Editor’s Notes: End of the road as Bell Pottinger shuts up shop, Jeremy Corbyn’s Venezuela shame and Old McDonnell had a strike September 8, 2017 For staff at Bell Pottinger the weekend probably can’t come soon enough. The disgraced PR firm’s fall from grace and into likely administration has been breathtakingly fast. For the 200 UK employees, the vast majority of whom had nothing to do with the scandal that sank the company, an uncertain few weeks await them. Some [...]
Donald Trump is right about the UN – and the UK should follow him September 5, 2017 As Britain leaves the EU, is it time to re-examine our membership and funding of another international institution – the United Nations (UN)? Asking such a question will no doubt rile those who see the UN’s existence as inherently virtuous. A genuine forum for sovereign nation states to discuss international affairs and cooperate is a [...]
Fintech could be risky if banks don’t cooperate, says the Bank for International Settlements August 31, 2017 Banks will need to take measures over the coming years to mitigate the risks of financial technology (fintech), according to a new report from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). The central bankers’ bank has set up a task force to “provide insight” into the new technology and “explore the implications” for current business models. [...]
Whoppercoin: Burger King Russia has launched its own cryptocurrency as a loyalty card style reward August 29, 2017 As if talk of a cryptocurrency bubble weren’t already frothy enough, even Burger King is getting on the blockchain bandwagon it seems, in what’s a rather surprising move. The fast food restaurant has created the “Whoppercoin” in Russia. It has already issued one billion of the virtual tokens, two of which are given to customers [...]
Demystifying Android’s Alternative App Stores August 25, 2017 Whether you’re looking to expand the reach of your app or more effectively target a specific international region, the alternative app store scene presents enormous opportunities for app developers and publishers alike. Here are some of the best alternative app stores if your app is built on the Android framework. Aptoide With over 200,000 users [...]
The City must prepare for an £135bn per year Brexit boost August 21, 2017 IN 1553, London merchants funded a naval expedition to China via the North East passage. It got trapped in the ice in Russia’s White Sea and was forced to travel overland to Moscow where Ivan the Terrible granted it exclusive trading rights. The group returned to London to set up the Muscovy Company. This became [...]
Brics are the new battleground for the global inequality fight August 2, 2017 With all eyes on the revolving cast of characters heading in and out of the White House, and on the latest developments in the ongoing Brexit saga, it’s important to remember that the rest of the world continues to get on with life. This week, for example, trade ministers of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, [...]
Qatar crisis puts Gulf trading on red alert July 25, 2017 Heading into 2017, expectations over heightened geopolitical risks may have been overdone. But as the year has progressed, the recent onset of a crisis in Qatar – which perhaps has broader regional implications – might just be a first warning that geopolitical risks are still ever-present and could easily resurface with a vengeance. On 5 [...]
Ukraine is set for a new lease of life: A country at war tries to return both to normality and the bond markets July 24, 2017 Ukraine’s prospects are looking up. Two years ago, the country’s then finance minister Natalie Jaresko was seeking fiscal aid. The economy was shattered by war with Russia, which saw GDP plummet by 9.7 per cent in 2015. Things look rather different for her successor. Oleksandr Danylyuk, a former executive with consultant McKinsey in London, took [...]
Busuu is breaking down language barriers in nearly every country across the world July 19, 2017 We’re a nation of monoglots. Despite spending countless hours learning languages at school, many of our efforts are wasted. Through the power of technology and its social network, the London based company Busuu is trying to change that. But Bernhard Niesner’s ambitions are necessarily global, as he explained at a recent Leap 100 breakfast. Language [...]