Digital health firm Babylon mulls $4bn US stock market float February 24, 2021 Babylon is said to be weighing up a US initial public offering that could value the health app at $4bn (£2.8bn). The digital health firm, which offers remote consultations with doctors, has been approached by several bank cheque firms about going public via a Spac deal, Bloomberg reported. The London-based company is also thought to [...]
Inmarsat appoints former Nokia boss as its new chief executive February 24, 2021 British satellite giant Inmarsat today said it has appointed former Nokia boss Rajeev Suri as its new chief executive. Suri, who stepped down as president and chief executive of the Finnish telecoms giant in 2020 after six years at the helm, will take up the position next month. He will replace Rupert Pearce, who has [...]
Lloyds to slash office space as it resumes dividend despite 72 per cent profit drop February 24, 2021 Lloyds resumes dividend despite 72 per cent profit drop as it unveils wealth drive
EE to extend 4G coverage in rural not-spot crackdown February 24, 2021 EE today said it will improve its 4G coverage in more than 500 areas across the UK as part of a government initiative to stamp out so-called signal not-spots in rural areas. The mobile operator, which is owned by BT, has already upgraded its network in 110 areas since March last year and plans a [...]
Apple acquisitions: Tech giant buys a company every three to four weeks February 24, 2021 As the giants of Silicon Valley jostle for pole position in the escalating technology arms race, mergers and acquisitions are often the name of the game. But the scale of Big Tech acquisitiveness has been laid bare after Apple boss Tim Cook revealed his company has snapped up roughly 100 companies over the last six [...]
Vodafone confirms Frankfurt float for mobile masts business February 24, 2021 Vodafone has confirmed plans to float its mobile masts division on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by the end of March. The mobile network launched Vantage Towers last year in a bid to cash in on its lucrative infrastructure amid tough competition in the telecoms market. The company operates 82,000 towers across 10 European markets and [...]
Tesla rival Lucid Motors gears up for $24bn stock market float February 23, 2021 A luxury electric vehicle maker looking to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk’s Tesla is set to go public in a blank cheque deal that will value it at $24bn (£17bn). California-based Lucid Motors has agreed to merge with Churchill Capital IV, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) set up by former Citigroup banker Michael [...]
HSBC results: Shift to Asia, office space slashed, dividend returns February 23, 2021 HSBC today said it plans to nearly halve its office space globally as part of a radical overhaul that will see the lender shift its focus to Asia. The bank will pump roughly $6bn (£4.3bn) into the region over the next five years, focusing mainly on its wealth management business in greater China as well [...]
Facebook reverses Australia news ban after law changes February 23, 2021 Facebook has backed down in its feud with Australia after negotiating changes to a new law that will force tech firms to pay publishers for news. The social media giant last week blocked access to news in the country in protest at the upcoming legislation, drawing widespread criticism. But following talks between the government and [...]
Sunday Sitdown: Time Out boss Julio Bruno on the ‘renaissance’ of cities February 21, 2021 While no one could have predicted the outbreak of coronavirus, few companies have been blighted by worse timing than Time Out. In the face of shrinking revenue from its core events listings business, the media group has spent recent years shifting its focus to a new offering of food and culture markets. But when the [...]