A bright new day for Monitise as new backers Santander, Telefonica and MasterCard join November 27, 2014 Monitise co-chief executive and founder Alastair Lukies felt vindicated yesterday after announcing three business giants had backed his mobile money business with a £49.2m investment and would all look to expand their commercial relationships with the company. And although no firm contracts were announced between Monitise and its partners, City A.M. understands that there could [...]
Credit and money growth show early signs of euro policy failure November 27, 2014 EUROPEAN policies are failing to inspire any revival in credit and money growth, official figures showed yesterday. Eurozone bank lending to the private sector fell by 0.5 per cent year-on-year in October. Growth in the European Central Bank’s (ECB) headline measure of money in the economy remained flat at 2.5 per cent year-on-year. The headline [...]
City Moves for 27 November 2014 | Who’s switching jobs November 26, 2014 Silicon Valley Bank The bank has appointed Wibke Pendse as managing director of private equity finance and banking for the UK. She transfers from Silicon Valley Bank in the US, which she joined in 2010. Pendse has also held roles at Square 1 Bank and Comerica Bank. Old Mutual Global Investors The asset manager has [...]
Barclays-backed firm Third Energy plans to start fracking in North Yorkshire November 25, 2014 Gas company Third Energy has applied for planning permission to begin fracking in North Yorkshire. The firm, a startup backed by Barclays, first drilled the KM8 well at its Kirby Misperton in 2013. Chief executive Rasik Valand said: “Our analysis indicates that there could be a significant new gas reservoir in our North Yorkshire licence [...]
Black Friday UK 2014: John Lewis and Marks & Spencer set for bumper sales weekend as mega deals entice customers November 24, 2014 You can hardly move for Black Friday promotions this week. Everyone from Amazon to Asda and John Lewis to Very is getting in on the day. Electricals like TVs, tablets and other gadgets, designer watches, clothing and toys will all have cut price offers for the weekend that starts with Black Friday and ends with [...]
City Moves for 24 November 2014 | Who’s switching jobs November 23, 2014 Markel International Tom Fassnidge has been appointed senior claims adjuster in the insurer’s professional and financial risks division. He joins from Beazley Group, where he was claims manager in its UK and international team. Fassnidge has also previously worked at Scottish Re. PwC The professional services firm has appointed Alison Baker to lead its UK [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland overstated its ability to withstand another financial crisis: Share price drops after it is forced to lower stress test ratio November 21, 2014 Royal Bank of Scotland's share price dropped sharply this aftenoon after it was forced to admit it is less able to withstand financial stress than originally stated, revising its figure down to just above the lowest cut off point. The common equity tier one ratio is seen as a key marker of its resilience [...]
EU beats UK in bonus cap legal battle November 20, 2014 Britain’s standing in the EU is lower than ever, and the UK yesterday admitted defeat in the latest spat. Should Britain ever have challenged the bonus cap? The Bank of England thinks the bank bonus cap does more harm than good. British institutions such as Barclays took a pummeling in the US when they cut bonuses, losing [...]
City Moves for 21 November 2014 | Who’s switching jobs November 20, 2014 Berenberg The bank has announced the promotion of David Mortlock to head of its London office. He joined Berenberg in 2010 as head of sales and has been global head of equities since 2013. Mortlock previously held positions at Schroders, Citigroup and MF Global. Edmond de Rothschild Group Marcus Money-Chappelle has been appointed head of [...]
FTSE weighed down by poor Chinese data – London Report November 20, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index yesterday fell for a second day, hit by weak economic data from the Eurozone and China and a profit warning from energy supplier Centrica. The blue chip FTSE 100 index closed 0.3 per cent lower at 6,678.90 points, extending its retreat from an eightweek high reached on the previous day. Centrica, [...]