Is London FinTech recession-proof? January 21, 2015 The global financial tech capital faces few challenges. London's financial technology (FinTech) sector is booming. In the last few weeks alone consulting services giant Accenture opened its third London FinTech accelerator programme – whose alumni includes one of the capital’s most promising FinTech startups Digital Shadows. And last week the Canary Wharf Group added [...]
Agricultural retailer Wynnstay ploughs on with record profits January 21, 2015 RURAL retailer Wynnstay Group yesterday reported record pre-tax profits for its last financial year, buoyed by the growth of its specialist business which more than offset weakness in its agricultural division. It added that while the UK agriculture sector appeared challenging for the short-term, it was confident for the longer-term. The company reported a pre-tax profit [...]
What to watch, see and listen to in 2015: From Avengers and Shaun the Sheep to an exhibition about beards January 21, 2015 Our pick of the upcoming films, music art and theatre. FILM SELMA David Oyelowo in Selma 6 February This movie chronicles Martin Luther King’s epic march from Selma to Montgomery as part of the civil rights movement, which culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights act of 1965. English actor David Oyelowo [...]
Lancaster backs Easter’s Test revival January 21, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster insists he never closed the door on veteran Harlequins No8 Nick Easter after ending his international exile yesterday by selecting him in the training squad for the opening Six Nations clash with Wales. Lancaster has named a 34-man party ahead of the Millennium Stadium curtain-raiser on 6 February which also [...]
From City currency trader to football manager: the rise of Mark Warburton January 21, 2015 The City's trading floor is not the archetypal breeding ground for Premier League managers but Brentford’s Mark Warburton stands on the cusp of trailblazing his way to English football’s top-flight and completing a sporting odyssey. Just under half the season remains in one of the most unrelenting and competitive divisions in Europe and Warburton and [...]
BBC stamps out £100m bid from Avalon and Hat Trick to save BBC Three January 20, 2015 Public service broadcaster the BBC yesterday quashed a £100m rescue bid from two independent TV production groups to take over BBC Three, which is set to become an online-only channel due to funding cuts. Avalon, the maker of Harry Hill’s TV Burp, and Hat Trick, producer of the BBC satirical show Have I Got News [...]
How parents can prepare for the financial hardship of university January 20, 2015 SINCE university tuition fees were first introduced in 1998, they have soared from £1,000 per year to a whopping £9,000 – the current annual cap on the amount universities are permitted to charge. The government sought to solve the problem of the greater strain this would place on families by introducing special student loans, which [...]
Lancaster set to hand Easter and Cipriani recalls January 20, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster is set to hand veteran Harlequins No8 Nick Easter an international recall when he announces his squad for the opening clash of the Six Nations against Wales today. Lancaster will name a 34-strong party ahead of next week’s training camp for the Millennium Stadium showdown on 6 February and is expected to [...]
BBC Three says it’s not for sale after bid from independent production companies Avalon and Hat Trick January 20, 2015 The BBC has said its youth channel BBC Three is not for sale after being made an unprecedented offer by the independent production companies behind Have I Got News For You and Harry Hill. Avalon, the maker of Harry Hill’s TV Burp, and Hat Trick, producer of the BBC satirical show fronted by Ian Hislop, have [...]
Young bank customers keen for biometrics to replace passwords in finance January 19, 2015 Banks’ younger customers are increasingly happy to use biometric security like fingerprints and facial recognition, rather than passwords when making payments or taking cash out of an ATM. Three-quarters of 16- to 24-year olds are comfortable with the technology, Visa Europe said today. One major factor is that 79 per cent believe it will be [...]