Exclusive: MPs slam ‘inconsistency and incompetence’ as SMEs struggle to get bounce back loans September 28, 2020 Banks have been told to ensure that no small businesses are “locked out” of government-backed coronavirus loans, after firms were left unable to access the loans despite being eligible for funding. MPs said lenders accredited under the scheme should re-open applications for bounce back loans (BBLs), designed to help small companies weather the pandemic. Barclays [...]
Diageo shares pop as Guinness maker hails improved trading September 28, 2020 World’s largest spirit maker Diageo said that it had made a “good start” to the new financial year, driven by its US business, which is performing ahead of expectations. Shares in the FTSE 100 drinks maker rose 6.1 per cent as markets opened this morning. In an update before the firm’s AGM, chief executive Ivan [...]
City watchdog blasts UK banks over money laundering safeguards September 24, 2020 Not all British banks are convinced of the need to invest large sums to crack down on dirty money, meaning the quality of anti-money laundering controls is falling short, the City watchdog’s chief enforcer said. Global lenders, including UK-based HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered, have come under increased scrutiny for their anti-money laundering (AML) efforts [...]
HSBC, Citi, Goldman and Deutsche Bank pause plans to return to office September 23, 2020 Banks have rushed to pause plans for staff to return to their UK offices following fresh government guidance on coronavirus. Deutsche Bank and Citigroup have also encouraged staff to return to work remotely amid concerns over rising Covid-19 cases. Read more: City firms begin to send workers home after new government rules The banks’ changes [...]
City firms begin to send workers home after new government rules September 22, 2020 City firms have begun to send workers home after the government today told people to begin working from home again where they can. About 1,000 Barclays staff will revert to home working due to the new coronavirus advice, the bank said today. Although around 22,000 employees had remained working from the lender’s offices during the [...]
HSBC shares hit lowest level since 1990s amid FinCEN scandal September 21, 2020 HSBC’s rotten run has continued, with its UK share price falling to its lowest level since the 1990s amid allegations of money laundering. Banks have already been squeezed hard by the pandemic: interest rates have been slashed and business loans look shaky. HSBC has also been embroiled in a geopolitical dispute between the US and [...]
Anneliese Dodds pitches Labour as party of fiscal responsibility September 21, 2020 Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has said Labour will be a party of fiscal responsibility under its new leadership, while setting out a three-point plan to protect UK businesses from the economic crisis. Dodds used her speech at the virtual Labour conference to call out the government for being “cavalier” with public money, adding that she [...]
Leaked document trove reveals banking giants enabled money laundering September 20, 2020 Some of the world’s biggest banks have been caught enabling trillions of dollars in money laundering to flourish under their watch, thousands of leaked government documents have revealed. The FinCEN Files, named after the US Treasury’s anti-fraud agency, have been shared by Buzzfeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). They claim to [...]
Tory mayoral candidate calls for TfL to sell Tube station naming rights September 20, 2020 London’s Tube stations could be renamed through lucrative advertising deals if Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey gets elected. Bailey’s proposal, which he says could bring in £100m a year, follows in the footsteps of the Dubai Metro which has allowed companies to bid for naming rights of underground stations. The mayoral candidate told the Sunday [...]
An Overview of Crypto Algo Funds September 18, 2020 Digital asset funds can be the easiest way to get exposure to crypto markets with a ‘set & forget’ strategy for investors while making short and long term gains. There are serious gains to be made in this new industry, and the findings of my own journey supporting digital asset clients over the past four [...]