New York Stock Exchange owner ICE told to sell London-based Trayport by UK competition watchdog October 17, 2016 The UK’s competition watchdog has ruled that US company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) must sell London-based commodities trading software house Trayport. ICE, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, bought Trayport last December for $650m (£534m), beating rival CME Group to the deal. Read more: ICE questions UK competition watchdog concerns over Trayport takeover In [...]
Ladbrokes and Gala Coral sell 359 shops as deal nears completion October 17, 2016 Ladbrokes and Gala Coral are selling 359 betting shops between them, in order to satisfy conditions set by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ahead of their merger. The CMA ordered the bookmakers to sell up shops earlier this year, in order to maintain competition in the market when the two groups combine, in a [...]
As Mark Carney warns of troubles ahead, should the Bank of England tolerate rising inflation? October 17, 2016 Scott Corfe, associate director at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says Yes. Inflation will rise next year, and it is likely to rise sharply as sterling’s remarkable decline feeds through into higher import costs. CPI inflation of 3 per cent is well within the realms of possibility and inflation of 4 per cent – [...]
This would-be bank has taken a key step towards getting its licence October 16, 2016 Acorn Financial Partners has today applied for a banking licence from the regulators. The challenger bank in the making, which will initially focus its efforts on small businesses in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, will be called Redwood Bank once it is authorised. Acorn is hopeful the banking licence will be granted by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in [...]
Betfred and Stan James put their money on more than 300 shops from Ladbrokes-Gala Coral merger October 16, 2016 Betfred will scoop up 322 shops being sold as part of the Ladbrokes-Gala Coral merger for £55m, Gala Coral announced today. The gambling giants will sell off 359 high street branches in total if the bookies successfully merge, of which the remaining 37 will go to sports betting group Stan James for £500,000. In July, the [...]
Bank of England warns: EU cannot replace the City October 12, 2016 London's financial services firms would rather head across the Atlantic to New York than relocate across the Channel if forced to leave London, a Bank of England deputy governor said yesterday, as diplomatic figures suggest that Europe would shoot itself in the foot if it drives a hard bargain with the City over Brexit. Jon [...]
Pressure mounts on FCA to introduce overdraft cap October 11, 2016 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has come under renewed pressure to clamp down on excessive overdraft fees today after new research revealed thousands of people are being hit with triple-digit bills. Debt charity Step Change said between six and 10 thousand people a month contact them looking for help managing their finances after incurring overdraft [...]
CMA launches consultation to pave way for prepayment meter price cap October 11, 2016 Britain's competition watchdog today started consulting on a draft order to show how its promised price caps for pre-payment energy meters can be implemented. The price cap for around four million households on prepayment meters was one of the 30 measures put forward by the Competition and Markets Authority as a result of its two-year investigation into the Big Six energy suppliers. [...]
The Treasury is to host challenger bank bosses for a post-Brexit summit October 9, 2016 Challenger bank bosses will head to Whitehall tomorrow to lobby the Treasury for better treatment for small institutions. In their first talks since the UK's Brexit vote, lenders will meet City minister Simon Kirby today. According to Sky News, bosses from banks including Aldermore, OneSavings Bank, Secure Trust Bank and Shawbrook will all attend. The banks [...]
William Hill bets on Amaya’s online credentials in £5bn merger talks October 9, 2016 William Hill could be the latest arrival to the the betting industry's merger party, after confirming it was in talks with Canadian online gambling group Amaya. The two are hashing out a prospective all-share merger, which would create a £5bn betting giant. Negotiations are at an early stage but it is understood that a deal [...]