This new proptech startup wants to help generation rent buy their first home September 22, 2016 Zoopla and top investor Robin Klein are backing a new property technology venture designed to help first time buyers hop on to the incredibly difficult first rung of the property ladder. Wannabe homeowners can invest in a property Isa with Bricklane.com which launches today. Cash will go into a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which will invest in rental [...]
Tips from business, suppliers and buyers on getting your product noticed September 22, 2016 If there's one thing we’ve learned since Brexit, it’s that the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) always have big ambitions. No one ever said it was easy. Some of Britain’s largest and most influential businesses started out with nothing but an idea. Often, the most successful had very little initial investment, but made up [...]
Business has a responsibility to ensure a generation is not lost. It’s time to make real investments September 22, 2016 At the UN General Assembly this week, Syria and the plight of its refugee citizens are top of the agenda. In the face of challenges that will be felt for years to come, what kind of future should the rest of the world aspire to help them achieve? Three weeks ago, I visited the Za’atari [...]
No respite for ISPs as one in four customers say they’re willing to switch broadband provider this year September 22, 2016 Competition in the broadband market is showing no signs of slowing, despite the regulator complaining customers could be finding switching too difficult. According to new study from big four accountant EY as many as one in four broadband customers are willing to switch provider this year. That's up from just over one in five (21 per cent) in [...]
Cenkos shares dive after small cap fundraising dries up September 21, 2016 Shares in Cenkos fell as much as 16.96 per cent to 95.50p per share this morning, after the City stockbroker revealed profits plunged as small cap fundraising dried up ahead of the Brexit vote. The figures Cenkos' pre-tax profit plummeted 91 per cent to £1.7m in the six months to 30 June, down from £18.6m in the first half [...]
European Central Bank’s new ideas team still hasn’t had an idea September 21, 2016 Fed up with having to do the heavy lifting of the Eurozone recovery, the European Central Bank (ECB) has been upping the ante for governments to turn up to the party. President Mario Draghi makes a song and dance of the need for "national governments" to implement "structural reforms" to haul the Eurozone out of miserly [...]
The Lifetime Isa: New clarifications are good news for first-time buyers, but do nothing to solve its conflict with pensions September 21, 2016 The Treasury released final details last week on the Lifetime Isa (Lisa) which launches in spring 2017. Aimed at two very different types of savers – first-time buyers and retirees – the updates mostly concern the first group, and will do little to silence critics who say that the Lisa will lure away people who could [...]
Four extra-curricular career boosters that will make your CV stand out from the crowd September 20, 2016 What with algorithmic bosses and a Brexit-induced hiring freeze, how do job candidates stand out from the crowd in 2016? University qualifications are a given, not a bonus, and those working in the City will likely already have a depth of relevant experience. For employers, picking has never been harder. One technique that promises at [...]
EY pays $9.3m to settle charges that former auditors got ‘too close’ to clients on a personal level September 20, 2016 Accounting firm Ernst & Young (EY) is to pay out $9.3m (£7.1m) to settle charges that two of its former auditors got "too close to clients on a personal level", according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC said the ex-auditors broke rules aimed at ensuring reviews were impartial. SEC investigations found that the [...]
As Neil Woodford criticises its attitude to funding startups, is the UK capable of producing the first trillion-dollar company? September 20, 2016 Luke Hakes, investment director at Octopus Ventures, says Yes. You have to believe the UK is capable of building the world’s first trillion-dollar company. Historically, the UK ecosystem lacked the weight of capital required to take startups to the next level, especially when compared to Silicon Valley. But that’s been changing and the UK has made [...]