Uber partners with insurtech startup to offer digital insurance May 30, 2019 Ride sharing giant Uber has struck a deal with a US insurtech startup to offer digital insurance for its drivers. Inshur uses information about average trips, locations and driver ratings in near real-time to calculate the price of the driver’s policy. Read more: Uber facing £1bn VAT tax bill after HMRC opens investigation The startup [...]
Expensive business: Five ways to prepare your finances for your first child May 9, 2019 It has arrived. And I’m not just talking about the royal baby, but the mania – the 23-page newspaper spreads, the bets on baby names (Archie was definitely not the bookies’ favourite), the frenzy over the first glimpse of the little sprog. I don’t want to put a downer on all the celebrations, but babies aren’t [...]
KPMG stung with £5m fine for Co-op Bank audit failures as breakup talks roll on May 8, 2019 KPMG has been hit with a £5m fine for misconduct relating to an audit of Co-op Bank. Audit partner Andrew Walker was also fined £125,000, with both “severely reprimanded” by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). Read more: Watchdog slaps KPMG with £6m fine over insurance audit The Big Four audit giant and Walker admitted their [...]
Lloyds Banking Group: Q1 results analysis May 7, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. After a stunning share price performance, do these 'hit and miss' results justify optimism? Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) investors, in need of a silver lining after an underwhelming earnings season from UK lenders, only have to look back 24 hours earlier to the surprise gift handed to the bank [...]
Lloyds Bank ‘prepared for further Brexit uncertainty’ as profits stay flat May 2, 2019 Lloyds Bank is prepared to weather further Brexit uncertainty, the group’s chief executive said today as the bank reported results for the first quarter. Read more: Lloyds Bank handed capital boost by regulator following risk change The figures Profit before tax was flat at £1.6bn, the bank said this morning, while underlying profit was up [...]
Regional airline FlyBMI owed £37m when it collapsed April 27, 2019 Regional airline Flybmi owed £37m when it collapsed earlier this year, blaming rising fuel and carbon costs and Brexit uncertainty. The airline filed for administration in February and most creditors, including passengers and suppliers, might only receive one per cent of their claims, the BBC reported. Read more: BDO steps in as Flybmi administrator Passengers [...]
We are at the big data frontier – we’re going to need some rules April 23, 2019 We create data all the time, even if we don’t realise it. Whether from social media use, video-watching habits, satellite images, traffic flows, or location data from smart devices, companies are increasingly able to use this information to extrapolate trends and capitalise on behaviour patterns. This has driven change across many industries, but it’s of [...]
Breakdown group AA blames investments for profit slump April 3, 2019 Breakdown and insurance firm AA said today that its profit before tax for the year ended January 2019 fell more than 60 per cent to £53m. The figures The company said its steep profit drop was a result of a £26m investment in its roadside and insurance business and said it was distorted by a [...]
Nouriel Roubini interview (Part I): Expect a ‘synchronised slowdown’ in 2019 April 2, 2019 When Nouriel Roubini talks, it’s worth a listen. Not known for his optimism, the well-known American economist bears the moniker ‘Dr Doom’. CFA Institute spoke to him to get his take on topics including the prospects for global growth and technologies. CFA Institute: When you spoke to us in 2015, roughly six years after the [...]
Icelandic airline Wow Air closes operations as it fails to secure rescue deal March 28, 2019 Debt-ridden Wow Air shut operations and grounded planes this morning after a last-minute fight for funding failed, leaving thousands stranded and seeking alternative transport. The struggling Icelandic airline told customers it has now ceased operation, cancelling all flights. Read more: Boeing's Ethiopian Airlines crash fallout: Everything you need to know While tickets were still being [...]