Is a peer-to-peer borrowing bubble on the cards? There’s just one question would-be lenders need to ask before taking the plunge October 22, 2015 People are talking about a bubble in the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending sector, and there are definitely elements of this I agree with, which may be surprising since I am co-founder of a P2P platform. Rather than getting carried away, now is the time for would-be P2P lenders to do their homework before parting with their [...]
DLR workers have voted in favour of a strike October 22, 2015 Contract workers on the DLR have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, as the dispute over "a range of serious unresolved issues" rumbles on. More than 92 per cent of staff across all grades on the Keolis Amey Docklands Light Railway voted in favour of industrial action, RMT said today. No date has been set [...]
Retailers should “play Black Friday down”, warns John Lewis boss October 19, 2015 The boss of John Lewis – one of the UK's most vocal supporters of Black Friday – has urged other retailers to “play it down” in future years after the sales bonanza led to havoc on the high street. Although the business reported record sales for the week in which Black Friday (November 28) [...]
The volume of small businesses is at a record high, but how will they survive in a Google-dominated world? October 16, 2015 The government announced that the number of private sector businesses in the UK has reached a record 5.4 million, but what’s it like for these businesses trying to compete with Goliath global organisations’ deep pockets and large support teams? It’s become clear to us that there are common challenges faced by startups, and much of it comes [...]
From Uber and the Night Tube to Megabrew and Amazon Fresh: Here’s what got us talking this week October 16, 2015 It was a week in which an eagle gave us a glimpse of its view of London. We learned how much fare dodgers are getting away with (and where are the stations giving them a free ride). And we discovered that, while spiralising is in, sexy pants are definitely out. Here's what got us talking this week [...]
EU referendum: It’s the UK’s young people who will be most affected by a Brexit, and that’s why the vote should be extended to 16 and 17-year-olds October 16, 2015 The government’s commitment to a referendum on our membership of the European Union has come to the fore again in the past fortnight with the launch of the “In” campaign supporting our continued membership, and a shoal of campaigns competing to leave “at any price”. For too long the debate has been one sided – portraits have continued [...]
Walk London weekend October 2015 routes: The best free guided walks around the capital for TfL’s autumn ambling scheme October 16, 2015 This weekend sees the launch of Transport for London's Walk London weekend, a new initiative designed to get us city slickers off our backsides and getting out to see some of the best free sites the capital has to offer. There will be more than 40 guided walks for TfL's "Autumn Ambles", connecting parks, woodland, [...]
UK inflation: Think you know how much beer, property, cinema tickets, phones and fish and chips have changed in price? Put your money where your mouth is October 16, 2015 If you haven’t been told about the good old days, where you could go for a slap-up meal and film and still have enough change from £1 for the journey home, you’re probably the person telling it. We all know the vagaries of inflation has pushed some common-or-garden goods into the luxury price bracket (a home in [...]
The government just made it easier to hire foreign tech talent with a new “tech nation” visa scheme October 16, 2015 The government is making it easier for the UK's growing technology industry to hire talent from outside the European Union by creating a new "tech nation" visa scheme. There are four key components to the new scheme: a fast-track route that will enable rapidly-growing companies easier access to the right candidates when it is most needed [...]
UBS rogue trader Kweku Adoboli has just been banned from working in the financial services industry by the Financial Conduct Authority October 16, 2015 A mere three years after being convicted of fraud, the former UBS rogue trader Kweku Adoboli has been banned from working in the financial services industry. Adoboli, who lost $2.3bn (£1.5bn) through unauthorised trading while at the London offices of the Swiss firm, was released from prison in June after serving nearly half of his seven-year custodial [...]
