How Moral is ESG? September 20, 2023 ESG is immoral. So argued Milton Friedman, an economist, back in 1970. Customers, employees and stockholders, he said, did not need company executives to spend their money for them. If an executive, operating in a competitive market, took an action that reduced her company’s profits in the name of “‘social responsibility’”, she then had to [...]
“It’s Not About Diversity” September 5, 2023 The idea that companies should look out for people other than themselves is a simple one. But it has spawned all sorts of complicated-sounding acronyms, from CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) to CSV (Creating Shared Value) and, of course, ESG. One such is D&I (Diversity and Inclusion). For Joel Blake OBE, Founder of GFA Exchange, an [...]
Number of Russians using London Commercial Court reaches new record despite sanctions May 4, 2023 A record number of Russian litigants have used the London Commercial Court in the past year despite sanctions imposed in the wake of the war in Ukraine, new research has revealed. The number of Russian litigants appearing in the Commercial Court, part of the Business and Property Courts of the High Court, rose by 41 [...]
Liverpool Street upgrade down the track? Designers behind Tate Modern plan £1.5bn revamp May 2, 2023 Network Rail, MTR and Sellar have applied for permission to redevelop Liverpool Street station in its first upgrade since 1991. The plans announced last month would see £450m is earmarked for station improvements as part of a £1.5bn proposal to transform the surrounding area. This week the Liverpool Street redevelopment plans were submitted under a [...]
IN PICTURES: Flags, robes and specialist merch – how Londoners are preparing for the Coronation Weekend April 28, 2023 London retail is set for a big boost from the coronation, according to figures released today by the New West End Company. The company, which represents 600 retail and hospitality businesses in the West End, forecasts that sales over the Coronation Weekend will hit £50m. Total footfall is predicted to reach 1.75m, 24 per cent [...]
PwC invests $1bn in AI tools – but insists jobs are safe April 27, 2023 PwC will invest $1bn to develop AI tools for its staff to use across its audit, tax and consulting services in its American business, but has insisted that it won’t lead to job losses. The Big Four accountant will work with the creator of ChatGPT, Microsoft-backed OpenAI, to develop generative tools, which it hopes will [...]
London proves it’s easy being green: Capital clinches eco finance crown for fourth year in a row April 25, 2023 London has again been named the world’s number one centre for green finance, according to a survey. The capital scored well across think tank Z/Yen’s 11th Global Green Finance Index (GGFI), allowing it to retain the world’s top spot for the fourth year running. London outdid all other cities in terms of its talent pool, [...]
Footballing star takes first step into the metaverse with leading Web3 company OKX April 19, 2023 Manchester City star İlkay Gündoğan today announced his collaboration with OKX, a cryptocurrency exchange and leading developer of Web3 technology. The midfielder, who captains Manchester City and is widely considered amongst the best in the world, will be able to engage virtually with his fans and the public via the “OKX collective” metaverse. Crypto and [...]
London Stock Exchange Group gets into crypto derivatives April 13, 2023 The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) is set to offer a regulated platform for trading crypto derivatives, the company announced today. LSEG said the platform would be run by LCH, its French clearing arm, and GFO-X, a marketplace for digital assets, which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Their joint venture will be called [...]
EY’s UK bosses prepare to cut costs after split plan is ditched April 13, 2023 EY’s UK bosses are reportedly discussing cost-cutting measures after the firm dropped its plan to separate its consulting and audit divisions earlier this week. EY’s global executive committee announced on Tuesday that it had ditched the plan, known as ‘Project Everest’, following opposition from its US unit. According to a recording of an internal call that [...]