Former KPMG auditors claim watchdog failed to give them a fair hearing over Carillion allegations February 10, 2022 The former KPMG employees being investigated by the UK’s accountancy watchdog over their work auditing collapsed construction giant Carillion have claimed the regulator has failed to give them a fair hearing. The former KPMG employees said the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) did not give them an opportunity to answer all of the allegations against them, [...]
Persistent labour crunch intensifies pay pressures in sign of sticky inflation February 10, 2022 A shallower pool of available workers and growing calls among staff for employers to lift pay to offset the cost of living crunch is stoking wage tension in the jobs market, reveals fresh figures released today. Intensifying pay pressures in the jobs markets adds to the growing body of evidence indicating historically high inflation could [...]
Ofcom opens up to telecom mergers as UK innovation risks falling behind February 9, 2022 Ofcom has revealed that it may be increasingly open-minded to mergers as the telecoms landscape continues to evolve and consumers look for better connectivity.
Bitcoin still climbing as cryptocurrency markets retrace losses February 8, 2022 The strong start to the week continues for Bitcoin, which climbed to highs of $45k overnight for the first time in over a month.
KPMG Canada adds Bitcoin and Ethereum to balance sheet February 8, 2022 KPMG's Canadian arm has added Bitcoin and Ethereum to its corporate treasury, marking the accounting giant's first direct investment in crypto.
Perfect storm of rising costs to hit retail return February 8, 2022 Total retail sales jumped 7.5 per cent during January compared to the same month in 2020. However, retail bosses have warned consumers and firms face a challenging few months ahead with a perfect storm of rising costs. Shoppers were less eager to buy non-food items in stores over the three months to January, compared to [...]
Letters: No time to call fin on fintech February 8, 2022 [RE: UK fintech investment hits £27.5bn, a sevenfold increase in just twelve months, yesterday] The sevenfold increase in UK fintech investment shouldn’t come as a surprise. If anything, the turmoil of the past year has highlighted the glaring need to move away from pre-pandemic infrastructure and embrace technology as the UK builds more efficient trading [...]
Shunting civil servants around the UK will never deliver what enterprise can February 8, 2022 You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose. Advice from the past that seems pertinent to a government committing levelling up into law. What was a slogan is now “12 national missions” published in a white paper last week, to provide a central mission for government to deliver economic parity to all regions of the [...]
Used car market grows 11.5 per cent in 2021 as prices show no sign of stop February 8, 2022 The UK’s second-hand car market has grown 11.5 per cent, with more than 7.5 million transactions registered in 2021. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 777,997 more cars were sold compared with 2020 levels, even though performance remained 5.5 per cent below the pre-pandemic five-year average. Transactions reached peak [...]
UK fintech investment hits £27.5bn, a sevenfold increase in just twelve months February 7, 2022 UK fintech investment topped $37.3bn (£27.5bn) in 2021, a sevenfold increase compared to 2020, as dealmaking activity soared.