City firms feel the pinch as FCA ramps up action July 20, 2023 The Financial Conduct Authority has tightened the screws on City firms over the past 12 months as it shut off nearly 30 per cent more companies than the previous year.
CMA warns supermarkets to make pricing clearer or risk enforcement action July 20, 2023 The Competition and Markets Authority has found not all retailers are displaying prices as clearly as they should, which could be hampering people’s ability to compare products. The watchdog said it is writing to these retailers and warning them to make the necessary changes or risk facing enforcement action. It is also calling on the government [...]
Lime bike use soaring in London with 12 million rides since 2019 July 20, 2023 Lime has seen soaring demand for its e-bikes in London with over 12m rides since 2019 and an average monthly increase of 10 per cent, it has been revealed. Londoners have travelled nearly 30m kilometres using Lime’s e-bikes since 2019, according to a new report from the transport consultancy Steer, commissioned by the e-bike and [...]
IPA Bellwether: UK businesses boost sales promotions to record levels but pessimism lingers July 20, 2023 UK firms have ramped up sales promotions to an all-time high, leading to a growth in overall marketing budgets, according to the second-quarter IPA Bellwether Report released today. The report, which tracks marketing trends, revealed that sales promotions budgets have reached their highest level in the 23-year history of the survey, as more businesses increased [...]
CMA bosses would have charged Asda more for failing to comply with fuel pricing probe July 19, 2023 The co-owner of Asda, Mohsin Issa, has said he thought it was ‘unfair’ for competition watchdog bosses to say they would have charged the grocer more if they could for failing to provide relevant info for its probe into fuel pricing. In June, Asda was fined £60,000 by competition watchdog for failing to co-operate properly [...]
Buy-now see-you-later? FCA boss slams claims BNPL firms will quit UK due to regulation July 19, 2023 The chief of the City watchdog said he does not “buy the argument” that buy-now pay-later (BNPL) firms will quit the UK today after it emerged ministers may shelve planned rules over fears firms would leave. The government had been pushing ahead with plans to bring BNPL products offered by firms like Klarna and Clearpay [...]
Broadcom’s $69bn VMware deal wins provisional UK clearance July 19, 2023 Britain’s competition regulator provisionally cleared U.S. tech company Broadcom’s $69bn purchase of VMware on Wednesday, saying the deal would not weaken competition in the supply of critical computer server products. The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) provisional approval of the takeover – Broadcom’s biggest ever – follows a go-ahead from European Union regulators last week [...]
The competition watchdog is plagued with a knee-jerk belief that ‘big is bad’ July 19, 2023 The CMA's u-turn on the Microsoft/Activision deal is a sign that the competition regulator might be starting to understand its approach to Big Tech will bring no good to the UK, writes Cento Veljanovski
Countdown on for Microsoft and Activision as they try to extend deal deadline July 18, 2023 Time is ticking for Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, which are reportedly in discussions to extend the deadline for their proposed multi-billion pound tie up. Originally set to be closed by today, the deal may now require more time as the two tech companies work to address regulatory concerns, according to sources close to Reuters. If [...]
National Audit Office launches probe into FCA as regulator sizes up crypto and AI July 17, 2023 The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched a probe into the functions of the City regulator as its remit swells to take on oversight of technologies like cryptoassets and artificial intelligence.