‘Break’ London banks and give us access to data: fintech firms tell FCA November 24, 2020 A coalition of primarily London startups is calling on UK regulators to end the dominance of banking institutions over the use of consumer data as it would increase competition in the savings, credit, mortgages and pensions markets. The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), an advocacy group that represent a number of UK fintech firms [...]
Tory mayoral candidate pledges to build 100,000 homes for young Londoners November 22, 2020 Young Londoners will be able to buy new homes for £100,000 in the capital with a deposit of just £5,000 if Tory mayor candidate Shaun Bailey is elected next year. Bailey will announce tomorrow that if victorious in the May poll that he will build 100,000 “Millennial homes” that can only be bought by young [...]
Could anti-vaxxers be barred from offices, pubs and gyms? November 22, 2020 Banning Covid vaccine refusers from offices, restaurants and other venues may lead to expensive discrimination claims, a leading lawyer has warned, even though it is not unlikely that care operators and the NHS may ultimately bar vaccine refusing staff for safety reasons. With the UK moving closer to the rollout of a Coronavirus vaccine, to [...]
BNP Paribas’ UK property chief on the impact of the pandemic November 20, 2020 In his first interview since taking up the role of UK CEO of BNP Paribas Real Estate in July, Etienne Prongué sat down with City A.M.’s Michiel Willems to discuss the unprecedented beating the City’s property investment space received since the start of the pandemic, with transaction and fundraising levels remaining suppressed. But despite the [...]
MPs launch inquiry with eye to bolstering City after Brexit November 20, 2020 MPs have launched a major new inquiry aimed at strengthening the role of the City of London as a global financial hub after Britain leaves the EU’s trading arrangements in January. The Treasury Committee of MPs said it will dig into how financial services regulations should be set and scrutinised by lawmakers, and how regulators [...]
Exclusive: Sadiq Khan’s PR budget soars by 33 per cent in four years November 19, 2020 Sadiq Khan has increased City Hall spending on public relations by 33 per cent over the course of his term in office, according to newly released figures. Numbers released by City Hall through a freedom of information request show the mayor spent £977,912 on press office costs for 2019/20, compared to £732,537 in 2015/16. Spending [...]
UK tech visa applications jump as sector attracts top talent November 19, 2020 Applications to the Tech Nation visa rose almost 50 per cent this year as Britain’s booming tech sector continues to attract top talent from around the globe. The number of applications for the visa, which grants employees and founders in the tech sector the right to work in the UK for up to five years, [...]
Levelling up: Sony takes over Oxford Circus station for Playstation launch November 18, 2020 London Underground is famed for its iconic roundels, but eagle-eyed commuters will notice something different about Oxford Circus station this week. Transport for London (TfL) has teamed up with Sony to give the Tube station a redesign, transforming the traditional signs into squares, triangles and crosses — the classic symbols of the Playstation controller. The [...]
City of London businesses have received average of £8 each from new Covid grants November 17, 2020 Businesses in the City of London have received an average of just £8.09 from the government’s latest £1.3bn Covid grant programme. Figures released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) showed that businesses in the local authority received the smallest proportion of the grant money released in November, with its 24,020 businesses [...]
Number of listed firms on London’s stock market shrunk faster than European rivals November 17, 2020 The tally of companies choosing to list on the London Stock Exchange contracted sharply over the last decade as companies increasingly choose to raise money through private equity deals, a trend also seen in the wider European market. The London Stock Exchange lost 378 companies on net between 2010 and 2018, a 21 per cent [...]