By: Courtney Goldsmith

I am a journalist for City A.M. reporting on the energy and mining sectors. I also keep an eye on the pharmaceuticals sector and cryptocurrencies. Email: courtney.goldsmith@cityam.com

The Bank of England is setting up its own fintech hub

The Bank of England (BoE) will set up a fintech hub to monitor developments that could help boost the UK's weak productivity levels. "We have set up a new fintech hub that will sit at the heart of the Bank, to consider both how the Bank understands and how it applies fintech, relevant to its [...]
Britain’s fintech firms are expecting growth to rocket over the next three years

UK fintech firms expect higher than average growth over the next few years as London remains a top destination for business. UK-based financial technology firms expect 88 per cent growth over the next three years, topping the average country's expectations, according to a global fintech survey by theLondon Stock Exchange Group and TheCityUK. Only Germany [...]
Blockchain group Plug has just raised $65m to develop its framework

An international blockchain group has secured $65m (£46m) in investment to continue developing its framework of distributed ledger technology. The company, PL^G, or Plug, is a collaboration between London-based blockchain specialists Qadre, New Zealand-based venture studio, Centrality, and Switzerland-based blockchain media house, SingularDTV. It seeks to build scalable and secure blockchain applications that operate in [...]

Coinbase granted licence from FCA as it ramps up UK presence

March 14, 2018

One of the world's top cryptocurrency exchanges has received a licence from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as it seeks to ramp up its British arm. Coinbase, which is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, said the new e-money licence from the FCA was an endorsement that its business meets certain anti-money laundering [...]
Melrose has just announced a final offer for GKN of £8.1bn and warns against “hasty fire-sale” of GKN businesses

March 12, 2018

Melrose confirmed this morning it has increased its offer for FTSE 100 giant GKN to £8.1bn. It said this will be a final offer of 467p per share and would mean GKN shareholders would own 60 per cent of Melrose – up from 57 per cent, and receive £1.4bn in cash. Shares in GKN were [...]
Healthcare blockchain startup Medicalchain lists its tokens on exchanges after raising $24m in an ICO

March 5, 2018

A healthcare-focused blockchain startup will list its tokens on five major exchanges following a successful initial coin offering (ICO) at the start of the month. London-based Medicalchain has created a blockchain platform for medical records, which allows for the secure, fast and transparent exchange of medical records by patients and doctors. The firm raised $24m [...]
Shell completes its deal to buy First Utility and puts Colin Crooks at the helm

March 1, 2018

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has completed its acquisition of one of the UK's biggest challenger energy suppliers and appointed Colin Crooks as its chief executive. In December, Shell revealed it would buy First Utility in a deal thought to be worth £200m. The energy supplier, which serves around 825,000 homes in the UK, will [...]
The UK’s happiest workers are male, over 55 and have jobs in the marketing industry

February 27, 2018

Feeling happy at work today? New research has revealed the UK's happiest workers, and the results don't come as much of a surprise. Male workers aged over 55 who work in marketing, communications or advertising roles at small businesses are the happiest at work, according to research by workplace rewards provider One4all Rewards. While there [...]
Now Lloyds Bank has published its gender pay gap with women earning 33 per cent less than men

February 23, 2018

Lloyds Banking Group has become the latest UK lender to reveal its gender pay gap. Britain's biggest bank said on average it pays women in the company 32.8 per cent less than men. Its median gender pay gap was also 32.8 per cent. The lender said this was due to a larger proportion of men [...]
British Airways owner IAG launches a €500m buyback as profit rises

February 23, 2018

British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) posted a rise in profits over 2017, reflecting a better macro-economic environment, but shares in the firm have fallen. The figures For the year to the end of December, IAG said passenger revenue rose 1.6 per cent compared with the previous year to €20.25bn (£17.87bn), while total revenue [...]

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