Revolut expands business offering with digital payments service December 4, 2020 Challenger bank Revolut is bolstering its business offering as it moves into merchant acquiring allowing businesses to accept online card payments. Revolut’s chief executive Nik Storonsky announced, at this year’s Web Summit, that its business segment had launched an acquiring solution, which will allow businesses in 13 European countries to accept card payments online directly [...]
Lidl pays back £100m in business rates relief December 4, 2020 Budget supermarket Lidl has joined the Covid repayment train in announcing it will pay back millions in business rates relief it received at the start of the pandemic. In March, the supermarket sector along with other retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England, was granted a business rates holiday for 12 months. Lidl today said [...]
Berkeley Group’s belief in London is ‘resolute’ despite pandemic hit December 4, 2020 Berkeley Group has reaffirmed its commitment to London even as its profits took a hit from pandemic uncertainty. Chief executive Rob Perrins said the company’s “belief in London and our developmetn approach is resolute” as it reported its interim results. The company has acquired three sites in London this year – Borough Triangle in Southwark, [...]
Pets at Home becomes latest retailer to return business rates relief December 4, 2020 Pets at Home has joined the Covid repayment train and joins some of the UK’s biggest retailers in handing back millions of pounds in business rates relief. In March, all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England were given a business rates holiday for 12 months. But after a bumper year of sales on the [...]
FTSE 100 opens higher despite deadlock in Brexit talks December 4, 2020 The FTSE 100 opened higher this morning outperforming its European peers as Brexit remains in focus. London’s blue chip index climbed 0.7 per cent on the open to 6,535 poins, while the FTSE 250 of midcap companies rose 0.17 per cent. Brexit talks have stalled somewhat despite promising signs at the start of the week. [...]
Sterling hits highest level in a year as dollar selloff continues December 3, 2020 Sterling climbed to a one-year high this afternoon, nearing $1.35, as the dollar selloff continued and Brexit talks dragged. The pound advanced beyond $1.3490, its best in a year after the “Boris bounce” which saw Conservatives won an 80-seat majority. Sterling rose 0.4 per cent against the euro to 90.22 pence. “The moves are probably [...]
Exclusive: Investors prioritise security as they flock to low risk assets December 3, 2020 UK investors are shifting their attention to low risk assets as they prioritise security over returns in their investment strategies for the next year. A survey of almost 900 UK investors by Butterfield Mortgages reveals that nearly half have lost money due to the volatility caused by the pandemic. In times of uncertainty, investors will [...]
Exclusive: Andy Bell warns ‘we’ll all feel the pain of negative interest rates’ December 3, 2020 As the Bank of England mulls the introduction of negative interest rates AJ Bell’s chief executive has told City A.M. customers will suffer as a result. The central bank has already slashed interest rates to a record low of 0.1 per cent to support lending through the pandemic. “We’ve discussed how we’d deal and cope [...]
Private equity gets creative as it sits on record dry powder pile December 2, 2020 Private equity firms are having to get creative and look to new asset classes as they sit on record levels of dry powder. In the face of unprecedented market volatility GPs initially turned their attention to portfolio companies in the outbreak of the pandemic. But now fund managers are sitting on approximately $1.7 trillion of [...]
Square Mile comes back to life as second lockdown ends December 2, 2020 As London emerges from the second lockdown there are tentative signs that life is returning to the City. London today entered Tier 2, representing a slight easing of lockdown restrictions, just as news of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine approval landed in the Square Mile. City leaders breathe a sigh of relief Gyms, barbers and beauty salons [...]
