Both north and south of the border, Ireland’s financial centres are the City’s historic partners February 17, 2020 As the debate around our future relationship with the European Union continues, we at the City Corporation have been focusing on building even stronger ties with our closest neighbours. Over the past two weeks, I have visited Dublin, Belfast and Derry-Londonderry to do just that. Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have long-standing [...]
Leah Williamson interview: England and Arsenal defender on the fortunate timing of her career, studying accountancy and her Olympic dream February 12, 2020 Like many football-mad children, Leah Williamson dreamed of becoming a professional player. The talent was there and she took the first step on the ladder aged nine when she joined the Arsenal Ladies Centre of Excellence in 2006. However, there was one major problem in her way: 14 years ago there was no such a [...]
Hola, Ola: Meet the latest app to fight for Uber’s London crown February 10, 2020 Transport for London’s (TfL) decision not to renew Uber’s operating licence late last year split commuters down the middle, but the controversial ride-hailing app’s rivals have seized the opportunity to stake their claim to the capital. Uber’s effective ban came over concerns it had not done enough to protect Londoners after TfL identified a “pattern [...]
Admiral foresees higher profit on motor claims February 7, 2020 UK insurer Admiral has predicted it will post higher-than-expected profit in its 2019 full-year results, after a change to personal injury insurance rules led to higher reserve releases and commission revenue. Admiral said in a trading update it expects to post a group profit before tax for 2019 in the range of £510m to £540m, [...]
Grab buys investment startup as it beefs up financial offering February 4, 2020 Softbank-backed startup Grab today said it has acquired retail wealth management startup Bento as the app looks to expand its financial services offering. The Singapore-based firm said Bento will be rebranded as Grab Invest, and its products will be rolled out in its home market and across southeast Asia in the first half of the [...]
Forging closer ties with India is crucial, but let’s not lose sight of our neighbours February 3, 2020 Now that the UK has formally left the EU, our trading ties with partners across the world will be more in focus than ever before. This includes our relationship with India, a country I visited last week to promote ties in financial and professional services. The UK-India partnership is now worth some £20bn, with nearly [...]
Rock the joint: Why Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett is building new music venues around the world February 3, 2020 Near King’s Cross station, a new social hub is currently under construction. Due to open in March, the space — called Goods Way — will contain a food court, bar and a 600-capacity venue known as Lafayette. Goods Way is the brainchild of Ben Lovett, the chief executive of Venue Group, who sounds excited but [...]
Watch out for IR35, the tax rule that could ruin your business January 31, 2020 If you haven’t yet heard of IR35, the controversial tax rule, it’s time to start learning. The rule, designed to limit tax avoidance through “disguised employment”, already means that off-payroll workers who would otherwise be deemed directly employed are taxed at the same rate as employees. But from April the law changes: it will be [...]
Law firms lead Stonewall’s top LGBT-inclusive employers January 30, 2020 City law firms are some of this year’s most inclusive employers for the LGBT community, with 15 topping Stonewall’s employers of the year. Legal organisations were the second most inclusive sector, with fifteen firms on the list. Last year’s winners Pinsent Masons topped the private sector employers at fourth place. Mayer Brown and the Solicitors Regulation [...]
The taxman cometh: 6 tips to help you complete self-assessment tax return January 29, 2020 This Friday marks the end of a process that many have found divisive, emotionally draining, expensive, and time-consuming. No, I’m not talking about Brexit. Friday 31 January is the deadline for completing your self-assessment tax return — the bane of existence for freelancers, the self-employed, and anyone who earns extra income outside their basic salary. [...]