Australia set to auction off bitcoin stash as Chinese demand propels the price higher May 30, 2016 Australia is going to sell off £7.5m worth of bitcoin it confiscated as “proceeds of crime” during 2015. The auction will be the first of its kind outside of the US. Separately, the price of bitcoin has jumped over the last few days after a surge in demand out of China. Read more: Ethereum's value is already up 1,100 [...]
Gawker said to be exploring sale following Hulk Hogan lawsuit May 26, 2016 US news and gossip website Gawker Media is said to be exploring a sale after losing a court battle with wrestler Hulk Hogan. Gawker has reportedly hired investment bank Houlihan Lokey to explore options after it was ordered to pay out $140m (£95.6m) to Hogan. Read more: Media and entertainment execs want deals – and [...]
Media and entertainment executives want deals – and they’re targeting the UK May 25, 2016 UK media and entertainment companies are attracting interest from across the world, a new international mergers and acquisitions (M&A) survey has found. The UK came ahead of the US, France, Canada and China to be named the most attractive investment destination in EY’s Capital Confidence Barometer report focusing on media and entertainment. Read more: Japanese [...]
Shareholders grant their blessing to Royal Dutch Shell’s executive pay, but here’s why some investors are not happy May 24, 2016 Royal Dutch Shell's resolution on executive pay was passed with relative ease at its AGM today, but some investors are less than pleased about what the company had to offer. Royal London Asset Management, which holds shares worth £936m in the oil company, has revealed that it voted against the resolution relating to the directors' remuneration [...]
How London has leapfrogged rivals to become a global hotspot for tech May 24, 2016 London has overtaken New York and Shanghai in a global ranking of top tech cities, thanks to its "incredible entrepreneurial attitude". The capital is now the second most likely city in the world to create the next big tech giant, according to EY’s annual Attractiveness Survey, behind only San Francisco. The result moves London up [...]
London set for IPO market recovery after referendum… but it may have to wait until the autumn May 22, 2016 The UK’s flagging flotation market is expected to recover from a slow start to 2016 – but not until the autumn. Activity on London’s initial public offering (IPO) market has dropped significantly on 2015 levels, with uncertainty around the upcoming EU referendum widely cited as being one reason for the slowdown. The state of the [...]
It’s only Logicor: Private equity firm encouraged to float warehouse company in London May 22, 2016 The private equity owner of a commercial landlord giant is being encouraged by banks to float the business in London. City A.M. understands Blackstone has yet to decide whether to make an initial public offering (IPO) on Logicor, the owner of 600 warehouses. The flotation, which would be expected to value the company at more [...]
How traditional banks can keep ahead of their fintech noisy neighbours in innovation race May 16, 2016 There have been plenty of reports about fintechs being bad news for banks, but in actual fact they may be the best thing to happen to traditional banks and the banking sector for a long time. No, really. Many have warned that the introduction of digitally savvy options into the retail banking sector will prove [...]
Why purpose is key to success in twenty-first century business May 16, 2016 How should businesses make decisions? The textbook answer is to do a calculation – to trade off the costs and benefits. For investment decisions, this is difficult, because the benefits are uncertain. But for tangible investments, such as building a factory, you can still get a reasonable handle on the benefits – estimate the number [...]
How new London mayor Sadiq Khan can solve London’s startup funding crisis May 12, 2016 I would like to congratulate Sadiq Khan on becoming London’s new mayor and it is encouraging that he claims he will be “the most pro-business mayor London has ever had”. There is a booming startup scene in the capital which, if supported, will benefit our City for generations to come. But success is by no [...]