China says Wuhan coronavirus death toll 50 per cent higher than previously reported April 17, 2020 The Chinese city Wuhan which was at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak today upped its official death toll from coronavirus by 50 per cent to 3,869, state TV reported. The city where the novel coronavirus first infected humans added another 1,290 victims on top of the 2,570 previously counted, which reflected delays, omissions and [...]
Funding Circle receives accreditation for government’s CBILS coronavirus loan scheme April 17, 2020 Peer-to-peer lender Funding Circle said today it had received accreditation from the British Business Bank (BBB) to take part in the government’s coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS). It is the first alternative lender to receive accreditation to lend to customers via the emergency scheme which is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses stay [...]
Primark owner ABF confirms eligibility for coronavirus loan April 17, 2020 Primark owner Associated British Foods has announced that it is eligible for funding from the government’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility during the coronavirus outbreak. All of the budget retailer’s 376 stores across 12 countries have been closed since March 22, which represents a loss of £650m net sales each month. However the company is hoping [...]
Coronavirus: Gilead drug remdesivir sparks optimism about treatment April 17, 2020 Shares in US pharmaceutical firm Gilead have surged after a report said its drug remdesivir had shown encouraging signs in the treatment of coronavirus in a clinical trial. A University of Chicago hospital that is part of a wider trial of the drug said its patients taking the medicine were rapidly recovering from fever and [...]
FCA pushes car finance firms to halt repossessions amid coronavirus April 17, 2020 The UK’s financial watchdog has proposed a freeze on car finance repayments, ruling out repossessions of vehicles during the coronavirus crisis. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) told car leasing firms today to offer three-month repayment pauses for customers in financial difficulty as a result of coronavirus. “We are very aware of the continued struggle people [...]
Man Group funds slump $14bn on coronavirus market chaos April 17, 2020 Hedge fund manager Man Group said today that its funds under management fell 11.5 per cent to $104.2bn (£83.8bn) in the first quarter because of the slump in the markets caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Man Group said it lost $10.7bn on negative investment performance and $3.3bn on currency and other movements. Man’s computer-driven long-only [...]
Coronavirus: SMEs will need more than a slow-moving loan scheme to recover April 17, 2020 Britain was once disparagingly described as a nation of shopkeepers and now, over two centuries later, small, and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the British economy. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, SMEs account for the vast majority of the UK business population; three fifths of employment and around half of the UK’s [...]
Coronavirus: Could crisis be a tipping point for compliance and ‘RegTech’? April 17, 2020 We are living in unprecedented times. Due to the human disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a financial downturn is upon us. Against this difficult backdrop, it is my belief that ‘Regtech’, regulatory technology, is very well positioned to weather the storm. Regtech does what it says on the tin: it uses new technology, often [...]
Coronavirus: Wine dealers cheers return of confidence in China April 17, 2020 Sales of fine wine and spirits in China recovered quickly in March after a sharp contraction due to the coronavirus epidemic, a rare sign of optimism that confidence could return to the global economy sooner rather than later. Sales through global merchant BI Wine & Spirits were up by 25 per cent in March as [...]
