American candy stores or retail hub? What might be next for Oxford Street March 19, 2023 It has been three years since the UK was plunged into its first-ever full scale lockdown – forcing the majority of stores in London’s West End to temporarily cease trading and arguably altering the state of physical retail forever. The pandemic forced once seemingly indestructible retailers such as Debenhams, Topshop, and Gap off Oxford Street, [...]
UBS ‘$1billion’ deal for Credit Suisse to be fast-tracked past shareholders: reports March 19, 2023 UBS’s possible $1bn acquisition of Credit Suisse is being fast tracked to ensure its completion before markets open on Monday morning in a dramatic attempt to preserve financial stability. According to the Financial Times, Swiss authorities are considering using emergency measures to bypass normal takeover rules. It reported that UBS indicated emergency powers would be [...]
‘They have not done anything’: Hunt slammed for failing to back solar energy in Budget March 19, 2023 The government should have prioritised boosting renewable energy such as solar power, argued the boss of a British energy supplier.
Why AI tools, like GPT, are now at the frontline of the City’s talent war? March 19, 2023 Major advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology are rapidly transforming the ways that law firms and accounting firms work. The world’s top professional services firms are now increasingly starting to use increasingly sophisticated AI tech in their everyday work. However, increased use of AI technology is not just the inevitable result of technological innovation, but [...]
Russia and Ukraine extend Black Sea grain deal in bid to lower global food prices March 18, 2023 An unprecedented wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat has been extended. The extension was announced by the United Nations and by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but neither confirmed the length of the extension. The UN, Turkey [...]
Silicon Valley Bank UK paid out £15m in bonuses to top execs just days after HSBC rescue deal March 18, 2023 Silicon Valley Bank’s UK arm handed out over 15 million pounds ($18 million) in bonuses days after its rescue deal this week by HSBC, Sky News reported on Saturday. Payouts to staff including senior executives were signed off by HSBC earlier in the week, the report said, adding that the bonuses would not have been paid this week if SVB UK had [...]
What do Brits think of capitalism? Not much, it seems March 18, 2023 One of the most surprising findings of an international survey conducted on attitudes towards capitalism for the book In Defence of Capitalism is that the British – in the motherland of capitalism – are far more critical of capitalism than might be expected. Only in 12 countries are attitudes towards capitalism more negative than in [...]
Credit Suisse weighs up survival options as 167-year-old bank faces pressure to merge with rival UBS March 18, 2023 Credit Suisse Group began a make-or-break weekend after some rivals grew cautious in their dealings with the bank and regulators urged it to pursue a deal with Swiss rival UBS. Credit Suisse Chief Financial Officer Dixit Joshi and his teams will hold meetings over the weekend to assess strategic scenarios for the bank, people with knowledge of the matter [...]
Deloitte fined £25m by China over audit of state-owned asset manager March 18, 2023 China has fined auditing firm Deloitte 211.9m yuan (£25.3m) for failing to perform its duty in assessing the asset quality of China Huarong Asset Management Co Ltd, the finance ministry said on its website on Friday. Deloitte’s Beijing operations also will be suspended for three months, the ministry said in a statement. China Huarong and its [...]
Looking east: Which low-cost European destinations are Brits flocking to in search of a cheap getaway? March 18, 2023 Strong demand for low-cost eastern European destinations is driving a surge in the number of UK families booking city breaks, according to an online holiday company. Thomas Cook said family city break bookings so far this year are around 40 per cent higher compared with the same period in 2022. This is partly due to [...]
