Jack Dorsey’s Square to snap up Australian rival Afterpay for £21bn August 2, 2021 Payments firm Square is set to snap up buy now, pay later company Afterpay for some £21bn, in the biggest buyout of an Australian firm to date. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who also co-founded Square, said that the payments company and Afterpay have a “shared purpose”. The deal will peg the merging companies as a [...]
Derwent London announce acquisition of Bush House August 2, 2021 Derwent London, the property giant, has announced the acquisition of the South West Wing of Bush House for £13.5m. The company already owns the freehold for the office that faces the Strand. Derwent will be purchasing the building with a vacant possession, meaning any current occupant will move out. It is a further investment in [...]
Limits on City bonuses could be scrapped under post-Brexit plans August 2, 2021 Ministers are reportedly considering removing caps on bankers’ bonuses, in a bid to make the City a more atttractive business hub post-Brexit. The preliminary plans to remove all existing restrictions and EU rules are in their initial stages and are yet to be part of any public consultations, The Times reports. Ministers are reportedly wary [...]
Civil fraud cases jump by 50 per cent and could rise as UK feels full covid economic impact August 2, 2021 The number of civil fraud cases heard in the courts has increased by 50 per cent in a year marred by the pandemic according to new analysis published today by international law firm RPC. Cases in the courts of England and Wales went up from 61 in 2019 to 94 in 2020. RPC blamed the [...]
E.ON chief exec: energy companies need to step up to the net zero challenge and take responsibility August 2, 2021 Unless the UK takes a large number of brave and radical measures in this decade, our ambition of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 will just be a pipe dream. It will also mean Britain will miss out on the business and social benefits of a green economy, which would otherwise lay the foundations of prosperity [...]
The City has a duty to prevent people from lower socio-economic backgrounds falling behind August 2, 2021 With traditional ways of working being upended by the pandemic, employers and employees across all industries are looking to reinvent their sector and address historic challenges. For the financial and professional services sector, a key part of this journey has to be achieving a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Focusing on increasing diversity in the [...]
UK jobs market recovery accelerates on better than expected consumer spending August 2, 2021 The UK jobs market recovery is accelerating as a stronger than expected rebound in consumer spending is encouraging firms to take on staff, according to new figures released today. Research published by Lloyds Bank shows the proportion of UK businesses expecting to ramp up hiring rose to 18 per cent, a sixth consecutive monthly increase [...]
Countryside creep: London homeowners flee capital at record rate August 2, 2021 London homeowners are fleeing the capital at record levels as city slickers pursue newfound housing needs triggered by the Covid crisis, according to new figures released today. Research by estate agent Hamptons shows 61,830 Londoners purchased homes outside the capital in the first six months of this year, the highest number since they started recording [...]
AIM is ‘market of choice’ for large companies August 2, 2021 London’s junior market AIM is establishing itself as the exchange of choice for larger cap companies, according to new analysis published today. Accountancy group UHY Hacker Young said” “improvement in the overall quality of companies on AIM, partly achieved through more stringent quality control, is making AIM the stock market of choice for larger cap [...]
Bridging the gap: The ICAS Foundation aims to ensure a career in accountancy is open to all August 2, 2021 The ICAS Foundation exists to ensure a person’s background is no barrier to a career in accountancy. We hear how it is working to minimise the pandemic’s impact on a new generation of students. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Accountancy is a career path that should be open to all. Yet, despite improvements [...]
