CMA could put Hotpoint-Beko tie-up on ice over competition concerns September 28, 2023 A planned tie-up between the electrical and white goods giants behind Hotpoint and Beko in Europe could reduce choice and increase prices for UK consumers, Britain’s competition watchdog has warned. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it found competition concerns surrounding Turkish firm Arcelik’s takeover of Whirlpool’s European domestic appliances business. The regulator said [...]
Ubisoft boss says streaming will revolutionise gaming industry September 26, 2023 Ubisoft's boss has said the gaming industry is on the cusp of a streaming revolution comparable to Netflix's transformation of television.
Bank of England set to delay bringing in Basel overhaul of banking rules September 25, 2023 The Bank of England is planning to push back implementation of the final round of Basel reforms by six months after receiving a deluge of industry feedback.
Game over no more: Microsoft’s Activison tie-up given provisional OK by regulator September 22, 2023 Microsoft's restructured acquisition of Activision Blizzard "opens the door" to the deal being cleared, Britain's antitrust regulator said on Friday.
Let’s be honest, we’re going to kill our efforts to tempt in more tech investment September 21, 2023 Rishi Sunak's efforts to make Britain a science superpower thriving with tech investment could all be for nought with new digital markets rules.
Right-wing think tank claims digital markets bill is a ‘recipe for disaster’ September 19, 2023 Proposed legislation to regulate digital markets is a “recipe for disaster” and risks spooking tech companies by handing Britain’s competition watchdog unbridled power, according to a new paper by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). The right-wing think tank has today published a paper which warns the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers bill (DMCC) will [...]
New AI principles hint at pro-innovation future of UK regulation September 19, 2023 Britain’s competition watchdog has set out guidelines to steer the development of artificial intelligence (AI), which lawyers suggest could be a blueprint for a pro-innovation future of AI regulation. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has proposed seven principles to guide the use and development of the foundation models that underpin AI giants like OpenAI’s [...]
City Pages: 5 books on the changing world of work September 18, 2023 We review five new-in titles that re-examine our relationship to our jobs in the brave new post-pandemic world of work.
70 per cent drop in cartel whistleblowing to CMA since 2018 should cause ‘concern’ September 17, 2023 The UK’s competition watchdog should be concerned by a 70 per cent drop in whistleblowing on illegal cartels in the last five years, top lawyers have said. A freedom of information (FOI) request from law firm RPC showed the staggering drop in reporting, down from 1,442 calls in 2017 to just 427 in 2022, City [...]
Supermarkets hike prices to make loyalty card customers feel like they are getting a discount, new study claims September 15, 2023 Supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s could be hiking their ‘regular’ prices to make loyalty scheme customers feel they are getting a discount, according to a new report by Which. The consumer choice group analysed 141 Clubcard and Nectar card prices at Tesco and Sainsbury’s and tracked their pricing history back six months. According to [...]