City firms and entrepreneurs back Mail’s laptops for kids scheme January 28, 2021 A number of City of London firms have backed a Daily Mail campaign to provide laptops to underprivileged children during the Covid-19 lockdown. Leading entrepreneurs, including Sir Tom Hunter, have also donated significant amounts. The Mail’s campaign aims to put laptops in the hands of all children who would otherwise be without the technology needed [...]
Banks claw back fraudulent bounce back loans January 24, 2021 High street banks are scrambling to claw back emergency coronavirus loans linked to suspected fraud. Banks including HSBC, Barclays, Natwest and Lloyds are among those that have started to freeze accounts over fears that government-backed bounce back loans have been obtained fraudulently. They have reclaimed up to £50,000 from customers, according to the Mail on [...]
London Stock Exchange mulls £300m Covid rescue fund January 23, 2021 The London Stock Exchange is plotting a £300m listed investment vehicle aimed at offering much-needed support to companies hit hard by the pandemic. David Schwimmer, LSE chief executive, has led talks with top City figures and Treasury figures about establishing an investment trust that would list on the index. It is understood the vehicle, dubbed [...]
Lloyd’s lures Aviva’s MD for new chief of markets role January 22, 2021 Lloyd’s said this morning it has created a new chief of markets role which will oversee performance and distribution at the insurance giant. Patrick Tiernan has been hired for the position once he has seen out his current stint as managing director at Aviva, where he was previously chief financial officer. Tiernan has 24 years [...]
Lloyd’s of London insurer Canopius ‘plans stock market float’ January 19, 2021 Canopius Group, one of Lloyd’s of London’s largest insurers, is planning a stock market flotation in London that could value the company at as much as £2bn, according to reports. The London-headquarters company, which has offices in seven countries including Bermuda, China and Singapore, has approached investment banks about working on an initial public offering [...]
London needs offices to thrive to secure its global future January 15, 2021 Are cities dead? There are plenty who think so – but Britain should hope they’re wrong. “The history book has not yet been written for cities” is the rallying cry emanating from Government. Those were Rishi Sunak’s words, echoing the Prime Minister’s faith when he spoke with FTSE 250 leaders last week that, post-pandemic, we [...]
Paparazzi Dogs: Pack of papping pups pimp up Royal Exchange January 14, 2021 Visitors to the Royal Exchange may be hounded by some unusual guests following the installation of a pack of popular pooches. To kick off a year of celebrations marking the Royal Exchange’s 450th anniversary, the iconic City landmark will play host to the Paparazzi Dogs, a series of sculptures by contemporary artists Gillie and Marc. [...]
SRA backs down on high profile sexual misconduct case January 14, 2021 The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has decided not to appeal a High Court ruling that followed a high-profile case featuring jagerbombs, a magic circle law firm and alleged sexual misconduct. The SRA will not appeal a High Court ruling in favour of an ex-Freshfields partner who allegedly took advantage of a junior colleague. The SRA [...]
Rishi Sunak: Working from home will not be the new normal post-Covid January 11, 2021 Widespread full-time working from home will not become a permanent fixture of the UK economy and central London is destined to come back to life post-Covid, according to Rishi Sunak. The chancellor told City A.M.’s The City View podcast that he’s “desperate” for “the buzz, the vitality and the creativity” that cities generate and that [...]
FTSE 100 off to strong start to 2021 but Wall Street slips from record highs January 4, 2021 The FTSE 100 got the year off to a strong start today, bursting through the 6,600 point mark this morning, before closing the day up 1.8 per cent. However, Wall Street slipped back from record highs as the world’s markets got 2021 off to a fast start. In the first session of the new year [...]