DEBATE: Are Open Banking and PSD2 a real threat to banks? October 30, 2017 Are Open Banking and PSD2 a real threat to banks? Mike Gordon is chief executive of Callcredit, says YES. Banks make most of their money from a few products, which they package along with current accounts. Open Banking and PSD2 will change this model, as shown by our recent research with Ctrl-Shift. Open Banking requires [...]
From Red Flag Laws to the Uber ban, transport has always been a battle of innovation vs. precaution | City A.M. September 26, 2017 Last Friday, Transport for London (TfL) informed Uber that it would not be issued a private hire operator licence after its current licence expires on 30 September 2017. Only a few days before, Taxify, the Didi-backed car-booking app that is seeking to rival Uber, had been forced to halt operations in London for breaking rules [...]
On yer Mobike: Another cycle sharing scheme’s arrived in London after oBike, starting with Ealing July 31, 2017 It looks like Londoners will have more bike choices than ever before, as another cycle sharing scheme pulls up in the capital. Mobike, a Chinese startup unicorn (valued at more than a billion dollars, that is), will be available in Ealing from today, its first foray into the capital after a somewhat bumpy arrival in [...]
Tech firm secures £1.4m funding to develop indoor positioning software July 17, 2017 A technology firm that has developed world-class indoor positioning software is creating new jobs in Edinburgh after securing £1.4m funding. Sensewhere has developed technology that uses signals from indoor electromagnetic sources like Wi-Fi routers and Bluetooth to pinpoint a user’s location in areas like shopping centres and airports – where GPS signals from satellites are [...]
Manchester bike-sharing firm Mobike develops tech to track cycles and lock them remotely June 28, 2017 Mobike, the bike-sharing firm bringing Boris-style bikes to Manchester, has developed location tracking technology that allows bikes to be locked remotely. The Chinese firm has teamed up with digital security company Gemalto to embed a “smart bike lock”. Today’s announcement comes a week after bike-sharing rival Wukong went bust after losing 90 per cent of [...]
Emerging market equities: unloved and under-owned June 21, 2017 “Emerging market (EM) equities has a history of headlines — mostly negative — and volatility,” said Devan Kaloo, Head of Global Emerging Markets Equities at Aberdeen Asset Management. Yet there is reason for optimism, Kaloo assured attendees of the 70th CFA Institute Annual Conference, especially for those value investors who dive deeply into the fundamentals, [...]
Ireland: a perfect partner for AI development May 25, 2017 China is emerging as a global powerhouse for artificial intelligence (AI) and Ireland offers an ideal location for Chinese companies to extend their international reach in this critically important space. China’s growing pre-eminence in this area is in line with the “One Belt One Road” initiative announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and the [...]
Aviva just backed insurance focused fintech startup Neos and will probably acquire one soon, says CEO Mark Wilson May 25, 2017 Aviva is splashing cash on a startup focusing on insurance for connected homes in the latest signal of the insurers intent when it comes to technology – and it may even stretch to buying a small tech firm in future, it has revealed. The venture arm of Aviva has led a £5m series A funding [...]
Alibaba and a Californian school set to make millions from Snap’s IPO February 26, 2017 Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and a Californian school stand to make millions of dollars from Snap's IPO this week. In what will be one of the tech industry's biggest floats to date, social media giant Snap is set to make its Wall Street debut this week with hopes to raise $3bn (£2.41bn). Snap, the company [...]
President Xi loves football, but China’s spending spree won’t last long says ex-Manchester City man Sun Jihai January 9, 2017 Premier League clubs need not worry about losing their best players to the China, says former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai who predicts a slowdown in spending from the emerging football power. Chinese teams’ spending has exploded as some of the country’s richest men acquired football clubs in the wake of President Xi Jinping revealing [...]