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 [...]
British Airways owner IAG: What to expect from the airline group’s earnings February 24, 2021 At last, a crack of light. That was the response of most airlines to Boris Johnson’s suggestion that air travel could get going in earnest from 17 May after a full year of grounded planes and sweeping cuts to jobs and routes alike. Expect this future to be fully in focus on Friday, when airlines [...]
Stamp duty holiday: Property experts split on benefits of tax break extension February 24, 2021 The government is reportedly planning to extend the stamp duty holiday to June, with buyers set to save £1.75bn on 300,000 additional transactions, according to the latest research. There are an estimated 628,000 sales in total still currently in the legal process across the country – including those agreed last year – data from Rightmove [...]
BoE boss warns of EU move to take trillions of pounds of derivatives clearing away from the City February 24, 2021 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned that the EU will likely try to snatch away trillions of pounds of derivatives clearing from London’s major clearing houses in a series of moves that could threaten financial stability. Bailey told MPs today that Brussels was looking to implement “location policy” and could force banks to [...]
Metro Bank losses widen as it takes £124m hit from Covid, sending shares lower February 24, 2021 Metro Bank loss widens as it takes £124m hit from Covid pandemic
McKinsey boss Sneader ousted following poor crisis handling February 24, 2021 McKinsey global managing partner Kevin Sneader has been voted out of his position following a perceived poor handling of a succession of crises. All 650 of McKinsey’s senior partners routinely vote every three years on who should lead the firm, but, according to the Financial Times, this year’s election was seen as a referendum on [...]
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 [...]
Easyjet set to raise up to €1.2bn from bond sale February 24, 2021 Easyjet is set to raise €1 – €1.2bn from a seven-year bond sale taking place today, according to a memo seen by Reuters. The issue comes within days of the UK laying out its roadmap for the return of international travel, which prompted a huge jump in ticket bookings for the carrier. According to the [...]
Exclusive: Purity Hemp CEO on the UK’s fast-growing medical cannabis market February 24, 2021 After losing his sister to cancer and his best man to an opioid addiction, Canada-born, London-based Michael Walker felt he should explore alternative healthcare options so not to rely on Big Pharma. The former head of marketing at Heathrow Express left the advertising industry in 2016 to set up his own company, the Purity Wellness [...]
Let’s celebrate the number of women on FTSE boards, but smaller companies will face regulatory hurdles if they don’t step up February 24, 2021 It is worth taking a moment to celebrate that the number of women on FTSE 350 boards has jumped by 50 per cent over the last five years, according to the Hampton-Alexander review published yesterday. But we must not take our foot off the pedal, the work is far from done. Another recent report from [...]
