TfL gives Indian ride-hailing app Ola the green light July 4, 2019 Transport for London has given Indian ride-hailing app Ola the green light to launch in the city. Ola said it has received a private hire vehicle licence and planning to launch around September. Read more: French ride-hailing app Kapten puts Uber in its sights “We are looking forward to building world-class mobility offerings for London [...]
Competition watchdog seeks to find Viagogo in contempt of court July 4, 2019 The UK’s competition watchdog is to launch proceedings to find online ticket marketplace Viagogo in contempt of court, it announced today. Read more: MPs warn consumers against using ticket reseller Viagogo The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the move comes after Viagogo allegedly failed to overhaul the way it presents information on its website [...]
Competition watchdog launches probe into tech giants over digital advertising dominance July 3, 2019 The competition watchdog has launched an inquiry into major tech firms amid fears about their dominance in the digital advertising market. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said it has launched a market study into online platforms such as Facebook and Google, which are funded almost entirely by digital advertising. Read more: Hammond calls [...]
Watchdog threatens retail ban on crypto trades July 3, 2019 The Financial Conduct Authority this morning proposed a ban on selling derivatives based on bitcoin to retail customers. The watchdog said that crypto assets, including bitcoin, have extremely volatile prices. Read more: UK regulator warns tech companies over cryptocurrency projects It thinks such products are “ill suited to retail consumers who cannot reliably assess the [...]
Sainsbury’s sales slip in ‘tough’ supermarket environment July 3, 2019 Sainsbury’s sales fell in its latest quarter, the supermarket revealed today, as boss Mike Coupe warned of the consequences of a no-deal Brexit. Like-for-like sales slipped 1.6 per cent year on year for the four months to the end of June while retail sales dropped 1.2 per cent, piling pressue on Coupe after the supermarket’s [...]
UK regulator warns tech companies over cryptocurrency projects July 2, 2019 The UK finance regulator has warned Facebook to reject the mantra “move fast and break things” in relation to its libra cryptocurrency project, saying tech giants must “get it right the first time round”. Christopher Woolard, the executive director of strategy and competition at the Financial Conduct Authority, said regulators are facing issues that “could [...]
Regulator makes CFD restrictions permanent July 1, 2019 The City watchdog has confirmed that it will make a crackdown on selling contracts for difference (CFDs) to retail clients permanent. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it will make the European Securities and Market Authority’s (ESMA) temporary restrictions on CFDs permanent following evidence that the high-risk products had been “aggressively marketed” to the public. [...]
Bitcoin: Is it starting to feel like 2017 all over again? June 27, 2019 By Gary McFarlane from interactive investor. Bitcoin’s decisive break above the psychologically important $10,000 mark – with $11,000 breached over the weekend and in sight again – is being driven by institutional investors and the afterglow from Facebook’s Libra news, despite the regulatory and political pushback against Mark Zuckerberg’s global money plans. Also, the recommendations, as expected, from [...]
Regulator steps up scrutiny of fintech banks June 26, 2019 Applications to become the next Monzo or Revolut are falling under greater scrutiny, as regulators act on concerns about risk management. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) only approved four applications for banking licences in the 12 months to the end of February, down from 14 in the previous year. However the number of applications remained [...]
Competition watchdog urges Facebook and Ebay to crack down on fake review market June 21, 2019 The competition watchdog has called on Facebook and Ebay to step up their efforts to prevent the sale of fake reviews through their sites. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today wrote to the two platforms asking them to conduct a review amid concerns there is a “thriving” marketplace for fake and misleading online reviews. [...]