China’s Legend Holdings on the brink of purchasing a £500m stake in London’s Pension Insurance Corporation March 29, 2016 Chinese investment company Legend Holdings is on the brink of purchasing a major stake in London-based Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC). Legend, which is also the part-owner of computing company Lenovo, is said to be in the final stages of several months worth of talks to buy a stake worth £500m in PIC, which insures the pension schemes [...]
Millennial workers place value on office culture and the social side of work March 29, 2016 Kids these days may face criticism for spending too much time chatting, texting or checking social media but that's something that employers also need to take note of. Research released today by specialist recruiter Robert Walters found that nearly four out of five (79 per cent) millennials – referring to those born between 1980 and 1999 – [...]
Pet insurance claims hit record numbers, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers, with just short of one million claims being made in 2015 March 29, 2016 Pet insurance claims hit a record high in 2015, according to figures released today by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The number of insurance claims made reached 911,000, up nine per cent compared with 2014, while their value clocked in at £657m, which is the equivalent of £1.8m a day. The average pet insurance premium came in [...]
Cyber security: Why the EU General Data Protection Regulations will be game changing for unreported cybercrime March 29, 2016 A report by the Institute of Directors (IoD) and Barclays recently highlighted that one quarter of organisations had suffered a breach in the last twelve months, although only 28 per cent had reported it to the authorities. It is believed that the actual numbers of attacks could be higher. The fact is that there are still a large number [...]
Why those with a head for compliance and regulation are in hot demand, as skills shortages cause salaries to rise March 29, 2016 Believe it or not, the red tape brigade look set to become the rock stars of the City as a study out today has found that demand for highly-skilled compliance professionals is outpacing supply. The report by specialist recruiter Barclay Simpson discovered that three-quarters (75 per cent) of managers believe that workers skilled in compliance are [...]
Irn-Bru maker AG Barr announces increased profits in results for year ended 30 January 2016, as chief executive reveals how sugar tax might affect company March 29, 2016 AG Barr revealed a boost to its profits in its most recent set of results today, alongside a plan for how it would offset government's newly proposed tax of sugary drinks. The soft drinks manufacturer, known for brands such as Irn-Bru and Rubicon, announced profits before tax of £41.3m for its year ended 30 January 2016, up seven [...]
Cyber security: Business leaders are inadvertently leaving their companies open to threats from social engineering March 29, 2016 Cyber criminals are increasingly turning to social media to mine valuable information on targets, with many high-profile business figures inadvertently revealing more than they should, a report out today has found. The study by Digitalis Reputation discovered that, although 62 per cent of businesses offer staff advice on digital security and the kinds of personal information [...]
Many UK businesses face a perfect storm, as uncertainty over a potential Brexit, a slowdown in China and the introduction of National Living Wage looms March 29, 2016 It's not just the bank holiday's miserable weather that looked bleak, with many of the country's key employers predicting grey skies ahead as a perfect storm of economic uncertainty brews. According to a report out today by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and PwC, optimism among financial services firms is falling at its fastest pace [...]
UK pensions: One in five Brits expect to retire after their 70th birthday, and it’s stressing people out March 29, 2016 We hope you enjoyed your bank holiday weekend but don't get too used to the downtime – a study out today by Willis Towers Watson has found that one in five (21 per cent) Brits don't expect to retire until after their 70th birthday. Not to be too big a bearer of bad news but the study [...]
Insurers predict they will need to cut costs over the next few months as competitors with a technology focus creep into their market place March 29, 2016 General insurers expect to see their profitability sink over the next three months, despite also predicting a rise in premiums, a study out today has found. The survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and PwC discovered that insurers, particularly those dealing with general insurance, are increasingly worried about competition from startup InsurTech companies and are [...]
