Legal lender Level gets £20m investment from venture capital firm March 16, 2021 Legal lender Level has received an investment from Guernsey-based 1818 Venture Capital worth £20m. Level specialises in lending within the family and private client law sectors and works with more than 200 law firms. It had funded hundreds of cases and clients. George Williamson, founder and CEO of Level, said: “[The] investment, and in particular [...]
Portugal removed from UK’s travel ban ‘red list’ in boost for summer holiday hopes March 16, 2021 Portugal will be removed from the UK’s travel ban list this week, in a boost for summer holiday hopes this year. The Department for Transport has updated its “red list” of destinations, which bars travellers from those countries entering the UK. British or Irish nationals are permitted to enter the country, but must quarantine in [...]
Retail tech startup Rezolve eyes $750m price tag with fresh funding round March 16, 2021 Mobile shopping platform Rezolve is closing in on a fresh funding round backed by British taxpayers that would value the startup at $750m (£540m). Rezolve, founded by tech entrepreneur Dan Wagner, is finalising a $20m funding round from a string of new US-based investors. The new cash injection, which is backed by a company connected [...]
eToro confirms plans to merge with a Spac at $10bn valuation March 16, 2021 Investment platform eToro has confirmed plans to merge with a special acquisition company after years of speculation about going public. The London-based firm announced it had agreed to merge with Fintech Acquisition Corp. V in a deal which values eToro at around $10.4bn. The companies are raising approximately $650m in equity. Established in 2007 by [...]
City minister calls for ‘responsible capitalism’ in financial services sector March 16, 2021 The UK’s financial services sector should move toward a more “responsible” form of capitalism that takes into account a broader ranger of interests and not just shareholders, according to City minister John Glen. Glen wrote today that the Square Mile was “ideally placed to showcase this responsible capitalism” through, but that firms should “reject some [...]
EP: 45 Cheltenham Festival Day 2 – Wednesday March 16, 2021 The second day of the Cheltenham Festival sees the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase, run over 2 miles as the feature, one of four grade 1 races on the card. We also see the return of former Cross Country champion Tiger Roll who takes on last year’s winner Easysland once again. Today our special [...]
STV Group sets out digital growth plans after pandemic hits profit March 16, 2021 Scottish media firm STV Group saw its profit fall two-thirds in 2020 but said that it had achieved a record viewing performance amid the chaos of the pandemic. The firm, which runs the STV television channel north of the border, said that profit before tax had fallen from £19m to £6.7m in 2020. However, it [...]
Central London to get ‘half a dozen’ new Greggs stores following rent bonfire March 16, 2021 Half a dozen new Greggs stores will open up in zones one and two in central London, including in the City of London, after falling rents in the capital made London spaces more attractive. Greggs reported its first annual loss today since listing on the stock exchange in 1984, after coronavirus restrictions forced store closures [...]
Best of travel: Where to go and what to do in Bermuda March 16, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Siobhan Grogan’s trip to the sun, sea and sand of Bermuda. ••• There are few things more intimidating on the water than suddenly finding yourself in the middle of a practice race for the [...]
Remote purchase: Can you buy a house you haven’t visited? March 16, 2021 Since the start of the Covid crisis, there has been a lot of talk about remote purchase as a solution to limitations on movement. Some hoped that virtual viewings and remote purchases would be a lifeline to the industry under lockdown and beyond. At Aykroyd & Co, we have had some significant successes with remote [...]