor has requested HSBC’s Swiss private bank be sent to a criminal trial to face charges over a suspected tax avoidance scheme. HSBC had been the subject of an investigation from French magistrates into alleged tax fraud involving 3,000 French taxpayers which ended last month. The under-fire bank now has [...]
Labour MP John Mann says Tories blocking questioning of ex-HSBC boss Lord Stephen Green March 9, 2015 A leading Labour MP yesterday accused the Tories of blocking moves to summon former HSBC boss Stephen – now Lord – Green to the Treasury select committee to account for the controversy surrounding its Swiss operations. Lord Green, who left HSBC to join the House of Lords as a Conservative peer and trade minister in [...]
Stuart Gulliver: I am the right person to run HSBC March 9, 2015 HSBC boss Stuart Gulliver said he was the "right person" to run the embattled bank today, as he was quizzed by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee. Asked whether he should remain chief executive of the bank, he said: "I am committed to finishing what I began five years ago in a firm I've served [...]
Argentina turns up the heat on HSBC with demand for £2.3bn of offshore cash March 9, 2015 Argentina is demanding that HSBC repatriate £2.3bn of its clients' money. The bank stands accused of moving the money offshore for tax advantages. The head of Argentina's tax authority, Ricardo Echegaray, claimed HSBC's actions threatened the stability of the Latin American state. Speaking at the Argentine embassy, Echegaray told a host of journalists "HSBC built [...]
The five best quotes from Paddy Power’s results: Taylor Swift, HSBC, Chelsea and Liverpool March 3, 2015 Stunt-loving bookie Paddy Power has a way with words that makes for a more interesting read than the usual corporate earnings. Not only did the bookie pay out a windfall €392m (£285m) to shareholders after it reported a record profit of €167m, it gave the City some light relief. Never afraid to put some laughs into its lowdown on [...]
HSBC bosses sorry about tax scandal at Swiss arm February 25, 2015 HSBC’S chief executive and chairman yesterday gave repeated apologies to MPs over tax evasion in its Swiss private banking arm. But scrutiny of the bank is not over yet – former global private banking boss Clive Bannister could be called up next by MPs. Chief executive Stuart Gulliver and chairman Douglas Flint told MPs they [...]
HSBC spoils TSB results party with appearance before MPs – but they don’t mind February 25, 2015 It can be nerve-wracking hosting a party for the first time – what if nobody comes? Have I bought enough food? Will it clash with a more glitzy event in the social calendar? The same applies in the City, too. Yesterday was a big day for TSB, presenting its first set of full-year financial results [...]
HSBC bosses Stuart Gulliver and Douglas Flint apologise to MPs over Swiss private banking scandal February 25, 2015 Stuart Gulliver, HSBC's chief executive and Douglas Flint, the embattled bank's chairman, have apologised for "unacceptable" practices at its Swiss private banking arm. During questioning by the Treasury Select Committee, Gulliver admitted the scandal had caused "damage to trust" in HSBC, while Flint said he felt "shame" and would "take his share of responsibility". However, [...]
Emma Thompson’s husband refuses to pay tax until HSBC staff are put in prison February 25, 2015 Oscar-winning, actress Emma Thompson, will refuse to pay any tax until those involved in the HSBC tax evasion scandal are put in prison. Thompson's husband and fellow actor Greg Wise told the Evening Standard that he and his wife would stop giving money to HMRC until "everyone pays tax". Wise trumpeted his commitment to socialism [...]