Squeamish ministers must include casual sex exemption in lockdown roadmap February 23, 2021 Sex and intimacy are a part of what makes us human, but the infinite ways that we all experience our sexuality and inter-personal relationships have been completely lost in the Government’s approach to lockdown and yesterday’s roadmap did not offer any real light at the end of the tunnel. For most of the past year, [...]
Post-Brexit regulatory changes for the City could free up £95bn, says study February 23, 2021 The UK could free up £95bn for City insurance firms to reinvestment into the economy if the Treasury waters down the EU’s Solvency II regulations post-Brexit, according to a new study. The Association of British Insurers report, researched by accounting firm KPMG, recommends easing the cap on how much capital insurance firms must hold at [...]
BoE policymaker: ‘Five per cent interest rates won’t return in my lifetime’ February 22, 2021 Bank of England policymaker Gertjan Vlieghe said he did not expect British interest rates to return to levels common before the 2008 financial crisis during his lifetime, due partly to the effect of an ageing population. Vlieghe, 49, said longer life expectancies and more time spent in retirement had boosted demand for safe retirement assets, [...]
Gig economy workers to nab 20 per cent of financial services jobs February 22, 2021 Gig economy workers will soon make up between 15 and 20 per cent of the workforce at financial services firms, up from the current five per cent of workers. In the next three to five years so-called ‘gig workers’ will become increasingly common at financial services firms, more than half (52%) of financial services firms [...]
Alphabet-backed health insurance startup Oscar aims to raise more than $1bn in upcoming IPO February 22, 2021 Oscar Health Insurance is planning on raising more than $1 billion in its IPO.
EU ministers agree to sanction Russian officials responsible for Navalny imprisonment February 22, 2021 The EU agreed this evening to sanction Russian officials directly responsible for jailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russia, according to German foreign minister Heiko Mass. Today’s agreement came after France, Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries had urged the bloc to confront the Kremlin. Mass told reporters that “the EU will not be silent. [...]
Supreme Court allows release of Trump’s tax returns to prosecutor February 22, 2021 The US Supreme Court has paved the way for a New York City prosecutor to obtain Donald Trump’s tax returns, in a major setback for the former President. The documents will be subject to grand jury secrecy rules that restrict their public release. The documents form part of a criminal investigation into Trump, who has [...]
Spotify takes on Amazon and Apple by launching in 85 new markets February 22, 2021 Spotify said today it plans to launch in 85 new markets, nearly doubling its market presence and making the service available to more than a billion people worldwide. Spotify’s entry in new countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America significantly increases the gap with its closest rivals, Apple Music and Amazon Music. After the announcement [...]
Roadmap: Hospitality industry faces financial ruin as sector remains shut until April February 22, 2021 The hospitality industry has reacted with fury as the Prime Minister plans to allow pubs and restaurants to serve outdoors only and not until 12 April. Currently, only 40 per cent of businesses in hospitality have outdoor spaces, meaning most will still face restrictions after April. In response to today’s announcement, UK Hospitality Chief Kate [...]
Sterling rises to a three-year high February 22, 2021 Sterling rose to a three-year high against the dollar today as investors bet on the UK’s vaccination success bringing about a speedy economic recovery. Sterling achieved $1.4073 against the dollar this afternoon. It reached its highest levels since April 2018 when it broke the $1.40 barrier on Friday and has risen 2.9 per cent against [...]
