Mandation was never the way to get pensions investing in venture capital Opinion The VC industry should welcome the watering down of the Pension Schemes Bill – self-regulation, not the blunt instrument of mandation, is the answer, says Duncan Johnson After four back-and-forths between the two parliamentary houses, the Pension Schemes Bill is set to gain Royal Assent after the Lords accepted a final draft on Tuesday. The [...]
How does a Pokemon card fetch £12m? Inside the lucrative world of rare trading cards Investing The Pokemon and Matchattax cards you had when you were a kid could fetch big bucks now. From multi-million price tags to Premier League brand deals, Matt Kenyon digs into this unlikely new asset class. At a glance, it looked a bit like Comic Con. But in reality, Fort Knox would have been a better [...]
It’ll take more than a squirrel to revive share ownership: cut stamp duty Opinion The government can’t promote investing in stocks and shares with one hand while taxing it with the other, says Steven Fine There is something faintly surreal about the government launching Savvy the Squirrel to encourage people to invest in shares while taking a record haul in tax from those who already do. The latest public [...]
Stashing cash is nuts – just ask Savvy the squirrel April 23, 2026 A new campaign fronted by Savvy the squirrel will spread a nationwide message encouraging people to invest in stocks and shares rather than just stashing cash, says James Ashton ROLL up, roll up: this is the week when efforts to get Britain investing again start in earnest. An industry-funded marketing campaign, expected to be fronted [...]
Aberdeen leans on Interactive Investor as assets under management plunge April 22, 2026 Asset manager Aberdeen reported a drop in assets under management and advice in the first financial quarter, after the performance of Interactive Investor failed to combat outflows and market volatility. Assets under management and advice (AUMA) slipped from £556bn to £547.7bn, amid weaker markets, the disposal of its financial planning business and net outflows of [...]
Investment risk misunderstandings fuel cash hoarding April 21, 2026 Brits’ confusion over investment risk warnings has kept people clinging to cash and damaged economic growth, according to recent findings. Nearly 35 per cent of savers admitted the fear of losing money was holding them back from stepping into the stock market, according to the latest research from Barclays, with only 12 per cent expecting [...]
Standard Life snaps up Aegon UK for £2bn to create savings giant April 15, 2026 Standard Life has snapped up the UK’s largest investment platform Aegon UK in a £2bn deal. The FTSE 100 giant – previously known as Phoenix Group – said the deal would create the UK’s top retirement savings and income business with near 16m customers and £480bn in assets under administration. Standard Life expects an annual [...]
US markets hold steady after Trump’s expletive weekend ultimatum April 6, 2026 US markets held their nerve on Monday, as Wall Street traders returned to their desks for the first full session after President Donald Trump’s explosive, expletive-strewn demands for Iran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude oil held the $107-a-barrel mark. But the global benchmark eased overall, by $1.50 to $107.54. European stock exchanges [...]
The manosphere’s dangerous ‘get rick quick’ promise March 25, 2026 Online influencers like those highlighted in Louis Theroux’s Inside the Manosphere documentary are framing trading as an easy route to financial success and masculine dominance. That’s not education, it’s manipulation, says Lewis Crompton The promise of quick wealth has always had a powerful pull. But today it is being repackaged and amplified through social media, [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown services resume after technical glitch March 21, 2026 The UK’s largest DIY investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown has confirmed clients can once more access their accounts after a technical problem on Friday brought operations to a standstill. The platform reported that it was “no longer seeing” the earlier technical issues in a statement on Friday evening, with customers once more able to make transactions. [...]