Banks say FCA is hindering innovation: Watchdog not responding quick enough to tech trends January 28, 2022 Two thirds of all UK banks and financial institutions think the City regulator, the FCA, is not responding quickly enough to new trends, thereby hindering innovation within the sector. When quizzed about the roadblocks they face, more than half said they have been held back from trialling new technologies due to a lack of formal [...]
Exclusive: ‘Keep a cool head in hairy markets but avoid being an ostrich’, says City grandee and fund chief Andrew Bell January 20, 2022 Witan Investment Trust is a well-know name in the City’s investment space. It can trace its history back to 1909 when it was set up to manage the investment affairs of Sir Alexander Henderson, who later became the first Lord Faringdon. Today it holds over £2.2bn on behalf of more than 28,000 shareholders, using a [...]
Financial watchdog introduces rules for greater consumer protection to ‘drive a change in culture’ December 7, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched a consultation this morning to ensure a higher and more consistent standard of consumer protection for users of financial services and help to stop harm before it happens.
Peel Hunt revenue and profit sink from pandemic highs in its maiden results December 1, 2021 Peel Hunt, the London broker for mid and small-cap companies, said its revenue dropped by almost a quarter in the six months to 28 September, immediately prior to its £280m listing on London’s AIM market at the end of that month. Revenue sank 23.4 per cent to £71.4m, down from £93.2m in the same period [...]
FinnCap confirms its record £32m revenue on ‘exceptionally busy’ M&A market November 18, 2021 Shares in FinnCap closed 1.4 per cent higher today, after the AIM-listed tech and life sciences small cap broker confirmed the first half bumper revenue hike it had teased last month. Earnings jumped 55 per cent to a record £32m, and the firm stuck to the full-year revenue guidance it upgraded in October to between [...]
HgCapital reports strong interim results despite ‘risk environment’ November 15, 2021 Tech private equity firm HgCapital announced strong performance of its portfolio, with its three month net asset value (NAV) per share up 11.6 per cent.
Keeping an eye on gender lens investing and women in leadership November 2, 2021 | City Talk Gender lens equity investing developed from a substantive body of research demonstrating the financial, risk management, decision-making and other corporate benefits of higher levels of women in leadership. In our coverage universe at Parallelle Finance, 27 gender lens global and regional equity funds are available to individual investors. Their assets under management (AUM) totalled $3.47 [...]
Passive funds and ‘Do no harm’ are not synonymous October 26, 2021 | City Talk Some very black-and-white and reductive opinions about the prudence of active management have been making the rounds in the investment world of late. For example, in Defined Contribution Plans: Challenges and Opportunities for Plan Sponsors, from the CFA Institute Research Foundation, Jeffery Bailey, CFA, and Kurt Winkelmann state that an investment committee’s first responsibility is to “do [...]
Scottish Investment Trust to merge with JP Morgan in £1.2bn deal October 20, 2021 Scottish Investment Trust is dropping its in-house management team to combine assets with JP Morgan’s Global Growth & Income (JGGI) arm to create a new £1.2bn enlarged trust. The deal is expected to complete in the first quarter of next year if approved by shareholders, and the Scottish Investment Trust will be voluntarily liquidated through [...]
The future of work in a post-Covid investment industry October 19, 2021 | City Talk Disruptions resulting from Covid-19 have forced businesses to adapt and create new models of work. Although some industries may return to something resembling their pre-pandemic operating model, the investment industry has already crossed a threshold. That is the view of Kunal Kapoor, CFA, who participated in a webinar entitled ‘The War for Talent and the [...]