Mind the funding gap: Can the TfL boss secure London’s Tube network’s future? September 21, 2021 It’s only September, but one date is very much etched in the mind of Transport for London (TfL) Commissioner Andy Byford: 11 December. That’s when TfL’s latest £1bn funding package runs out, the third short-term deal the government has bestowed on the capital’s transport network, despite repeated pleas for a multi-year settlement instead. And although [...]
US government imposes sanctions on crypto exchange September 21, 2021 The US government has imposed sanctions on a cryptocurrency exchange for the first time ever in a bid to clamp down on ransomware attacks. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has decided to blacklist the SUEX exchange over its alleged role in facilitating transactions for ransomware attackers. Analysis of the Russian exchanges’ [...]
UK courts charge a third man over salisbury Novichok poisoning September 21, 2021 British police have confirmed a third Russian man has been charged with the 2018 Novichok murder attempt on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Detectives have accused Denis Sergeev, a senior military intelligence officer who worked under the alias Sergey Fedotov, of being part of the team who deployed a deadly nerve [...]
Easing Evergrande fears lift FTSE 100 as investors brace for Fed rate decision September 21, 2021 The FTSE 100 rallied today to cancel out sharp losses registered yesterday, driven by easing fears over the fallout if heavily indebted Chinese property Evergrande collapses. The capital’s premier index finished up 1.12 per cent at 6,980.98 points, up from this week’s starting position of 6,963.64 points. Global markets sold off sharply on Monday, triggered [...]
MPs to grill social media giants over ‘inaction’ on financial fraud September 21, 2021 MPs will tomorrow probe the role of online giants like Facebook and Google in preventing financial fraud amid concerns the companies are letting scammers run rampant on their platforms. Westminster’s Treasury Select Committee will grill senior figures from Amazon, Google, Facebook and eBay for its inquiry into “combatting economic crime”, with one MP lamenting “the [...]
Legal Q&A: What uncertainty around the Ashes means for England, the players, contracts, sponsors and broadcasters September 21, 2021 Lawyer Jamie Horner examines the legal issues around this winter’s Ashes series between England and Australia, which remains in the balance due to Covid-19 restrictions Down Under. What are some of the key legal issues around this Ashes series? The key issue is the difference between Covid-19 restrictions in the UK and the more draconian [...]
A letter from Google to Big Tech September 21, 2021 Tomorrow the Treasury Select Committee will call representatives from across tech companies to explain the role we each play in helping prevent financial scammers exploiting online platforms. In the UK, people are targeted by increasingly sophisticated scammers on and offline, causing financial and emotional difficulty for many people. According to UK Finance, in 2020, total [...]
PensionBee boss: UK is ‘painfully unaware’ when it comes to pension options September 21, 2021 Legislation dating back almost two decades is contributing to a general inertia in the UK when it comes to pensions and is holding people back with their financial planning, according to online pension provider PensionBee’s CEO Romi Savova. “As a society, we are painfully unaware of the huge benefit that our pensions will have for [...]
Joe Biden doubles US climate change aid to $11.4bn a year in lead up to Cop26 September 21, 2021 The US will double its annual climate change aid budget and give $11.4m per year by 2024 to developing countries, President Joe Biden announced today. Biden said at the UN General Assembly that the new commitment will make the US “the leader of public climate finance” just months before the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. [...]
Wise launches cross-currency investment feature for UK customers September 21, 2021 British fintech giant Wise has entered the retail investing space with its new feature “Assets”, which allows UK account holders to invest in stocks across 54 currencies. As of today, individuals and businesses holding Wise accounts will be able to hold their money as stocks and use Assets to invest in BlackRock’s iShares World Equity [...]
