London tops European fintech occupier index with £15bn funding December 10, 2021 London has beaten European capitals for the top spot in a new ranking table of the most attractive cities for fintech occupiers in Europe, according to reports. The capital, which has brought in over €18bn (£15.4bn) of fintech venture capital funding over the last five years, has kept its place at the top of the rankings compiled [...]
McDonald’s net zero carbon restaurant prompts greenwashing backlash December 10, 2021 McDonald’s has opened its first net zero restaurant, but the move has been branded as “McGreenwash” by critics of the fast food giant. The restaurant, based in Shropshire, is powered through solar panels and wind turbines, and insulated with sheep’s wool. The building’s cladding is made from recycled IT equipment and household hood while signage [...]
British residents vaccinated abroad can now use NHS Covid Pass December 10, 2021 UK residents who have received vaccinations abroad, or in Northern Ireland, will be able to use the NHS Covid Pass as long as they have had two doses of an approved jabs. They will also be able to organise a booster jab for themselves in England as a result of the new rule. The changes [...]
Big Four auditors will be forced to share FTSE business December 10, 2021 Plans to force FTSE 350 companies to use challenger audit firms have been signed off by the business secretary as pressure for reform mounts, according to reports. Kwasi Kwarteng wants to push ahead with a proposal to break up the dominance of the Big Four accounting firms: Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – and is [...]
Norton Rose Fulbright names new global chair as Farmida Bi December 9, 2021 Norton Rose Fulbright has named its next global chair as Farmida Bi CBE, London capital markets and Islamic finance partner. Named in the top five of a “Muslim Women Power List” by The Times among a host of legal accolades, Bi is a legal expert in debt capital markets and Islamic finance as a form [...]
Clifford Chance paid €2m by European Super League before it failed December 9, 2021 City Law firm Clifford Chance LLP were among the recipients of over €4m (£3.4m) paid out by the European Super League in the months before it failed, according to reports. The firm was one of two major international law firms as well as eight media agencies, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the news. [...]
Prosecutors could be forced to meet victims before making a charging verdict December 9, 2021 Prosecutors could be required to meet victims of crime before deciding whether a suspect should be charged, following government plans for a “Victims ‘ Law”. The proposals, published today, will mean “victims of crime will be better heard, served and protected,” according to the Ministry of Justice. Another proposal could see criminals paying more towards [...]
KPMG reports $32bn global revenue as Big Four record strongest performance since Enron December 9, 2021 KPMG has reported a ten per cent rise in annual global revenues, up to $32.1bn, as advisory services have boomed during the pandemic. The combined results of the Big Four consulting firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – are the strongest since the Enron scandal which resulted in the collapse of Arther Andersen, according [...]
Biggest UK law firms pocket almost £30bn revenue as sector grows December 9, 2021 Revenue of the 100 biggest UK law firms grew by four per cent to £28.8bn in 2021, according to a new report by a professional body for financial and professional services. The news comes as City law firms battle it out in a bidding war for junior lawyers. Last week ‘silver circle’ law firm Herbert [...]
London First lobby group to change its name to catch up with govt ‘levelling up’ agenda December 8, 2021 London First, a lobby business group, plans to change its name in a bid to avoid an embarrassing clash with Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda, widely seen as putting the capital far from first. The group, whose mission is “to make London the best city in the world in which to do business”, according to [...]
