Exclusive: Capital gains tax on French properties to soar for UK residents post-Brexit December 2, 2020 UK residents with a second home in France will have to pay substantially more capital gains tax on property sales starting from next year when Britain leaves the Brexit transition period. French tax authorities confirmed today that UK residents will no longer benefit from the EU exemption from a social levies tax and will need [...]
Barclays issues scam warning to SMEs ahead of Brexit December 2, 2020 A surge in business scams this year has triggered Barclays to issue a scam warning ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period. The high street bank has today issued a warning to UK SMEs to remain vigilant as the transition period ends, as thousands of businesses fall victim to sophisticated scam tactics. New [...]
FTSE 100 and Wall Street chase record highs as vaccine hopes boost markets December 1, 2020 The FTSE 100 logged its best session in three weeks today while Wall Street hit record highs as markets continue to ride a wave of vaccine optimism. The blue-chip bourse closed up 1.9 per cent, while the FTSE 250 midcap index rose by 2.6 per cent. It comes after the FTSE recording its biggest gain [...]
Tory MPs urge PM to sanction UK banks in Hong Kong for China cooperation December 1, 2020 Boris Johnson should threaten to sanction UK financial services firms operating in Hong Kong to push back against Beijing’s draconian security laws, according to a new report from top Tory backbenchers. A report from Westminster’s China Research Group, which is led by Conservative MPs Tom Tugendhat and Neil O’Brien, says the UK should sanction banks [...]
Farmers to see EU-style subsidies cut in half by 2024 – reports November 27, 2020 English farmers are set to see their EU-style subsidies cut in half over the next four years under the government’s post-Brexit transition plans. When the UK was a member of the EU, farmers were paid so-called “basic payments” under the EU’s common agricultural policy. After leaving the bloc in January, ministers continued to make payments [...]
End of an era: Unilever trading in Amsterdam for the last time today November 27, 2020 Unilever’s Dutch shares will trade in Amsterdam for the last time today, before a unification of the group’s dual-headed structure that aims to put the consumer goods maker on a better footing to cope with an uncertain future. The merger over the weekend of Unilever’s Dutch and British corporate arms into one legal entity based [...]
Vodafone brings forward net zero carbon pledge to 2040 November 23, 2020 Vodafone today pledged to reduce its total global carbon emissions to net zero by 2040 — ten years earlier than originally planned. The telecoms group said it will eliminate all carbon emissions from its business activities and purchase all energy from renewable sources by 2030. It has also pledged to halve carbon emissions from joint [...]
City grandee Michael Spencer pumps £11m into British cyber firm Glasswall November 20, 2020 City titan Lord Michael Spencer is said to be leading a £16m investment in cybersecurity firm Glasswall as he looks to cash in on rising demand for specialist security software. The billionaire Icap founder has agreed to anchor the fundraising round with a £11m cash injection through his private investment vehicle IPGL, Sky News reported. [...]
City veteran Martin Gilbert joins board of wealth firm Saranac Partners November 11, 2020 Former Standard Life Aberdeen chief Martin Gilbert has joined wealth firm Saranac Partners as a non-executive director. The veteran investor has taken on several board positions since standing down from Standard Life Aberdeen in March 2019 to join challenger bank Revolut as chair. He is also a senior independent non-executive director at Glencore, as well [...]
Snakes and Ladders: Who is moving jobs in the City this week? November 11, 2020 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Firms are continuing to adapt to the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic as they vie to be in prime position to recover from the economic fallout of the crisis. Read more: Snakes [...]