First-half profits double at HSBC as bank reinstates dividend August 2, 2021 Banking behemoth HSBC appears to have recovered from the ravages of Covid-19, with first-half profits more than doubling on last year. The Asia-focussed bank recorded pre-tax profits of $10.8bn for the first six months of the year, some $6.5bn ahead of last year’s equivalent. The bank said all of its regions were profitable, with HSBC’s [...]
Sunday Read: Bank of England’s QE programme has muddied the water between right and wrong August 1, 2021 “The problem with QE is it works in practice but it doesn’t work in theory,” an often quoted joke said by former Fed chair Ben Bernanke. But, some are testing that hypothesis. The backdrop to Thursday’s Bank of England meeting is much more unforgiving than previous ones. A House of Lords committee recently accused the [...]
Analysis: Is AI really set to transform the banking industry? July 31, 2021 The future, or a fad? Shameek Kundu, Head of Financial Services at TruEra, looks at whether AI’s credibility gap could hold back the banking industry. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is widely seen as key to the banking industry’s transformation. Industry surveys, including one from the Bank of England, suggest that two in every three financial institutions have adopted AI in [...]
Pound on track for best week since December July 30, 2021 Pound sterling hovered near a one-month high against the dollar on Friday and was set to register its strongest week since December 2020. The reopening of the UK economy has fuelled consumer spending, while a drop in Covid cases over the last week has improved investor sentiment. Read more: Euro 2020 pushes retail sales above [...]
Rush to beat stamp duty deadline drives mortgage borrowing to record high July 29, 2021 A rush to complete house purchases before the tapering of the stamp duty holiday at the end of June drove mortgage borrowing to a record monthly high, reveal new figures published today. The Bank of England said mortgage borrowing hit £17.9bn in June, surging 163 per cent in just a month from £6.8bn in May. [...]
A path to Britcoin: a UK digital currency isn’t just about the money, it’s a public service July 29, 2021 Innovations in central banking rarely attract attention. But, from the Bank Charter Act of 1848, which set in motion the Bank of England’s monopoly on printing money, through to its operational independence in 1997, the central bank has reinvented itself time and again to strengthen public trust in the pound. Now, a wave of technological [...]
Coronavirus and the impact on UK insolvencies July 29, 2021 We’ve spoken to insolvency expert, David McGinness, Insolvency Practitioner at French Duncan Restructuring & Debt Advisory, on how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted businesses across UK and what the future holds for them. David McGinness has more than 15 years experience in all types of personal and corporate insolvency. Through the course of his insolvency [...]
Weaker economic backdrop presents fresh headaches for Fed July 28, 2021 Today’s Federal Open Market Committee announcements come amid mounting concerns that the rapid rise in Covid cases could dampen the global economic recovery. This backdrop presents a different set of problems for Fed Chair Jerome Powell to when he last spoke in June. Recovery prospects are still good, but have tempered. Investors around the world [...]
C-suite diversity credentials to be laid bare under new FCA rules July 28, 2021 The UK’s financial watchdog is seeking to implement new rules that will force listed companies to disclose their c-suite diversity credentials, it announced today. The Financial Conduct Authority is seeking feedback from firms on proposed rules that will see listed companies publish a “comply or explain” statement breaking down whether they have reached proposed diversity [...]
City Corporation urges firms to support its socio-economic diversity task force July 28, 2021 The City of London Corporation is calling on financial and professional services firms to encourage their networks and employees to support its socio-economic diversity task force. At a virtual meeting, City Corporation policy chair Catherine McGuinness asked individuals and organisations to get involved by being informed and using their influence to raise awareness of the [...]