Oil rout forces Kuwait to hike petrol prices 80 per cent August 2, 2016 Kuwait will hike its petrol prices by more than 80 per cent from 1 September, as part of the Opec member's adjustment to lower for longer oil prices. Its cabinet said yesterday that the price for the highest grade petrol would rise to 165 fils a litre, from 90 currently, according to a report by state news agency KUNA. Read [...]
Revealed: How West Ham owners are free to cash in on Olympic Stadium deal July 31, 2016 West Ham United’s complex deal for the Olympic Stadium, the full details of which are laid bare for the first time today, could make the football club’s wealthy owners even richer than previously thought – at the expense of the taxpayer. As the Hammers prepare to play their first match at the largely public-funded £700m [...]
Watchdogs need to learn new tricks: MPs slam regulators over handling of HBOS collapse July 26, 2016 MPs have today slammed the finance industry's watchdogs for their failings in handling the HBOS scandal. The report from the Treasury select committee criticised the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and, in particular, the FCA's predecessor – the Financial Services Authority (FSA) – for various shortcomings in conducting their review. In particular, the MPs highlighted the [...]
Second administrator appointed to untangle the complex web of companies surrounding BHS July 25, 2016 A second administrator has been appointed to investigate the complex web of companies surrounding BHS. FRP Advisory were appointed joint administrators to Duff & Phelps on Friday. City A.M. understands that the firm will be looking at the transactions made between the companies connected with BHS to determine if any assets transacted were undervalued. Read more: Here are [...]
Sir Philip Green leadership failure and personal greed led to collapse of BHS, MPs say July 25, 2016 Sir Philip Green is ultimately responsible for the failure of BHS, according to senior MPs who today publish the findings of a parliamentary inquiry in the retailer's collapse. The joint inquiry by the work and pensions select committee and the business, innovation and skills select committee found that Green's family became "incredibly wealthy" during their [...]
Embrace culture to boost your business, new report tells the boardroom July 20, 2016 Boardrooms need to focus their efforts on instilling the right culture to protect their business interests and boost their bottom lines, a report out today argues. Based on discussions with chairmen, chief executives, investors and stakeholders, the research from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) made seven key observations which needed to be acknowledged to improve [...]
First May, now this lot: HR professional body wants executive pay to be linked to culture July 13, 2016 Shortly after incoming Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her views on curbing reward at the top, the body for HR professionals is today calling for executive pay to be linked to culture. In a new report on company culture, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has called for remuneration committees to be better empowered and [...]
MPs want the investigation into PwC’s audit of BHS to be extended July 6, 2016 MPs inquiring into the demise of BHS want the investigation of PwC's audit of the company's accounts to be extended. The Financial Reporting Council's (FRC) investigation is looking into PwC's conduct in auditing BHS' accounts in the year ending August 2014, but Frank Field MP, chair of the Work and Pensions committee and Iain Wright MP, chair of the Business and [...]
Angela Merkel will not drop opposition to breaking EU bank rescue rules as trouble in Italian banking sector continues July 4, 2016 German chancellor Angela Merkel will not back down on opposing the breaking of EU bank rescue rules as the Italian banking crisis continues. When asked about plans to rescue the banking sector, the German finance ministry spokesperson, Martin Jäger, said Germany stands by its position that was declared last week at the EU Council meeting, [...]
Accounting watchdog announces investigation into KPMG over HBOS June 27, 2016 The accountancy watchdog has launched an investigation into KPMG over its audit of HBOS. Specifically, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is looking into the conduct of KPMG Audit relating to its audit of HBOS for the year ended 31 December 2007. In 2008, HBOS collapsed and needed to be bailed out by Lloyds, shortly after the [...]