Sainsbury’s mulls sale of banking division October 31, 2020 The new Sainsbury’s boss is reportedly planning a sale of the supermarket’s banking arm as the impact of near-zero interest rates hit. The supermarket launched the bank in 1997 and now boasts more than 2m customers across a range of products including mortgages, home insurance and credit cards. But medium-sized banks are facing pressure as [...]
Coronavirus: England set for national lockdown, PM says October 31, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson tonight ordered England back into a national lockdown
Black British Business Awards announces 2020 winners October 31, 2020 The Black British Business Awards has announced its 2020 winners, who have been awarded for their outstanding business talent. The award recognises rising stars and leaders across industries, including financial services and professional services. Segun Osuntokun, managing partner at law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in London has been named Business Person of the Year [...]
Augmentum Fintech raises £28m in oversubscribed placing October 30, 2020 Listed venture capital firm Augmentum Fintech hit its £28m fundraising target through an oversubscribed share placing launched this week. The firm said demand from both existing and new investors exceeded the maximum issue and applications have been scaled back accordingly. Augmentum Fintech raised £28m through the issue of 23.37m shares at 120 pence each. The [...]
Bother: The startup looking to disrupt the grocery market October 30, 2020 The days of empty shelves and loo roll shortages seem a distant lockdown memory, but one London-based startup thinks it speaks to a wider problem within the UK’s grocery market. Startup Bother is on a mission to disrupt the saturated grocery market by offering what it considers to be a convenient and cheaper online alternative. [...]
Exclusive: These are the top 50 London startups to work for October 29, 2020 An insurtech startup that has raised just £13m to date is the best startup to work for in London, according to new research. The incentive-based life insurance platform Yulife is the best London-based startup to work for, according to research by recruitment platform Tempo. The startup, which employs just 61 people, has been recognised for [...]
Blackrock backs calls for convergence of investment reporting standards October 29, 2020 Blackrock, the world’s biggest asset manager, has called for a clear set of reporting standards for sustainable investments to tackle a ‘lack of clarity’. There has been a significant uptick in interest in sustainable investments in recent years. Figures from the Investment Association showed what it termed responsible investment funds under management in the UK [...]
Human rights must be included in sustainable investment strategies, says financial agency October 29, 2020 Human rights must form a core part of financial institutions’ sustainable investment strategies, a leading financial body has said. With climate change protests across the globe, there has been a concerted push by various parties for firms to incorporate sustainability considerations into their business models. Sustainable finance is moving into the mainstream with the government [...]
Model railway brand Hornby returns to profit on lockdown boom October 29, 2020 Model railway company Hornby has returned to a profit for the first time in nearly a decade after an upsurge in interest for its products during lockdown. The group reported a 33 per cent increase in revenue to £21.1m in the first half of the year, up from £15.9m in 2019. And the Margate-based Hornby [...]
WPP client wins help revenue decline slow October 29, 2020 Ad giant WPP reported another fall in sales in the third quarter but the pace of decline slowed from the previous quarter. The British owner of the Ogilvy, Grey and GroupM agencies said its like-for-like sales had dropped by 5.5 per cent to £2.97bn, compared with a 11.5 per cent drop in the previous quarter. [...]
