Marlboro maker takeover of Vectura raises public interest eyebrows in government July 29, 2021 The takeover of respiratory drug firm Vectura by tobacco company Philip Morris International has raised government eyebrows over public interest concerns, according to the business secretary. The deal, worth more than £1bn, will be ‘closely monitored’ by the government after a letter from Labour shadow ministers urged the government to consider blocking it. Under the [...]
CMA hits firms with £100m in fines for making drugs unaffordable for the NHS July 29, 2021 Drug company Advanz, as well as two private equity firms, have been hit with fines of over £100m by the UK’s competition watchdog for hiking vital drug prices. The investigation found that Advanz pushed up prices for thyroid tablet packs, known as liothyronine tablets, more than tenfold. A pack would have cost just £20 in [...]
Lloyds banking group lifts forecasts as UK economic outlook brightens July 29, 2021 Lloyds banking group has lifted its forecast for the year after the UK’s economic outlook has brightened in the past six months amid its vaccine rollout. Statutory profit before tax hit £3.9bn in the six months to 30 June, a ‘significant’ increase from the first half of 2020. The banking group has confirmed it bought [...]
Trading platform CMC sees customer base grow after record surge last year July 29, 2021 Online trading platform CMC has forecast its net operating income to exceed £330m for its upcoming full-year results after client numbers have lifted in the past few weeks. Monthly active clients were up around a third from pre-pandemic levels in the weeks to 30 June 2021 but remain at similar levels as reported in its [...]
Contenful now worth $3bn after fresh capital rally ahead of rumoured US IPO July 28, 2021 Content platform provider Contentful, led by a former Microsoft and Amazon executive, has hit a valuation of $3bn today after its latest funding round. The fundraiser, led by investment giant Tiger Global, rallied together $175m for its expansion into marketing and sales. The German company, founded in 2012, operates content management systems behind websites like [...]
German insurance watchdog forecasts €5.5bn worth of flood damage claims July 28, 2021 German insurance industry association GDV has forecast around €5.5bn worth of claims due to extreme flooding earlier this month. The insurance watchdog has upped its estimates from between €4bn and €5bn last week. Germany’s biggest insurer Allianz issued its first damages estimate of more than €500m yesterday from the storm known as storm Bernd. The [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? July 28, 2021 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Environmental Agency chair joins Green Finance Institute board The Green Finance Institute (GFI) has posted the chair of the UK’s Environmental Agency as its new interim chair, following the death of its founding chairman Sir Roger [...]
Metro Bank pulls in solid revenue as asset growth looks sluggish July 28, 2021 Metro Bank has pulled £179.8m in revenue in the past six months, as the British bank looks to return to a more profitable growth in the second half of the year. Revenue was up some £26.5m in the six months to 30 June, which the bank put down to the recovery of much of the [...]
British American Tobacco smoking alternatives revenues take off July 28, 2021 British American Tobacco has seen its smoking alternatives take off, as the new products brought in £883m alone and customers increased at their highest rate yet. Its smoking alternatives like vape, tobacco heating and modern oral products brought in more than 40 per cent more revenue in the six months to 30 June than in [...]
Barclays UK assets hit £219bn as easing lockdown sees fewer loan costs July 28, 2021 Barclays UK assets have hit £219bn in the past six months as lockdown measures have eased, allowing for fewer loan costs. The bank’s UK division pulled in a total income of £3.2bn, which was up one per cent in comparison to last year but was partially offset by its operating expenses of some £2.1bn. Shares [...]
