Netflix snaps up Uxbridge production space in latest UK push August 19, 2019 Netflix has signed a deal to rent out production space in Uxbridge, just weeks after it unveiled its new UK hub at Shepperton Studios. City A.M. understands that the US streaming giant is set to take a 134,000 square feet unit called UX1 in an industrial park in west London as part of a 10-year [...]
Lloyd’s of London ramps up modernisation drive as it hits electronic trading target August 12, 2019 It is one of the oldest institutions in the City, but there are signs of modernisation at Lloyd’s of London. The historic specialist insurance market has hit a milestone after completing over 50 per cent of its under-writing deals electronically, meeting a target it set itself for the second quarter of this year. For more [...]
Royal London sales hit by DB transfer drop despite rise in profits August 12, 2019 Royal London, the UK’s largest mutual life insurer, has reported a drop in new business sales during the first half of the year. The pensions provider blamed an industry-wide reduction in defined benefit (DB) transfers today for a four per cent year-on-year fall in new business sales to £5.8bn for the first six months of [...]
Insurer Zurich expects to beat targets as profits jump August 8, 2019 Zurich Insurance Group hailed its best performance in a decade this morning after reporting a double-digit rise in profits and predicting that it would beat previous financial goals it had set. Read more: Aviva confirms strategic review of Asia Europe’s fifth largest insurer reported business operating profits of $2.8bn (£2.3bn) in the first six months [...]
Aviva confirms strategic review of Asia units as UK life insurance profits fall August 8, 2019 Aviva confirmed it is reviewing its Asian insurance arms with the potential for a sale as it revealed what its chief executive called a “mixed” bag of half-year results today. The figures The insurer saw operating profit climb one per cent year on year to £1.45bn in the first six months of 2019, beating forecasts [...]
City Moves for 8 August – Who’s switching jobs at 11:FS, AlbionVC and Databricks? August 8, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes 11:FS, AlbionVC and Databricks. 11:FS 11:FS, the challenger firm defining and building digitally native financial services through technology, product and design expertise, has announced that Shaun Meadows has joined the firm as chairman. In the newly created role, Shaun will work with the 11:FS board to review company objectives, examine performance [...]
High-yielding Aviva rewards investor patience August 7, 2019 Aviva is rewarding investors who stayed the course while the insurer streamlined its operations. Having previously gone through a streamlining operation which left Aviva (LSE:AV.) fitter, the focus is now turning to a strategy review to ensure the company maintains its relevance. Perhaps not surprisingly, this has resulted in mixed fortunes as the business transforms. There has been [...]
London Stock Exchange seals $27bn Refinitiv deal in bid to build Bloomberg rival August 1, 2019 London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) said today it had sealed a deal to buy data business Refinitiv in a transaction worth $27bn (£22.3bn). LSEG is buying the business in an all-share transaction from Thomson Reuters and a consortium led by private equity firm Blackstone which includes an affiliate of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and [...]
City Moves for 29 July – Who’s switching jobs at Lasalle, Augusta and Knight Frank? July 28, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Lasalle, Augusta and Knight Frank. Lasalle Global real estate investment manager Lasalle Investment Management has announced that Martin Zdravkov has joined its UK business in the newly-enhanced role of head of UK residential and impact investing, based in London. Martin will report to Philip Nell, the head of UK real return [...]
Who joins Lloyds Bank on this list of cheap UK shares to buy? July 22, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Performance of UK-exposed stocks is at an eight-year low and this is the cheapest region around. Cheap-looking UK-focused stocks were in the spotlight as asset managers increasingly turn their attention to Europe in the face of darkening skies for global equities. The attraction of European equities was highlighted by UBS in an [...]