Supreme Court curbs SFO’s global reach February 5, 2021 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has lost its case against US engineering company KBR in the Supreme Court over whether it can compel foreign businesses to hand over documents held overseas. Supreme Court Judges unanimously disagreed with a 2018 High out ruling that Section 2 notices could have extra-territorial reach. The US firm had previously [...]
Wall Street rises on stimulus talks as FTSE 100 closes flat February 4, 2021 Wall Street pushed higher this afternoon as investors looked to corporate earnings and signs of progress on more pandemic stimulus. The Dow Jones was up 0.91 per cent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 0.86 and 0.88 per cent respectively. It came after the FTSE 100 closed four points lower this afternoon as sterling [...]
Bank of England holds rates, and would need half a year for negative rates February 4, 2021 The Bank of England (BoE) has today left interest rates on hold at 0.1 per cent and its bond-buying programme at £895bn. The BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep rates at record-low levels. It also confirmed that it would take six months for banks to get ready for negative interest rates should [...]
Too many bosses are using Covid-19 to indulge their Big Brother tendencies February 3, 2021 Controversy around technologies used to monitor employees is not new. However, against the backdrop of COVID-19 with office-based workforces operating remotely, businesses have struggled with how to effectively manage staff and have hastily deployed surveillance technologies. This knee-jerk reaction is perhaps understandable, but employers must be wary. The backlash can be severe, unexpected, and sometimes [...]
Doner kebab top of the list for convicted Libor-rigger Tom Hayes after he’s freed from jail January 29, 2021 Doner kebab top of the list for convicted Libor-rigger Tom Hayes after he's freed from jail
Government set to write off estimated £31bn of pandemic loans January 29, 2021 An estimate of £31bn of government loans handed out during the pandemic will have to be written off, according to the UK’s spending watchdog. In its latest Covid-19 Cost Tracker, the National Audit Office (NAO) forecast that the total cost of the pandemic for Britain will balloon to £271bn, of which £116bn has been spent [...]
Ex-Barclays GC takes bank to court January 27, 2021 Judith Shepherd, a former general counsel at Barclays Capital, has filed a claim against her ex-employer in the High Court. Fox Williams, acting on behalf of Shepherd, lodged a claim in the Commercial Court on 22 January against Barclays PLC, Barclays Bank and Barclays Execution Services, The Lawyer reported. Law firm Simmons & Simmons has [...]
Barclays boss Jes Staley: working from home ‘not sustainable’ as collaboration and culture take a hit January 26, 2021 Barclays boss Jes Staley says working from home 'not sustainable' as collaboration and culture take a hit
UK sustainable finance bond issuance climbs to £10bn in 2020 January 25, 2021 UK sustainable finance bond issuance hit a record of £10bn in proceeds last year, raising double of what was raised in a far less turbulent 2019, Refinitiv data found. The UK ranked sixth in Europe and ninth in the world for sustainable finance issuance, achieving multiple record highs thanks to sovereigns, multilaterals and banks pushing [...]
Banks claw back fraudulent bounce back loans January 24, 2021 High street banks are scrambling to claw back emergency coronavirus loans linked to suspected fraud. Banks including HSBC, Barclays, Natwest and Lloyds are among those that have started to freeze accounts over fears that government-backed bounce back loans have been obtained fraudulently. They have reclaimed up to £50,000 from customers, according to the Mail on [...]