Viagogo forced to break up Stubhub after $4bn takeover February 2, 2021 Viagogo must sell all of Stubhub’s operations outside the US to satisfy competition concerns over its $4bn (£2.9bn) takeover, regulators said today. A probe by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that the deal would lead to a substantial reduction in competition in the secondary ticketing market and potentially result in higher fees or [...]
Challenger audit firms prep for forced audit separation January 29, 2021 Challenger audit firms are readying themselves for audit separation, a requirement not yet expected of them, but one they see as inevitable in the future. Last summer audit regulator the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) ordered the Big Four firms – Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and EY – to separate their audit units from the rest of their [...]
Watchdog opens competition probe into Uber’s Autocab takeover January 29, 2021 The competition watchdog has opened an investigation into Uber’s planned takeover of taxi tech firm Autocab. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said it had launched a probe and was inviting views on how the deal could impact the private hire vehicle market in the UK. Stockport-based Autocab sells booking and dispatch software to [...]
Insurance, disrupted: What does the start of 2021 tell us about the industry? January 29, 2021 We waited patiently for the new year. January was meant to be a fresh dawn, with many businesses embarking on transformation programmes to emerge stronger from the pandemic. But, looking at the economic and political events from this month, we see more disruption ahead. Particularly for insurance companies. Before founding OLIVER, I spent 15-years at Commercial [...]
Competition watchdog opens probe into Facebook’s Giphy takeover January 28, 2021 The UK competition watchdog has launched a formal investigation into Facebook’s takeover of popular gif search engine Giphy. Facebook last year announced it planned to merge the gif-maker with Instagram in a deal worth a reported $400m (£321m). The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) served an initial enforcement order in June, forcing the social media [...]
With no office, our future leaders are being held back January 27, 2021 In spite of the challenges facing central cities around the world at the moment, they are and will remain places with huge concentrations of the jobs which provide the greatest opportunities to learn and to move up the job hierarchy. For young people, Central London offers an unparalleled combination. A range of independent employers with [...]
JP Morgan to launch UK digital bank within months January 27, 2021 JP Morgan will launch a digital consumer bank in the UK within months, the Wall Street giant confirmed today. The new challenger bank will operate under the Chase brand and offer a range of products, including current accounts. JP Morgan said its new business, which is based in Canary Wharf, had already hired 400 people [...]
FCA mulls price cap on claims management company fees January 21, 2021 Consumers could save nearly £10m a year in claims management company (CMCs) fees as the regulator considers a price cap on the fees they charge for financial products. The Financial Conduct Authority took over the regulation of CMCs, which handle PPI and payday loans, from the Ministry of Justice in April 2019. The watchdog has [...]
FCA insists it protects consumers from investment harm despite criticism January 18, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) opened 1,500 supervisory cases involving scams or high risk investments in the first 10 months of 2020, in an effort to clamp down on consumer investment harm. The city regulator also stopped applications for authorisation from 343 financial services firms and individuals where the potential for consumer harm was identified [...]
UK regulatory changes forStablecoins and cryptoassets on the horizon January 18, 2021 On the 7th of January 2021, HM Treasury published a consultation paper titled “UK regulatory approach to cryptoassets and stablecoins: consultation and call for evidence” (Consultation). The Consultation represents the first stage in the government’s consultative process with industry and stakeholders on the broader regulatory approach to cryptoassets and stablecoins. It seeks views on how [...]