Wirecard forged client list to secure £760m investment from SoftBank July 11, 2022 German payments processer Wirecard forged client data in its efforts to secure €900m (£760m) in investment from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, as it sought to reassure investors about the fundamentals of its business before it collapsed the following year. The Bavarian fintech firm showed SoftBank’s representatives a fabricated list of clients on a computer in Wirecard’s [...]
Investors strap themselves to real estate debt, pouring £590m into BNP Paribas fund July 11, 2022 Investors have poured more than €700m (£592m) into BNP Paribas’ second senior commercial real estate debt fund. The French asset management giant sailed passed its €500m (£423m) target, with investors keen to strap themselves to sturdy funds with a record of navigating financial crises, such as the pandemic. The second fund has snagged more than [...]
Will the recent slide in the Volatility Index continue? July 11, 2022 With earnings season kicking off this week amid the backdrop of US inflation, consumer confidence and industrial production data, where next for the VIX? Volatility Index (VIX) outlook The Volatility Index (VIX) is again coming off its relatively high 30+ reading as it has done every month year-to-date, except in April, but is another spike higher around [...]
Tory leadership: Zahawi says he’ll cancel Corporation Tax hike if made PM July 11, 2022 New chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has said he has already “set the wheels in motion” to cancel a planned Corporation Tax hike if made Prime Minister as he proposes a swathe of tax cuts to launch his Tory leadership bid. Zahawi told a Westminster event this afternoon that he would also cut the basic rate of [...]
Domino’s poaches Just Eat’s finance director for top board role July 11, 2022 Domino’s has appointed a new chief financial officer, poaching Just Eat’s UK and Ireland regional finance director. The pizza chain announced on Monday that Edward Jamieson will join the board of directors in October 2022. Jamieson’s CV includes a four year stint at the food delivery platform, where he helped the UK arm boost revenue [...]
MJ Gleeson doubles home sales as appetite for affordable property offsets inflation July 11, 2022 Low-cost housebuilder MJ Gleeson has doubled its home sales in the past five years, leaving significant material and labour cost increases in the dust. In an upbeat trading update today, the company boasted a more than 10 per cent jump in sales to a total of 2,000 in the year to 30 June. “Notwithstanding the [...]
Klarna valuation plummets to $6.7bn in new funding round July 11, 2022 Buy-now pay-later giant Klarna announced its valuation had plunged to $6.7bn after its latest funding round today, down from $45.6bn last year, as it becomes the latest firm to be rocked by a global tech downturn. Klarna, which provides both a consumer credit product and retail banking services in some jurisdictions, said today it had [...]
Klarna to unveil $800m fundraising round with backing from Canada’s largest pension fund July 11, 2022 Klarna is set to reveal an $800m fundraising at a valuation below $6bn, it has been reported, with a potential backer including Canada’s biggest pension fund. The fintech giant could announce this week that it has clinched funding from existing and new investors, according to a Sky News report. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board [...]
Weak British pound sees salaries paid out to Akin Gump’s new lawyers surge to £179,000 a year July 11, 2022 Newly qualified (NQ) lawyers at US law firm Akin Gump are set to see their salaries surge to new highs of £179,000 a year, after the firm amended the exchange rate it uses to calculate its London lawyers pay packages to reflect Britain’s weaker pound. The exchange rate switch up will effectively mean NQ lawyers [...]
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone charged with fraud by the CPS over failure to declare £400m assets July 11, 2022 Former F1 racing boss Bernie Ecclestone has been charged with fraud by the Crown Prosecution service over £400m of assets he failed to declare. The 91-year-old businessman was accused of the crime by false representation, with the CPS saying it authorised the charge after reviewing evidence from HMRC. It was made “in respect of his [...]