Government to require repeated Covid tests for all incoming passengers – report February 8, 2021 All passengers arriving in the UK are set to be tested for coronavirus on days two and eight of self-isolation as part of new rules. The government only introduced mandatory testing last month, nearly a year after the first coronavirus cases were recorded in Britain. All arrivals must have a negative test within the past [...]
Crypto exchanges glitch on bitcoin bounce after Tesla’s $1.5bn investment February 8, 2021 Cryptocurrency exchanges were battling technical issues this evening as trading volumes soared following the announcement that Elon Musk’s Tesla had invested $1.5bn in bitcoin. The electric carmaker said it had bought Bitcoin for “more flexibility to further diversify and maximise returns on our cash.” Elon Musk’s company added it may invest a future portion of [...]
Napster set for London listing after MelodyVR deal February 8, 2021 Napster is reportedly preparing to list in London later this month following the $70m (£53.8m) reverse takeover by startup MelodyVR. Napster will start trading on Aim from 26 February, according to the Guardian, the first time it has ever had its own IPO. Virtual music tech company MelodyVR, which launched in 2018, announced it had [...]
Dating app Bumble boosts size of its IPO offering February 8, 2021 Bumble has boosted the size of its IPO by nearly $2bn bringing its valuation to more than $7bn when it goes public. The dating app, which competes with rivals such as Tinder and Hinge, announced it was looking to raise as much as $1.8bn in its stock market debut. It plans to boost its share [...]
Exclusive: Capital raising startup HUBX completes $5.5m fundraising February 8, 2021 Private capital raising platform HUBX has completed a $5.5m (£4.2m) fundraising round after a surge in demand during the pandemic. Founded in 2015 the London-based B2B platform claims to democratise capital raising by using automation and data to help organisations execute its transactions faster. The platform works with startups as well as more established sell-side [...]
London bankers dominate top M&A deal rankings for Europe February 5, 2021 London bankers dominate top M&A deal rankings for Europe
SMEs turn to digital banks amid frustration with high street lending February 5, 2021 Small businesses have lost confidence in Britain’s biggest banks and are increasingly tempted to move across to digital challengers. New research from payment specialist Marqeta reveals 84 per cent of the UK’s SMEs are frustrated with their current banking experience with nine in ten calling for lenders to offer more digital services. High street lenders [...]
Supreme Court curbs SFO’s global reach February 5, 2021 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has lost its case against US engineering company KBR in the Supreme Court over whether it can compel foreign businesses to hand over documents held overseas. Supreme Court Judges unanimously disagreed with a 2018 High out ruling that Section 2 notices could have extra-territorial reach. The US firm had previously [...]
Year of the unicorn: 24 companies have surpassed $1bn valuation this year already February 5, 2021 There has been somewhat of a stampede of companies reaching unicorn status since the start of the year following a strong year for the tech sector. Some 24 companies have already reached $1bn valuation since the start of the year with a particularly strong showing from e-commerce and fintech companies, according to research by Tipalti. [...]
Wall Street rises on stimulus talks as FTSE 100 closes flat February 4, 2021 Wall Street pushed higher this afternoon as investors looked to corporate earnings and signs of progress on more pandemic stimulus. The Dow Jones was up 0.91 per cent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 0.86 and 0.88 per cent respectively. It came after the FTSE 100 closed four points lower this afternoon as sterling [...]
