Blockchain can futureproof the financial services industry August 11, 2020 How can blockchain technology transform the financial service sector at a time of turbo-charged pace of innovation? The last decade has been defined by unprecedented technological change, most notably through the widespread adoption of smartphones and an ever-increasing reliance on digital financial services. Throughout this time, shifting client needs and new generations of digital natives [...]
How to fail in fixing Crypto Projects : Underestimate The Hype Factor August 11, 2020 Phew! I mean, literally, “PHEW!” I just finished a two-month consultancy for an emerging crypto project. I usually stick to blockchain and avoid crypto, but this project looked exciting, and it helped that a trusted colleague made the introduction inviting me to provide strategy and support. Just like the crypto project that got me into [...]
Petrofac books $78m loss and cuts dividend on back of oil price crash August 11, 2020 Oil services group Petrofac posted a $78m (£59.6m) loss in the first half of 2020 and said it would not pay its dividend due to the decline in oil prices caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The FTSE 250 firm also announced plans to become net zero in scope one and two emissions – those used [...]
We should never have to choose between pubs and schools — but if we do, schools must come first August 11, 2020 It is a “moral duty: and a “national priority” to return all children to the classroom in September. So wrote the Prime Minister in an op-ed at the weekend, in which he pinned his colours to the mast of the schools debate in no uncertain terms. Boris Johnson’s intervention comes in response to mounting concerns [...]
The top five accounting mistakes analysts make August 11, 2020 Prior to entering graduate school almost 20 years ago, I had a very important phone conversation with an analyst at the Dreyfus Founders Funds, Chuck Reed. That brief phone conversation changed my focus in graduate school — and hence my life. One of the questions I asked Chuck was, “What skills should I acquire that most [...]
Plus 500 boosts profit following coronavirus market volatility August 11, 2020 Trading platform Plus 500 today unveiled stellar numbers for the first half of the year with profit growing 452 per cent on the back of increased market volatility. Plus 500 boosted revenue 281 per cent to $564.2m (£431.6m) in the six months to 30 June. The company grew earnings 452 per cent to $361.8m during [...]
UK retail sales grow following lockdown easing August 11, 2020 UK retail sales grew in July as the easing of lockdown restrictions released pent-up demand, but high street stores continued to struggle. On a total basis, sales increased 3.2 per cent last month, compared to a jump of 0.5 per cent in July 2019, which was the second consecutive month of growth since the coronavirus [...]
Heathrow calls for airport testing as passenger numbers drop 88 per cent August 11, 2020 Around 88 per cent fewer people travelled through Heathrow Airport in July compared with last year as the coronavirus pandemic continued to strangle air travel. In total, over 860,000 people used the airport last month, a slight uplift from the 350,000 who did so in June, which Heathrow said was down to the government’s “travel [...]
Trump escorted from briefing after shooting near White House August 11, 2020 Secret Service officers abruptly escorted President Donald Trump out of a live press briefing after a shooting occurred outside the White House yesterday. The President had started a statement to the media when the Secret Service rushed him from the room and into the Oval Office before the White House entered lockdown. When Trump returned [...]
In love with Amazon? It’s just a marriage of convenience August 11, 2020 And just becauseI call you upDon’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it madeI’m not in love, no no, it’s because…. I’m sure you recognise those lyrics from the 1975 hit “I’m Not In Love” by 10cc — which was precisely 20 years before Amazon was launched onto an unsuspecting world. If only we’d [...]
