Behold: the City finally has a mixologists’ bar September 22, 2015 I hate to be the one to break it to you, but the Square Mile isn’t a great place for cocktails. Sure, you can now get them in most bars (and even some pubs), but most aren’t worth the lemon they’re garnished with. I think it’s a supply and demand thing. Perhaps understandably, the City [...]
City Moves for 22 September 2015 | Who’s switching jobs September 21, 2015 LEGAL & GENERAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Katharine Photiou has been appointed head of workplace defined contribution, product and proposition, at the investment management firm. She joins from Barclays, where she was head of workplace savings. Photiou has also held roles at Mercer and Friends Provident, latterly as head of defined contribution corporate strategy and design. JP [...]
Fintech is booming – but where are the insurance tech startups? September 17, 2015 As a technology investor, I spend my days scouring Europe in search of the next big thing. London’s fintech scene has been a profitable hunting ground of late. With the UK fintech industry generating $20bn in revenue annually, it is not surprising that $5.4bn has been invested in British fintech companies since 2010. [...]
Mix it up: There’s more to coffee cocktails than the Espresso Martini September 16, 2015 Today, as you sip your morning coffee, take a moment to ponder London’s great institutions built under the influence of caffeine. During one of this nation’s many peaks – from the mid-1600s to the early 1700s – our streets were awash with thousands of coffee shops. These replaced taverns as the place to meet and [...]
City Moves for 16 September 2015 | Who’s switching jobs September 15, 2015 BARCLAYS Ian Gilmartin has been appointed head of retail and wholesale for Barclays’s corporate bank. He has over 20 years’ experience and has spent the past five years as part of the leadership in Barclays’ retail and wholesale team. Gilmartin has also held roles at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Allied Irish Banks. DELOITTE The business [...]
City Moves for 15 September 2015 | Who’s switching jobs September 14, 2015 Societe Generale Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking has announced two appointments in its global finance division. Alvaro Huete (pictured) becomes deputy head of global finance and head of global finance for the UK. He was previously global head of syndications and has also worked at Nomura, Banco Urquijo and Lloyds Bank. Terence Shanahan, previously [...]
London Fintech Week 2015 events: Who, what, where & when September 13, 2015 Trading apps at the ready; London Fintech Week starts today! With the capital being the biggest force for innovation in financial technology right now, this week of talks, conferences and startup demos will be the world’s biggest business geek-out. The events start at 8:30am each day and finishes late, so try to make [...]
Market volatility hits Lloyd’s and other insurers September 11, 2015 LLOYD’S of London insurance market posted a 28 per cent drop in half-year profit yesterday and said volatility and low interest rates were driving down returns. Pre-tax profits slid to £1.19bn, and combined ratios which were up to 89.5 per cent from 87.5 per cent this time last year. The measure is of an insurer’s [...]
Amlin deal boosts share price and sterling September 9, 2015 SHARES in Amlin rocketed by 32.99 per cent yesterday, after the board of the Lloyd’s of London insurer recommended a £3.5bn offer by Japan’s Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI). Amlin revealed that MSI had offered 670p per share, a 36 per cent premium to Amlin’s closing price on Monday. Just two weeks ago Amlin boss Charles [...]
Lloyd’s of London insurer Amlin share price rockets 33 per cent as Mitsui Sumitomo swoops for £3.5bn September 8, 2015 Following July's takeover of the Financial Times by Nikkei, another Japanese giant has swooped on a British company, after the board of Lloyd's of London insurer Amlin recommended an £3.5bn offer by Mitsui Sumitomo. In a statement today, Amlin said Mitsui had offered 670p in per share, a 36 per cent premium to Amlin's closing [...]