Letters: Open up OpenBanking, but do it well March 29, 2022 [Re: Competition watchdog to unveil open banking regulatory committee after fintech pressure] We’re glad to see the CMA has published new guidance on the future of Open Banking. It’s not so much a resolution, however, as it is a signal that we’ve entered a critical phase of Open Banking development. There are still fundamental issues [...]
Letters: Sayonara, Silicon Valley March 28, 2022 [RE: Tech firms lead business growth across Britain as one in four of all high-growth companies are start-ups, March 22] Hazlewoods’s research sent a clear message to readers: start-ups are the beating heart of the UK economy. Unsurprisingly, Hazlewoods found start-ups make up a quarter of all high-growth firms. The odds may be stacked against [...]
Letters: A return to the City streets March 25, 2022 [Re: £5bn investment turnover for central London office market since start of 2022] Post-Omicron optimism has helped refuel confidence in London’s office market to the tune of £5bn since the turn of the year – and rightly so. Investors have correctly identified the underlying fundamentals of the City. The offices that will continue to attract [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Fuel duty cuts and road taxes will drive us forward March 23, 2022 In 2011, then-Chancellor George Osborne cut fuel duty by 1p and froze it. It has stayed at 57.95p per litre ever since. Now as motorists face the second petrol crisis in five months – after crucial shortages in October last year – Rishi Sunak is expected to cut fuel duty again in his spring statement. [...]
Letters: Give me an A for Aria March 22, 2022 [Re: Inbound boss of Cummings’ brainchild ARIA withdraws, March 17] The Government’s prized new innovation agency, ARIA, is off to a shaky start. Like most people in the UK’s R&D space, I was excited when the Government announced that they were launching ARIA. The initial plans certainly ticked a lot of the right boxes, with [...]
Letters: Weaning off Covid-19 cash March 21, 2022 [Re: Small business lending tumbles amid strong economic rebound, March 14] UK Finance data shows strong economic recovery from the pandemic led to borrowing among small businesses falling off a cliff last year. However, we observed a 58 per cent year-on-year increase in SMEs seeking finance in January 2022, demonstrating a rebound in activity and [...]
Ferry firm ‘tore up PR handbook and flushed every page down the toilet’ March 21, 2022 Communications experts have said P&O’s decision to fire staff was”devoid of decency” and an example of”tearing up the PR handbook and flushing every page down the toilet”. Public relations agency chiefs told City A.M. over the weekend that the way in which P&0 let staff go could give government authorities more of a free hand [...]
Letters: Online banking, with a twist March 18, 2022 [Re: HSBC dives into metaverse amid shutdown of bank branches, 16 March] HSBC’s move into the metaverse is the latest in a line of high-profile brands exploring this new channel to engage with customers. It shows that Web3 is here to stay. Metaverses and NFTs are not a fad, but something that will soon become part [...]
Letters: Diversity is private capital’s nut to crack March 17, 2022 [Re: International women’s day , March 9]Private capital has barriers to entry. Being a woman should not be one of them. Regardless of how you approach it, private capital is a tough industry to crack. Whether you are a founder seeking private equity or venture capital funding for your business – or looking to join [...]
Letters: Russia inaction on Boris’ watch March 16, 2022 [Re: We mut not put ourselves into turmoil for a short-lived upper hand on Russia, March 14] I completely agree with Eliot Wilson’s piece on Monday that we must not hurt ourselves in our bid to look like we have a handle on the situation in Ukraine. The truth is we have forgone a serious policy [...]
