‘Personalised pricing’ could soon make it cheaper to buy your lunch at 3pm July 21, 2017 These days, consumers have generally come to terms with the idea the price they are asked to pay for, say, a train ticket or hotel room can fluctuate – and sometimes quite markedly – depending on when they make the purchase. It would presumably still come as a shock, however, if their local supermarket charged [...]
The London Stock Exchange Group has started using blockchain technology July 19, 2017 London Stock Exchange Group will use blockchain technology to help un-listed businesses make shareholding information more transparent. It will use IBM’s hyperledger technology to make the information of small and medium sized private companies digital, which the exchange hopes can give them access to more mature investors. A small trial will initially begin with Borsa [...]
FTSE 100 history: how the index has changed over 33 years July 3, 2017 The FTSE 100 index has just seen one of its quarterly changes with security firm G4S and real estate investment trust Segro promoted to the top 100. Although perhaps small in themselves, these regular events have changed the face of the UK’s leading index since it was formed in 1984. For the many investors whose [...]
SoftBank could be about to make Deliveroo a unicorn with talks of investment from Apple and Saudi-backed Vision Fund July 2, 2017 One of the UK’s star tech startups, Deliveroo, is on the verge of becoming a so-called unicorn, with SoftBank in talks over a potential investment. SoftBank’s Vision Fund, a huge new tech investment vehicle which has already backed several British tech companies, is in discussions to take a stake in the food delivery firm that [...]
One in six London workers are EU nationals as employers warily eye immigration restrictions June 29, 2017 More than one in every six workers in London are EU nationals, according to new research which underlines the vulnerability of the capital to restrictions on immigration after Brexit. Some 17 per cent of the London labour force come from the EU, by far the highest proportion among the British regions, according to the Recruitment [...]
London Heathrow Airport introduces FlyFit fitness studio with yoga and cardio classes for passengers to work out while they wait for a flight June 28, 2017 Got a delayed flight and already spent an hour wandering around the duty free shops? Well, Heathrow has thought of a new way for passengers to pass the time, rolling out a “wellness and fitness studio” at the airport. In a partnership with FlyFit, the London airport is opening a studio in Terminal 2 this [...]
A fintech cluster greater than the sum of its parts June 26, 2017 One of Europe’s largest financial centres and an international technology hub, Edinburgh will play a leading role in driving the UK’s £20bn fintech industry and shaping a fast-moving global industry. Edinburgh’s financial credentials are beyond question. As the UK's second largest financial services centre, and the fourth largest in Europe, the city claims the lion’s [...]
Venture funding from the Business Growth Fund (BGF), Episode1 and Entrepreneur First for biometric recognition company AimBrain could change the face of retail banking June 20, 2017 AimBrain, a biometric recognition business, could be set to change the face of retail banking after receiving £4m of venture capital funding. As banks increasingly look to explore automation and enhance security, devices ranging from mobile phones to ATMs could soon be paying much more attention to how customers look, sound and act. AimBrain’s founders, [...]
Focus On Orpington: Developers are starting to show an interest in this well-connected town in Zone 6 June 16, 2017 When house-hunting in London, the sleepy town of Orpington may not be high up your list. But there are many reasons why it should be, not least because its house price growth is among the fastest in outer London. According to estate agent JLL’s London Residential Heat Map, house prices in the BR6 postcode grew [...]
Hurry up: Bank regulator warns tight deadline for ring-fencing poses big risks for British banks June 16, 2017 British banks rushing to carry out capital ring-fencing have little room for error, with big risks of disruptions for customers, according to a senior regulator. There is a “high degree of delivery risk” involved in bringing the plans into place, according to James Proudman, an executive director at the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in charge [...]