Debenhams calls in top auditors to weigh up potential insolvency September 9, 2018 Embattled department store chain Debenhams has called in Big Four accountancy firm KPMG to help carry out desperate restructuring measures which could include a controversial insolvency process. Among the contingency options currently being weighed up by KPMG is a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which is an insolvency option that can be used to close stores [...]
City Moves for 7 September 2018 – who’s switching jobs at Fenchurch Advisory Partners, Wyelands Bank and CVC Credit Partners? September 7, 2018 Today’s City Moves cover financial services, small-business banking and Fenchurch Fenchurch Advisory Partners has appointed William Nourse as a senior managing director. William has more than 20 years of experience of corporate finance in the financial services sector. He joins from Credit Suisse, where he was a managing director in the financial institutions group. Before [...]
Is a rise in this niche borrowing a red-flag indicator for the stock market? September 6, 2018 “There can be few fields of human endeavour in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.” John Kenneth Galbraith On The Value Perspective blog, we have a folder of what we call ‘red-flag market indicators’. It has started to bulge as investor confidence, a decade into an equity bull market, continues [...]
New car hire app Virtuo sidesteps all the usual pains of London car rentals August 30, 2018 By far the least entertaining part of renting a car is having to stand around inside a hermetically sealed fartbox of a portacabin on the edge of some rainy industrial estate, before a 17-year-old in an oversized suit throws you the keys to an old banger that you suspect was built in East Germany. Recently [...]
Africa needs fintech – but fintech needs Africa more August 30, 2018 What a difference a couple of decades make. At the turn of the century, Tony Blair remarked that “the state of Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world”. This week, on her first official visit to the continent, Theresa May embraced a new vision of optimism and hope. Read more: Theresa May [...]
The impact of a no-deal Brexit should set off alarm bells for the City’s finance firms August 28, 2018 Last week, the government produced papers assessing the impact of a no-deal Brexit scenario on various sectors, including financial services. It is concerning for the sector that a no-deal scenario is looking increasingly likely. The Bank of England governor Mark Carney ranks this possibility as “uncomfortably high”, while foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested that there [...]
RBS declares first dividend in a decade August 3, 2018 RBS declared an interim dividend of 2p, pending the settlement with the US Department of Justice (DoJ). This announcement was a pleasant surprise, and projects a positive image about the firm’s financial health. The UK government is a majority shareholder in the bank, and the dividend will be welcomed by Westminster, but the pay-out will [...]
Last Week in the City: August rate rise now less likely July 20, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (16 to 20 July 2018). The chances of an interest rate rise at the Bank of England’s August meeting appeared to recede this week after inflation data was more subdued than expected and retail sales data [...]
Your financial wellbeing is more than just the money in your bank account and the number on your paycheque July 18, 2018 How healthy are you? The answer might make you cringe, but chances are you’ve probably got an answer. “Relatively fit” or “could do with losing a few pounds” will probably sound familiar. But what if you were asked how financially well you are instead? You might be earning a good salary, but still find yourself [...]
Fintech company Revolut contacted police and regulator over money laundering worries July 17, 2018 Digital banking fintech Revolut called in police and regulators in the last few months after finding suspected money laundering on its system. Revolut contacted the National Crime Agency and City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority after finding the suspected payments. Read more: Revolut launches Connect, its open banking enterprise marketplace The digital challenger bank was [...]