Budget 2017: Philip Hammond could raise the pensions Lifetime Allowance to fund social care and end inheritance tax discrimination to improve the nation’s finances March 1, 2017 The weeks leading up to George Osborne’s Budget statements were filled with frenzied speculation. Famed for his tinkering, the former chancellor’s Budgets enshrined a number of eye-catching and popular reforms, including landmark pension freedoms, and some not so popular ones, such as a reduction in the amount an individual can put into their pension and [...]
Spiking business rates will lead to an East London tech exodus February 23, 2017 Much has been written about the upcoming business rates revaluation and the significant additional burden that this will place on businesses, large and small. Comparatively little, however, has been said about the impact that this in turn will have on our town centres and business districts. Ultimately, business rates are a property tax rather than [...]
Many City bosses disapprove of Trump’s presidency, but would be happy to see Dodd-Frank reformed February 13, 2017 President Donald Trump has finally appointed a Treasury Secretary, with former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin confirmed by the Senate last night. Mnuchin joins former Goldman Sachs number two Gary Cohn who has been filling the vacuum since becoming Trump’s head of the National Economic Council, and is believed to have already exerted broad influence [...]
The UK government’s crackdown on encryption threatens to undermine London’s fintech boom February 10, 2017 Talk of calamity befalling corporate Britain as we negotiate our EU exit is typically overblown. Nevertheless there is a potentially serious conflict in the making between the UK government’s stated desire to maintain access to certain online data for reasons of national security and the continental European determination to institute a modern system of information [...]
England coach Eddie Jones puts faith in Maro Itoje to bruise Les Bleus in Six Nations opener February 2, 2017 England head coach Eddie Jones has tipped Maro Itoje to flourish on his first Test start as a back-row forward in Saturday’s Six Nations opener against France. Itoje – usually a lock – has been tasked with replacing Chris Robshaw, a key figure in England’s renaissance under Jones, at blindside flanker for the showdown with [...]
We’ll see you in court: New senior manager rules could mean fewer bumper fines for City watchdog and more days in court January 19, 2017 New rules to hold top bosses accountable for wrongdoings on their watch may have weakened the City watchdog's negotiating stance if it tries to swoop in for bumper settlements. Speaking at the Practising Law Institute's annual seminar, Mark Steward, director of enforcement and market oversight at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), revealed the Senior Managers' Regime (SMR) [...]
Property interview: Melissa York speaks to CEO Fredrik Korallus of upstart hostel brand Generator about breaking America January 13, 2017 From the way chief executive officer Fredrik Korallus talks about his hostel group Generator, you’d think he was heading up a trendy Shoreditch club night. He speaks about “having the right art, the right music, the right culture” and even aspires to turn the £20-a-night shared accommodation hubs into “living art centres”. But exceeding expectations [...]
Ireland targets UK fintech startups mulling Brexit contingency plans January 12, 2017 The Irish government is eyeing up the UK's thriving fintech sector and will make a bid to attract startups to Dublin directly in the wake of the Brexit vote, City A.M. has learned. The country's junior finance minister Eoghan Murphy will head to the Square Mile along with experts in fintech and payments in the [...]
Live By Night film review: Ben Affleck’s gangster epic can’t match its lofty aspirations January 12, 2017 For his fourth outing behind the camera, Ben Affleck sets his sights on the gangster epic, a genre that for many is the yardstick against which directorial greatness is measured. Returning once again to Boston (three of his four movies as director have been shot in the state where he grew up), Affleck also screen-writes, [...]
Here are some of the trends from CES 2017 January 12, 2017 If CES 2017 is anything to go by, this will be quite a year for consumer technology. While I didn’t see any brand-new, game-changing products (most of the technology prevalent at the show has existed in one form or another for a few years now), it’s starting to feel like the future we’ve been promised [...]