Homeward bound HSBC, City Hall race and oil glut make a busy 2016 January 7, 2016 Forecasting events in the City is frequently a fool’s errand but one thing’s clear from the first week of 2016: it is going to be a tough year for much of corporate Britain. Here’s where I think most of the action will be. 1. Among the first big decisions of the year will be delivered when [...]
City Moves for 21 December 2015 | Who’s switching jobs December 20, 2015 HAMPSHIRE TRUST BANK Karen Brown and John Pollington have joined Hampshire Trust Bank’s Property Finance team as directors while Daniel Norman has been appointed as Property Finance Lending Manager. Karen, who has 12 years’ property finance experience, is based in Harrogate. Prior to joining Hampshire Trust Bank she ran her own training company and before [...]
2016 Lord Mayor’s Appeal December 17, 2015 One of the most important – and most recognisable – charities in the City is the Lord Mayor’s appeal, which raises money for charities that are close to the heart of the current mayor. The 2015 Appeal has been a huge success, raising a whopping £2.2m for previous Lord Mayor Alderman Alan Yarrow’s chosen charities [...]
Fintech challengers like Square, ApplePay and Funding Circle could undermine banks’ credit ratings in 2016 according to Standard & Poor’s December 16, 2015 The rise of fintech is challenging traditional banks, and could even undermine their credit rating, according to Standard & Poor's. The ratings agency expects global investment in 'non bank' financial service to be worth $24bn (£16bn) this year, double the figure in 2014. Traditional banks are still trying to adapt to the low interest rate, and [...]
Former Barclays chairman Sir David Walker joins London blockchain startup SETL December 15, 2015 A former Barclays chairman and City veteran has joined a London-based fintech startup underpinned by the blockchain in another major signal that the technology is gaining traction in the banking world. Sir David Walker, who chaired Barclay between 2012 until earlier this year, will chair SETL, a blockchain-based payment processor and settlement company. Walker is a veteran of the banking world [...]
London and the East lift UK economic growth as Scotland and the North East contract December 14, 2015 London was the second fastest growing region of the economy last month, according to a new business survey. Lloyds Bank’s regional purchasing managers’ index (PMI) scored 57 for London, above the 50 level that signals no change in business activity on the previous month. While it mark a slowdown in London’s economic growth – Octobers [...]
Cashless Britain: Mobile payments are transforming our society – cash could be obsolete in the UK by 2020 December 13, 2015 A woman waves her watch at the automated barrier to gain entry to the train. When she exits she will do the same and her fee will be automatically calculated. Apart from the one-time set-up of her account, she has nothing else to do. No ticket to order, no card to carry, no ticket to [...]
UK house prices: The most expensive streets in Britain are concentrated in Kensington and Chelsea – but each region has million-pound addresses (apart from Wales) December 11, 2015 Property price growth might be slowing in London, but when it comes to the top of the pile there is one borough within the capital that is still dominating. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea continues to reign as being home to the largest number of Britain's most expensive streets to buy a property on – in [...]
Consumer group Which? attacks Transport for London’s proposals to clamp down on Uber December 9, 2015 Consumer group Which? has criticised Transport for London’s (TfL) plans for Uber as “stifling” and “dangerous.” TfL has proposed new regulations for Uber, including introducing a minimum wait time of five minutes, even if a car is immediately available. Sharing a ride with other people would be banned, as would displaying nearby drivers’ availability on the [...]
From the Paris attacks and Jeremy Corbyn’s rise to power to the Syria conflict, migrant crisis and Greece’s economic woes, these are the biggest political events of 2015 December 9, 2015 The last year has been one of frantic political events, across the UK, Europe and indeed the world. While there is still a few weeks to go until the end of 2015, with the political calendar winding down we’ve taken a look back over the key events that shaped the political agenda over the last [...]