Manchester bike-sharing firm Mobike develops tech to track cycles and lock them remotely June 28, 2017 Mobike, the bike-sharing firm bringing Boris-style bikes to Manchester, has developed location tracking technology that allows bikes to be locked remotely. The Chinese firm has teamed up with digital security company Gemalto to embed a “smart bike lock”. Today’s announcement comes a week after bike-sharing rival Wukong went bust after losing 90 per cent of [...]
Don’t underestimate the risks of interest rate hikes to the global economy June 27, 2017 In recent months sentiment towards financial markets has been broadly positive in Western economies. But, as the recent UK political situation has demonstrated, sentiment can quickly change. Such swings also happen in financial markets. Here I highlight some of the key current macro-economic issues to watch for. Global recovery gaining traction The world economy is [...]
Next global crash could come “with a vengeance”, central bankers at the Bank for International Settlements have warned, citing debt fears in China and other emerging markets June 26, 2017 Risks building up in China and other emerging markets could trigger the next global financial crash, an influential group of central bankers has warned. China and other developing economies such as Thailand are beginning to show the same signs of tensions seen in the US and UK before the global financial crisis of 2007-08, according [...]
Emerging market equities: unloved and under-owned June 21, 2017 “Emerging market (EM) equities has a history of headlines — mostly negative — and volatility,” said Devan Kaloo, Head of Global Emerging Markets Equities at Aberdeen Asset Management. Yet there is reason for optimism, Kaloo assured attendees of the 70th CFA Institute Annual Conference, especially for those value investors who dive deeply into the fundamentals, [...]
Forget the EU, post-Brexit Britain should look to China June 19, 2017 Today the UK starts the long and tempestuous process of negotiating its exit from the EU and working on a future trade agreement. But however these talks go (and at the moment, the omens are not promising), post-Brexit Britain will need to aggressively find new partners or strengthen existing ones in order to fill the [...]
The Cheesegrater’s new owner CC Land wants to buy more City skyscrapers, according to deputy chairman Dickie Wong June 14, 2017 The Chinese property giant which bought the Cheesegrater tower, the tallest building in the City of London, for £1.15bn in March is eyeing more City skyscrapers. CC Land, a Hong Kong-listed company controlled by Chinese billionaire Cheung Chung-kiu, snapped up the Leadenhall Building in the second-biggest ever sale of a UK building earlier this year. [...]
Interiors: Inside the newly-opened London Flower School and why the capital is the home of floral artistry June 2, 2017 In King’s Cross, the newly-opened London Flower School is bustling with Chinese students indulging their passion for plants. Floral art is so big in Asia that up to 80 per cent of students at UK flower schools arrive from China, Korea and Japan. Why do they come so far? Because London is the world leader [...]
Irish government confirms plans to float €12bn-valued Allied Irish Banks in London and Dublin May 30, 2017 The Irish government has confirmed it will be floating state-owned Allied Irish Banks (AIB) in London and Dublin. The initial public offering (IPO) will see the government dispose of a 25 per cent stake in the lender. It is thought the float deal could value the bank at €12bn, which would make it London’s biggest [...]
Ireland: a perfect partner for AI development May 25, 2017 China is emerging as a global powerhouse for artificial intelligence (AI) and Ireland offers an ideal location for Chinese companies to extend their international reach in this critically important space. China’s growing pre-eminence in this area is in line with the “One Belt One Road” initiative announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and the [...]
Aviva just backed insurance focused fintech startup Neos and will probably acquire one soon, says CEO Mark Wilson May 25, 2017 Aviva is splashing cash on a startup focusing on insurance for connected homes in the latest signal of the insurers intent when it comes to technology – and it may even stretch to buying a small tech firm in future, it has revealed. The venture arm of Aviva has led a £5m series A funding [...]