The City is resilient but it needs to nurture its small businesses and advocate for a return to the office June 21, 2021 Over the last 12 months, the City has faced twin challenges from Britain’s exit from the European Union and the pandemic. Despite these challenges, the financial and professional services sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience as well as playing a key role in supporting other parts of the economy. We cannot, however, afford to be complacent. [...]
Rishi Sunak promises to protect the City from Brussels’ financial services bid June 8, 2021 Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, promised that the City will remain “competitive and dynamic” even in the face of Brussels’ bid to unseat it from its crown, in a private call with banks. Sunak described the financial services industry as a “crown jewel” and, according to reports, said the country will fight to protect it. The [...]
Can you code? Now is your chance to rescue the planet May 31, 2021 It has never been so easy to build a technology product, raise capital, and bring it to thousands, even millions of people. And all in a matter of months. Consider Hopin; the London-based virtual events platform, founded in 2019, has grown from six employees to more than 400 and now boasts over 80,000 user organisations – a good [...]
Editorial: London has deserved more from an insipid Mayoral contest May 5, 2021 It is fair to say the year-long delay to the London Mayoral election has not increased the appetite for it. Nor have the last few months been a vintage political campaign of sharp differences, eye-catching promises and grand visions for the future. That’s a shame. London is a global city and will reinvent itself post-pandemic. [...]
Liz Truss must keep import tariffs on steel – or risk losing the industry in the UK for good April 22, 2021 In decades past, import tariffs were regarded as nothing but a protectionist relic of resistance to free trade. But in recent years, those of us who believe in fair competition have had to learn that tariffs are an essential safeguard in a global trading system where some countries will not play by the rules. The [...]
City needs EU equivalence deal to function properly, warns asset management chief April 22, 2021 The UK government should step up efforts to secure an equivalence deal for financial services as such an agreement is “very important” for the Square Mile, the CEO of one of the world’s largest asset managers has said. Hanneke Smits, who leads BNY Mellon Investment Managers, urged the government to reach an agreement with the [...]
Navalny allies arrested as Russia braces for nationwide protests April 21, 2021 Two of Alexei Navalny’s closest allies were arrested on Wednesday at the start of a planned day of mass protests in support of the jailed Kremlin critic. Lyubov Sobol, one of the faces of Navalny’s popular YouTube channel, and Kira Yarmysh, his spokeswoman, were both detained in Moscow, according to their lawyers. Navalny, Russia’s leading [...]
City of London Corporation appoints new top team to lead transformational change April 16, 2021 Following its decision in December 2020 to endorse a new Operating Model, the City of London Corporation’s governing Court of Common Council today welcomed the appointment of eight new senior officers and formally confirmed the appointment of the first woman as Chamberlain, the Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer, since the post was created in 1237. Chair [...]
Santander closing 111 bank branches across the UK, with 840 roles affected March 25, 2021 Santander closing 111 bank branches across the UK, with 840 roles affected
EU to impose sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses March 17, 2021 The European Union agreed today to sanction Chinese officials for human rights abuses, two diplomats have said, the first penalties against Beijing in over three decades. EU envoys authorised travel bans and asset freezes on four Chinese figures and one entity, whose name has not been made public. The Chinese officials were accused of human [...]