National Apprenticeship Week starts today, but City big-guns have been investing in young talent for years March 14, 2016 Today marks the start of National Apprenticeship Week, when London’s businesses raise awareness of the opportunities open to aspiring financiers and school-leavers. Apprentice programmes may be making headlines this week but the founder of one City-based charity says that the Square Mile’s top dogs have been investing in youngsters for years. David Pinchin, who founded [...]
Budget 2016: Chancellor George Osborne to kick start £16bn B&B sell-off March 12, 2016 Chancellor George Osborne is gearing up to kick start a £16bn sale of bailed-out banking group Bradford and Bingley (B&B) loans in next week's Budget. Osborne decided to include the projected sale of the mortgage lender on Wednesday, following weeks of discussions with Treasury officials. The timing of the auction is unclear, and it may not conclude for months, giving investor's appetites [...]
The UK is the sport industry capital of the world – its businesses must lead the way with corporate responsibility March 11, 2016 In case you hadn’t noticed, the UK is sport mad. We watch, discuss, engage and play sport with great passion. So it’s not surprising that we are pretty damn good at the business of sport as well. Led by the Barclays Premier League we have an industry worth an estimated £24bn per year. But more [...]
Don’t worry, be happy: FTSE 100 shakes off its ECB woes to open higher, pushed up by Aviva March 11, 2016 The FTSE 100 stormed back into positive territory this morning, after a miserable finish to yesterday's trading. The market was up 1.5 per cent at 6,131.6 points, after it edged perilously close to the 6,000 mark yesterday, when comments by European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi hinted rates are unlikely to be cut any further. [...]
Businesses and law enforcement must work closer together to stamp out cyber crime, warn cyber security experts March 10, 2016 Cyber crimes could be better prevented and dealt with if businesses and law enforcement worked closer together, a panel of cyber security experts has urged this evening. Esther George, author and former senior policy advisor for the Crown Prosecution Service, told a roundtable event hosted by access rights management consultancy 8Man: "If [businesses] would share some of [...]
Standard Bank talks up “buoyant” 2016 African landscape for M&A March 10, 2016 Africa’s landscape for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is "buoyant” and there are more opportunities in the continent than ever before, according to South Africa-based Standard Bank. “There has been an increase in M&A activity, especially in East and West Africa, as European multinationals search for opportunities to counter slowing growth at home," said the bank's [...]
City A.M. joins the Lord Mayor and finance bosses at Mansion House to plan City Giving Day 2016 March 10, 2016 Leaders from over 60 City businesses joined the Lord Mayor for breakfast at Mansion House to hear why, when and how they should take part in City Giving Day 2016 this September. Lord Mayor Jeffery Evans sat down with senior execs from bank Credit Agricole and City A.M.'s resident grandee Lawson Muncaster in a bid to [...]
Societe Generale to cut 550 jobs over next five years March 9, 2016 Societe Generale is to cut 550 jobs over the next five years. The bank confirmed it is targeting 550 job reductions in the back offices of its French retail banking network, resulting in the closures of six out of 20 locations. The French bank said the plan would not rely on mandatory redundancies. The move is part [...]
Fixie derivative trading, anyone? Barclays takes after PwC and installs exercise bikes in its Canary Wharf offices to boost productivity March 9, 2016 Not content with a ruthlessly strict dress code after it banned flip-flops, Barclays bosses are having a go at changing their workers' lifestyles – by furnishing its Canary Wharf offices with exercise bikes. Barclays has been offering "High Octane Rides" to bankers since August, in an attempt to find new ways to boost productivity in the workplace. The idea is that [...]
German industrial production rises at sharpest rate since 2009 March 8, 2016 Industrial production in Germany, the Eurozone's largest economy, jumped 3.3 per cent in January on the month before, figures released this morning show. Production was lifted by construction, which rose seven per cent. Manufacturing output climbed 3.2 per cent, the data from German statistical office Eurostat shows. Industrial production makes up nearly a third of the German economy's [...]