Box-fresh? Sandboxes go global City Talk What image does the word ‘sandbox’ conjure up for you? For most people, the answer is likely to be kindergartens, buckets and sandcastles. But for financial services innovators, sandboxes have a different meaning – and, for some projects, pivotal importance. For organisations looking to launch a product that needs a regulatory licence, a sandbox is [...]
Open finance: exploring open banking’s natural evolution City Talk Laziness. Lack of time. The all-too-frequent challenge of speaking to a helpful person by phone. There are many reasons why consumers and businesses don’t shop around and switch products and suppliers. Failing to keep abreast of the best mortgage rates? Rolling onto the same insurance every year without looking for better deals? If so, open finance – a development coming [...]
Boardrooms and ethnic diversity: finally, momentum? City Talk Britain’s largest companies’ progress towards having more ethnically diverse management has been sluggish. But are things about to speed up? The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) began the month by revealing plans for a campaign aimed at boosting racial and ethnic participation in senior leadership. Alongside companies including Aviva and Microsoft, the CBI is preparing [...]
Get ahead with a NED? How non-executive directors have evolved October 9, 2020 ‘You cannot rely on others to seek you out – you must put in a concerted effort to obtaining a directorship. So network, wear out the shoe leather and be prepared to drink a lot of coffee’: so advises a guide for senior professionals seeking to become a non-executive director (NED). Spencer Stuart, the executive search and [...]
Anything to declare? The ‘S’ of ESG makes its move September 25, 2020 The central component of the increasingly prominent ‘ESG’ – the ‘S’ – is typically neglected in discussions about environmental, social and governance (ESG) data and non-financial disclosure. But developments such as the Boohoo garment workers controversy and Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the trends such as gender pay-gap reporting – not to mention [...]
Healthtech: are ‘virtual’ doctors here to stay? September 17, 2020 Earlier today, the heads of NHSX and NHS Digital, discussed ‘digital transformation in the National Health Service’ in front of a parliamentary committee in Westminster. NHSX is a government unit set up last year to focus on NHS technology, digital and data (the ‘X’ stands for ‘user experience’). NHS Digital provides IT infrastructure and support. [...]
Biotech seeks to seize the moment September 11, 2020 Biotech was outperforming the broader market before the pandemic hit – since then its relative performance has been stronger still. So proclaims a timely publication showcasing investment trends, performance and opportunities published last week by the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA), which seeks to ‘lift the lid’ on one what is naturally an R&D-heavy sector. Biotech [...]
Red card to business cards? Not just yet September 4, 2020 For many entrepreneurs and start-ups, it is one of the most exciting elements of launching a company: ordering business cards. The very act of commissioning and receiving shipments of 88x55mm cards showcasing your new enterprise is a visible and tangible sign that you’re ready for business. Could the increasing number of new companies springing up [...]
Share and share alike: electronically? August 28, 2020 Where – if you’re lucky enough to own shares – do you store the paperwork? A drawer? The attic? Share certificates – possessed by millions of Britons – and dividend cheques seem on a path becoming obsolete. A trend towards digital delivery of shareholder-related communications means that the era of private investors filing away their [...]
From protein to plastics – EU funding continues to flow (for now) August 21, 2020 Portugal’s off the list. Croatia’s on the list. Spain and France have been on the list for a while. As far as Europe is concerned, the headlines are dominated by the latest quarantine rules for people returning to Britain from holiday hotspots. It’s tough to keep track of the changing rules and timings. On a [...]