‘Full-blown recycling crisis’ looms over UK, DS Smith boss warns August 27, 2021 A “full-blown recycling crisis” is looming in the UK, the boss of London-listed packaging firm DS Smith has warned. With the UK trying to up its environmental commitments ahead of the UN’s flagship climate conference COP26 in November, DS Smith chief executive Miles Roberts has said the country is “throwing away” opportunities that could help [...]
Tech crackdown: China proposes banning local sensitive data firms from US IPOs August 27, 2021 China has turned its attention to the US stock market amid its tech sector crackdown, according to reports, by suggesting new rules that ban sensitive data firms from listing. The new rules target internet companies, but the China Securities Regulatory Commission, its local market watchdog, has said that those in the pharmaceutical industry, are still [...]
Microsoft warns of intruder risk in Azure cloud database August 27, 2021 Thousands of Microsoft cloud computing customers could have reportedly been hit by a breach, as it warned intruders could have the ability to read, change or delete their main databases. The weak spot is in Microsoft Azure’s Cosmos DB database, according to Reuters. Which was revealed when security company Wiz found it could open keys [...]
Net fees slip at recruitment giant Hays as Covid rocked business confidence August 26, 2021 Net fees at recruitment giant Hays have dropped eight per cent as the firm grappled with the Covid-19 impacts of rocky business and candidate confidence. The group’s total fees fell from £996.2m to £918.1m in the year to 30 June. Meanwhile, the firm’s operating profit also dropped 30 per cent from £135m to £95m. Shares [...]
Space race: The ambitions, plans and delays of launching superpowers August 26, 2021 Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, following its landmark human flight last month, has launched an uncrewed mission of NASAs future moon landing technology today. The flight, known as NS-17 or New Shepard 17, set off from a Blue Origin site in West Texas. The NASA payload on board is to test technologies including a Doppler Lidar [...]
Research platform Atheneum looks to expand London team after £110m fundraiser August 26, 2021 Research platform Atheneum has set its sights on expanding its London team, as well as its Munich, Shanghai and New York offices, following a £110m funding round. The platform’s latest capital rally, led by Guidepost Growth Equity, will see Atheneum’s UK headcount swell from 50 to 200 over the next 12 months. “We are excited [...]
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 [...]