Easyhotel bidders secure takeover despite founder’s protests August 21, 2019 Real estate investors Ivanhoe Cambridge and Icamap have secured their takeover of Easyhotel, despite protests from founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. The bidders, who have formed a joint venture named Citrus UK, said they hold or have received acceptances for more than 50 per cent of the company’s voting rights. Read more: Easyhotel urges investors to [...]
Citigroup and BNP Paribas named in case against Huawei finance boss August 21, 2019 Citigroup and BNP Paribas have been dragged into an ongoing US court case against the chief financial officer of Chinese tech firm Huawei. The banks have been named in documents published by a Canadian court as part of extradition proceedings against Meng Wanzhou, who is currently under house arrest in the country. Read more: US [...]
Apple reportedly hikes streaming budget as it eyes November launch date August 20, 2019 Apple is said to be planning a November launch date for its eagerly-awaited streaming service, as it ramps up its spending on new films and TV shows. Apple TV Plus is considering a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 (£8.25) following a free trial period, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Read more: Apple’s [...]
Facebook risks hit to advertising revenue as it unveils new privacy feature August 20, 2019 Facebook has unveiled a new feature that gives users greater control over their personal data, in a move that could impact the social media firm’s advertising revenue. The tech giant said it will allow users to prevent information about their browsing activity from being passed on to third parties for advertising. Read more: Twitter and [...]
Whatsapp in talks to launch mobile payments service in Indonesia August 20, 2019 Whatsapp is said to be in discussions with several digital payments firms in Indonesia over plans to offer mobile transactions over its platform. If a deal were reached, it would make Indonesia only the second country worldwide where Whatsapp offers the service. Read more: NSO denies Whatsapp spyware can hack data The firm is currently [...]
Hipgnosis snaps up Chainsmokers catalogue as spending spree continues August 20, 2019 Music royalties specialist Hipgnosis has continued its recent run of strong form, securing the rights to the music catalogue of The Chainsmokers. Read more: Hipgnosis bags rights to music catalogue of Ed Sheeran songwriter Hipgnosis said it has acquired 32 songs by the DJ duo, who have bagged 55 number ones and rack up 41m [...]
Shares in Kin and Carta slide as investment eats into profit August 20, 2019 Shares in Kin and Carta dropped roughly 13 per cent after the digital transformation company warned on profits for the full year. The London-headquartered firm said its pre-tax profit would be marginally lower than expectations after it upped its annual investment from £2m to £3m. Read more: AI software market posts huge growth amid digital [...]
Juul raises $325m to fund global expansion of e-cigarette range August 19, 2019 E-cigarette giant Juul has raised $325m (£268m) in an equity and debt offering as it looks to fast track its global expansion amid regulatory pressure in the US. Read more: British American Tobacco boosted by vaping sales Juul did not specify the ratio of equity to debt in the deal, but a source familiar with [...]
5G fisticuffs: EE files complaint over Three’s ‘real’ network advert August 19, 2019 Mobile operator EE has fired the latest salvo in an escalating clash between telecoms firms, filing a complaint with the advertising watchdog over a campaign promoting Three’s 5G network. EE has raised concerns about newspaper and social media adverts that claimed Three’s network provided the only “real” 5G service. Under advertising rules, a brand must [...]
US extends reprieve on Huawei ban by 90 days August 19, 2019 The US has delayed its trade ban on Huawei by a further 90 days, despite President Donald Trump’s insistence that American companies will be blocked from trading with the Chinese tech giant. Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross today said his department will extend a temporary measure that allows American companies to do business with Huawei. The [...]
