Amazon tries to cut waste after backlash from ITV investigation August 5, 2021 E-commerce giant Amazon is to reduce rubbish with two new policies following an ITV News investigation which found the company destroying millions of items of unsold stock. The largest online retailer came under fire two months ago after ITV released footage of an Amazon warehouse in Dunfermline, Scotland destroyed everything from laptops and TV’s to [...]
WPP raises forecast, following further revenue growth August 5, 2021 WPP today reported continuing strong results for the first half of the year, in a sign of optimism for the global marketing industry. The London-listed ad giant reported revenue growth of 9.8 per cent and new net business worth almost $3bn in the first six months of the year as more customers return to investing [...]
Sadiq Khan wants to make not wearing a mask on Tube a criminal offence August 5, 2021 Refusing to wear a face mask on the Tube should be made into a criminal offence, Sadiq Khan has said. The mayor of London wants the government to introduce a new bye-law that would enshrine face mask wearing on Transport for London (TfL) in law. Wearing a face mask in enclosed spaces is no longer [...]
China tech crackdown: From Jack Ma’s disappearance to online tutoring debacle August 5, 2021 Chinese technology giants once seemed untouchable, with billions of profits through aggressive expansion. But that status is now more uncertain after a year of Beijing’s sweeping regulatory crackdowns that have spread like wildfire across sectors. The saga started last October when Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, who founded e-commerce behemoth Alibaba, criticised China for lacking a [...]
India’s financial crime watchdog looks to fine e-commerce giant Flipkart $1.3bn August 5, 2021 India’s financial crime watchdog is looking to fine Walmart-backed e-commerce giant Flipkart $1.35bn over claimed foreign investment violations, according to reports. The Enforcement Directorate agency has been investigating retail heavyweights like Flipkart and Amazon for allegedly bypassing laws that regulate multi-brand retail and restrict them to operating a marketplace for sellers, Reuters first reported citing [...]
City watchdog intensifies crackdown on high-risk products August 5, 2021 The City watchdog has intensified its crackdown on high-risk financial products being used to exploit retail investors, it announced today. The Financial Conduct Authority has stopped a Cypriot-based firm, BDSwiss Group, from offering high-risk contracts for differences to UK investors. Read more: City watchdog launches money laundering probe into Monzo Sarah Pritchard, executive director, markets [...]
SoftBank injects $100m into former partner’s new consumer tech fund August 5, 2021 SoftBank Vision Fund II plans to invest $100m in a new consumer tech fund launched by one of its former managing partners Jeff Housenbold, the latest in a string of tech investments in the past few weeks. SoftBank’s second Vision Fund’s $100m investment will form up to a fifth of the $500m to $600m that [...]
Stamp Duty Holiday gives UK property market and tax coffers a major boost August 5, 2021 The government has published data confirming that the UK property market has been given a major boost by the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday. Results for the second quarter of 2021 show that total SDLT transactions jumped 165 per cent compared to the same period last year and are up nine per cent compared [...]
Vanguard’s US staff get $1,000 vaccine bonus: Will it come to the UK? August 5, 2021 Vanguard is to pay $1,000 to each of its 16,500 US staff should they prove they are fully vaccinated by October. The bonus includes those who were jabbed prior to the company making the generous offer. However, the offer will not be extended to employees of the asset management firm in Europe, it was announced. [...]
Ethereum upgrade incoming as price continues to surge August 5, 2021 Crypto at a glance The Ethereum price continues to soar this morning ahead of today’s big upgrade, up 8% over the past 24 hours to almost $2,700. The latest push means Ethereum is up more than 16% over the week, with five Ethereum Improvement Proposals set to get incorporated into the blockchain’s code today. The [...]
