Lockdown pet boom: Demand for pet friendly homes surpasses garden space August 26, 2021 The demand for pet friendly homes has more than doubled during the pandemic, sailing well past garden demand as the lockdown pet boom took hold of freshly homebound Brits. Tenants eyeing pet friendly properties has surged 120 per cent compared to last summer, according to the latest research from Rightmove. While the demand for gardens [...]
Brazil’s Buffett-backed Nubank eyes $55bn valuation ahead of US IPO August 26, 2021 Brazil’s digital bank Nubank is reportedly eyeing a $55.4bn valuation ahead of its initial public offering (IPO), as Brazilians look beyond traditional lenders. If Brazil’s most prominent digital bank is listed at a market cap greater than its largest tradition bank Itau Unibanco, Nubank would shoot up the ranks towards international high flyers like the [...]
PureGym plots more UK expansion as pent-up demand pays off August 26, 2021 PureGym begins to reap the rewards of pent-up demand as all of its 506 gyms have once again opened their doors, pushing the group to expand. The gym operator recorded a revenue for June at 99 per cent of the levels seen in the June before the pandemic, in the quarter ending 30 June 2021, [...]
Afghanistan: Former central bank boss warns Taliban have ‘less than a week’ of financial coverage August 25, 2021 Following its takeover by the Taliban, Afghanistan and its capital Kabul have been left in chaos – with thousands attempting to flee the country while its economic climate becomes increasingly dire. An eyewatering amount of capital has been snatched from the hands of the Taliban as countries like the US, Germany and other foreign fiscal [...]
Citigroup forces UK junior bankers to take two weeks off by October August 25, 2021 Citigroup has asked its junior bankers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to take two weeks off work by the end of September. The measures, introduced in July and first reported by Bloomberg, form part of the Wall Street giant’s bid to improve working conditions for its youngest employees. The bank is fighting [...]
Bank North bags fresh licence in its bid to localise the future of banking August 25, 2021 Bank North has secured a banking licence from the Bank of England as it looks to target northern cities with regionally focused lenders. The upcoming lender will open in October to small businesses in and around Greater Manchester, with plans to start taking retail deposits next year. The bank’s boss Jonathan Thompson explained that Bank [...]
Afterpay marketing costs double in bid to secure US payments market August 25, 2021 Australian transactions firm Afterpay has watched its losses widen in the past year, as it ramped up costs in a bid to secure the US market. Marketing costs more than doubled in the year to June, as the firm attempted to capitalise on the pandemic-induced buy now, pay later (BNPL) services boom – which accompanied [...]
Santander US to snap up remaining stake in consumer unit for $2.5bn August 24, 2021 Santander’s US division is set to buy the minority stake in its American consumer unit for $2.5bn. Snapping up the remaining 20 per cent of the business, the deal values the entire Santander Consumer US unit at $12.7bn, the bank said in a statement. Santander offered some $41.5 per share – a 6.4 per [...]
London property managing platform Plentific bags $100m in fresh funding August 24, 2021 London-based Plentific, which operates a property management platform, has pulled in $100m (£72.8m) in its latest funding round. The Series C fundraiser, led by fresh investors Highland Europe and Brookfield Technology Partners, is set to finance its expansion plans across the US and the rest of the world. Investors old and new piled into the [...]
Former Amazon vice president poached for Ocado board August 24, 2021 Online retailer Ocado has poached a former Amazon vice president and robotics expert for its board, as the supermarket looks to broaden its market share. Incoming independent non-executive director and board veteran, Nadia Shouraboura, is set to join Ocado at the turn of September. Shares lifted 2.43 per cent by the afternoon, taking the group’s [...]
