Capital exports: London should have its own diplomats in every UK embassy to make Britain truly global May 4, 2021 British embassies around the world run the whole gamut. From No. 35, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré to Level 19 of the Shangri-La Offices in Ulaanbataar, they look different but all have the same purpose: to maintain and develop relations between the UK and the host country. That can mean a multitude of different things in [...]
UK banks provided over $50bn in financing for coal-exposed firms from 2018 to 2020 May 4, 2021 The UK’s biggest banks provided $56bn worth of financing for firms involved in the coal industry between 2018 and 2020, new research today has found. Of the top five banks exposed to the sector, Barclays provided by far the most financing to firms on the Global Coal Exit list, with $27bn. HSBC and Standard Chartered [...]
Made.com doubles London warehouse space with new 350,000 sq ft site, creating 100 jobs May 4, 2021 Online retailer Made.com has announced it will more than double its London warehouse space to meet consumer demand for furniture and homewares. The 350,000 sq ft distribution centre at London Gateway Logistics Park in Tilbury is part of Made’s growth plans and will create up to 100 new jobs. The development, which will be completed [...]
Coronavirus accelerated cryptocurrency growth May 4, 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated growth in the retail cryptocurrency market by at least five years, finds a report by Ziglu.
Government spends £624m on consultancy contracts during pandemic May 4, 2021 The government has awarded contracts worth at least £624m to private firms for consulting, marketing and research purposes during the pandemic, despite criticism it has been too reliant on private firms during the crisis. In total some £30.2bn in contracts have now been awarded by the UK government in response to Covid-19, the latest figures [...]
Ineffective Covid tracing cost London businesses over £750k each, study finds May 4, 2021 Lost working days due to ineffective contact tracing have cost large London businesses over £750k each in the last year, according to a new study. The research, commissioned by Contact Harald, shows that 81 per cent of large companies in London have lost working days due to ineffective tracing tools. The study found that businesses [...]
High street recovery blown off course as footfall drops 6.1 per cent May 4, 2021 Wind and rain blew the high street recovery off course this week as footfall dropped 6.1 per cent, according to figures from retail insight company Springboard. The number of shoppers across all retail destinations fell by two per cent last week from the week before. Meanwhile, footfall rose by 2.8 per cent in shopping centres [...]
Infosys to add 1,000 UK staff to help with digital growth May 4, 2021 Indian software exporter Infosys has said it will hire 1,000 new staff in the UK to meet increased demand for its services during the pandemic. Infosys will ramp up its presence in the UK over the next three years after the pandemic “exacerbated” the need for digital skills and infrastructure. The New York-listed company said [...]
Who’s making money from Covid-19 vaccines? May 4, 2021 The distribution of Covid-19 vaccines is picking up pace globally. US President Joe Biden last month set a new target of 200 million vaccination doses to be delivered in his first 100 days in office. The original target of 100 million was achieved before his sixtieth day in office. The speed at which drugmakers were able [...]
Fidelio Cafe’s Raffaello Morales on the role of music in the City May 4, 2021 I caught up with Raffaello Morales, conductor and founder of Fidelio Cafe and founder and music director of Fidelio Orchestra, a London-based ensemble which brings together students, professionals and semi-professional players. We talked about the role of music in the City of London, how businesses can support the arts, and the importance of forging new [...]
