Rishi Sunak Summer Statement: All the Chancellor’s spending pledges July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced a raft of measures in his Summer Statement in a bid to help the UK economy recover from the worst effects of coronavirus. The Treasury boss revealed massive public spending to bolster the UK economy in what people are calling his mini-Budget. While he did not extend the government’s furlough [...]
Small businesses are counting on Rishi Sunak for a jobs-first approach to recovery July 8, 2020 A cut to stamp duty? A drop in VAT? A cash incentive to take on apprentices? While we have seen glimpses of what today’s economic update from Rishi Sunak will hold — notably an ambitious support package for the arts sector and funding for traineeships — a great deal remains unknown. One thing we do [...]
Egypt and Morocco capital markets attract growing international recognition July 7, 2020 Heidi Raubenheimer, PhD, CFA, is head of Journal publications at CFA Institute. Experienced Board Member with a PhD focused in Business Management and Administration from University of Stellenbosch. CFA Institute has examined Africa’s 10 largest capital markets in a major report compiled by Heidi Raubenheimer, CFA, our senior director for journal publications. Here we highlight key [...]
COP26 has been delayed, but the City’s charge against climate change continues July 6, 2020 Businesses and households across the world have been hit hard by Covid-19, but as we move to the next phase of recovery from the pandemic, it is vital that we keep the fight against climate change top of the agenda. That’s why last week, to mark London Climate Action Week, we announced a major summit [...]
‘Serious concerns’ raised over government’s export credit agency July 6, 2020 The government’s export credit agency could be “cutting corners” as it races to finance the post-coronavirus and post-Brexit trade drive, raising “serious concerns” about the UK’s future trading relations, according to a new report. A report released today by anti-corruption campaign group Spotlight on Corruption found that UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit [...]
Aviva CEO Maurice Tulloch steps down with immediate effect for ‘family health reasons’ July 6, 2020 Aviva chief executive Maurice Tulloch has stepped down from the role with immediate effect for “family health reasons”, the insurance giant said today. Non-executive director Amanda Blanc will take on the CEO role from today, Aviva said, after joining the board at the start of the year. She was previously CEO, EMEA & Global Banking [...]
Equality is a business imperative, so let’s close the ethnicity pay gap July 3, 2020 I am often asked how business leaders decide who is the best candidate for a team or an organisation. Of course, there’s no one reason or answer. It’s about understanding the relevance of skills you need and the context of the role you are hiring for. You might be looking to create energy and pace [...]
UK to negotiate financial services trade deal with Switzerland July 1, 2020 The UK and Switzerland have pledged to negotiate a financial services trade agreement to enable cross-border market access after the Brexit transition period ends. Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his Swiss counterpart Ueli Maurer last night said they wanted to reach an agreement that would enable cross-border market access for wholesale financial services relating to insurance, [...]
DEBATE: Did Boris Johnson’s ‘Build, build, build’ speech succeed in rebooting his premiership? June 30, 2020 Did Boris Johnson’s speech succeed in rebooting his premiership? John Oxley, a Conservative commentator, says YES. Boris is back in business. He has mastered his own recovery from coronavirus and is now ready to tackle the nation’s. It is a challenge he would have never expected when he entered Downing Street, and an important evolution [...]
World reserve currencies: Is the US Dollars’ days numbered? June 30, 2020 “Every dog has its day” is an expression believed to have come from 405 BC when a Greek playwright, Euripides, was mauled and killed by a pack of dogs. An analogy to this tale could be the US Dollar. Is the end nigh? Has the mighty Greenback ‘had its day’? Having been on the boards [...]