Hunt pushes to make UK ‘the world’s next Silicon Valley’ November 17, 2022 The Chancellor has vowed to turn Britain into “the world’s next Silicon Valley,” stating that the key to global success was “not tax subsidies but competition”. In his Autumn statement, Jeremy Hunt restated the government’s commitment to pushing through legislation that would activate the Digital Markets Unit (DMU). Under the current draft Digital Markets Bill, [...]
“On the to-do list”: City minister promises reform as London slips behind Paris November 14, 2022 THE CITY minister Andrew Griffith yesterday said post-Brexit financial services reforms were on his “to do list” after new figures suggesting Paris’ stock market had overtaken London’s sent a shockwave through the Square Mile. The total value of all listings in the French capital overtook London last month, according to number crunchers at Bloomberg. Whilst [...]
Spanish telecoms Cellnex firm widens reach in the UK under £8.7bn deal November 11, 2022 Spanish telecoms firm Cellnex is widening its reach in the UK under a €10bn (£8.7bn) European deal covering six countries. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now cleared the deal for CK Hutchison, which owns telcoms towers, in the UK. Cellnex has also acquired CK Hutchison in Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Italy. The [...]
Barclays told to pay £1m to more than 1,000 mortgage customers over PPI breaches November 9, 2022 The UK’s competitions watchdog has ordered Barclays to pay up to £1m in compensation to at least 1,000 of its mortgage customers, over its failure to comply with rules around Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) policies. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Barclays should pay compensation to as many 1,306 of its mortgage customers, [...]
EU opens probe into Microsoft’s £59bn deal to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard November 8, 2022 The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into Microsoft’s proposed $68.7bn (£59.5bn) acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. The commission said it was concerned that the proposed deal may reduce competition in the market. A preliminary investigation found that the transaction may significantly reduce competition, including multi-game subscription services and cloud game [...]
Treasury-backed fintech body calls in open banking chief as chair November 8, 2022 A government-backed body set up to boost the country’s fintech sector has appointed industry grandee Charlotte Crosswell as its chair today, as it readies to start operations following a £5.5m Treasury funding commitment last year.
FTSE 100 knocked by Beijing’s zero-Covid commitment November 7, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 today was weighed down by market sentiment softening after Chinese authorities committed to strict measures to contain Covid-19 breakouts over the weekend. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.48 per cent higher to 7,299.99 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, [...]
Lenders need to ‘step up’ to support customers, says FCA chief November 7, 2022 The City watchdog said that lenders need to “step up” to support their customers today as they are battered by soaring mortgage rates and rising prices this year.
Government must investigate energy pricing for businesses, urges hospitality body November 7, 2022 The boss of one of the country's leading hospitality bodies has urged the Government to look into energy pricing for commercial businesses.
Whitehall launches investigation into ‘profiteering’ by energy firms November 6, 2022 Whitehall officials have launched a probe into alleged profiteering by energy firms, with claims they are not passing on the benefits of recent government interventions. The government last month launched a six-month energy price cap for businesses to help them survive the continued increases in global energy prices. The Sunday Times reports that the Department [...]