Prime delivery race creates hurdles for Amazon July 25, 2019 Retail giant Amazon disappointed investors and analysts alike tonight, reporting profit for its second quarter well below estimates and breaking its long-running record earnings streak. Profit came in at $2.6bn (£2.1bn), or $5.22 per share, for the three months to the end of June. Analysts were expecting income of $5.57 per share. Amazon also said [...]
Google takes off as revenue tops expectations July 25, 2019 Google parent firm Alphabet reported higher than expected second-quarter profit and revenue tonight, causing shares to jump more than nine per cent after-hours. The healthy picture eased some concerns regarding the growth of Alphabet-owned companies such as Google, Youtube and its cloud computing division, following a heightened focus on competition in the tech sector. Sales [...]
Facebook beats estimates after record $5bn fine over privacy violations July 24, 2019 Revenue at Facebook in its second quarter has topped analysts’ estimates, hours after it agreed to pay a record $5bn penalty to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) relating to violations of its users’ privacy rights. In the second consecutive quarter for beating expectations, Facebook’s revenue rose to $16.9bn from $13.2bn a year ago, surpassing [...]
US opens industry-scale tech giant antitrust probe July 23, 2019 The US Department of Justice is to open an investigation into whether the activities of major tech firms are anti-competitive. The review will explore “whether and how market-leading online platforms have achieved market power and are engaging in practices that have reduced competition, stifled innovation, or otherwise harmed consumers,” the department said tonight. The probe [...]
Wework grabs €62m from EU in Brexit deal for London office spot July 23, 2019 Office sharing giant Wework is set to net a €62m (£55.7m) windfall when it takes over the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) former London headquarters, following the body’s relocation to Amsterdam. A deal secured earlier this month will see Wework sublet 280,000 square foot in Canary Wharf’s 30 Churchill Place, creating one of the world’s largest [...]
Woodford props up £50m funding for Atom Bank July 22, 2019 Digital banking stalwart Atom Bank has today raised £50m from its existing investors, including former star fund manager Neil Woodford. Woodford, who previously held a stake in Atom through his beleaguered Equity Income fund, has invested £10m in the fintech firm through his other listed entity Woodford Patient Capital Trust. The trader transferred his stake [...]
Digital bank N26 valued at $3.5bn as it adds $160m onto its series D July 18, 2019 German fintech starlet N26 has upped its valuation to $3.5bn (£2.8bn), after extending its series D funding round to raise another $160m. The digital banking app has now raised a total of $470m in the round, which included investors such as Insight Venture Partners, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, Tencent, Allianz X, Peter Thiel’s Valar [...]
EU targets Amazon in e-commerce antitrust probe July 17, 2019 Amazon is the subject of the EU’s latest antitrust probe, with the European Commission accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominance in e-commerce. The investigation, which began today, could see CEO Jeff Bezos’ retail behemoth lumped with a multi-billion dollar fine similar to other penalties issued to tech giant Google. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: “European consumers [...]
British fintech booms as 2019 set to be a record year for UK investment July 16, 2019 The UK’s standout fintech sector has once again broken records, hitting a new high of $2.9bn (£2.3bn) in funding in the first six months of 2019. The amount represents the highest intake of investment in a half-year period to date, and is equal to approximately 85 per cent of the sector’s total funding in 2018. [...]
City fintech Curve picks up $55m series B funding round July 16, 2019 London fintech firm Curve has today closed a $55m (£43.9m) series B funding round, led by Gauss Ventures. New investors Creditease and IDC Ventures also came on board. The round was similarly supported by existing investors, such as Seedcamp, Speedinvest and the venture capital arms of Santander and Investec. Curve consolidates multiple bank accounts and [...]
