Insurtech startup Cuvva secures £15m to move into long-term car insurance December 3, 2019 Insurtech startup Cuvva is to expand into long-term motor insurance, after raising £15m in a series A funding round. The move follows the recent appointment of former Lloyd’s of London chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown as Cuvva’s chair. RTP Global, Breega and Digital Horizon joined as new investors, alongside Localglobe, Techstars Ventures, Tekton and Seedcamp. A number [...]
TfL bans Uber from London after ‘pattern of failure’ leaves passengers at risk November 25, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) today effectively banned Uber from the capital, saying the company was not a “fit and proper” operator. TfL said safety breaches had “left passengers at risk” and that Uber did not have “a robust system for protecting passenger safety”. It added that a “pattern of failure” was behind its decision to [...]
Meet the UK’s 70 fastest-growing tech firms November 20, 2019 70 of the most promising high-growth tech firms in the UK have been named as the country’s top scaleup companies by tech group Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (SVC2UK). Media intelligence company Signal AI, car insurance specialist Cuvva, and online plant store Patch are among the firms that have been selected for SC2UK’s 2019 [...]
Politicians need to take the brakes off e-scooters for a greener commute to work November 19, 2019 If you are stuck in traffic, watching another diesel taxi go past, you won’t be alone in wishing for cleaner ways to travel around London. New research shows that nearly 70 per cent of people don’t think politicians are doing enough to encourage alternative, environmentally friendly transport options. So, what are these alternatives? Right now, [...]
Banks are under threat – and this time it’s personal November 13, 2019 The launch of Uber Money, which provides payment and banking services to the company’s drivers, is an example of the next big trend in banking — the rise of the so-called “non-bank”. The establishment of a financial product for non-banks goes beyond simple revenue growth. It is about establishing loyalty, and in the case of Uber, loyalty [...]
European markets rise as US and China agree to phase out tariffs November 7, 2019 European markets have risen this morning after the US and China announced plans to gradually lift tariffs as the two countries work towards securing a trade deal. News of the trade-war de-escalation buoyed Britain’s FTSE 100 index, sending it up as much as 0.44 per cent in morning trading. The blue chip index was sitting [...]
If you were chancellor, what would be in your Budget? November 6, 2019 Today was scheduled to be the first Budget of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The chancellor announced the Budget last month, saying: “This is the right and responsible thing to do – we must get on with governing.” Unfortunately, to misquote a phrase, the best-laid plans of chancellors and Prime Ministers often go awry. The Budget has [...]
Self-driving startup FiveAI launches commuter trials on London streets October 24, 2019 British startup FiveAI has today announced the launch of commuter research trials for its self-driving car technology, alongside motor insurance giant Direct Line. As part of the Streetwise Consortium, which also includes TRL, a 19km self-driving research route featuring human passengers will be launched in Croydon and Bromley to test out the technology. The invite-only [...]
Moneysupermarket share price sinks as it warns of money segment weakness October 17, 2019 Moneysupermarket’s share price dropped 10 per cent today as product availability problems hampered one of its core businesses. The comparison website’s money division shrank five per cent to £20.6m for the three months to the end of September, the comparison site said in a trading update. Read more: How to avoid the grey suit mentality [...]
Climate activists target bankers during second week of protest October 14, 2019 Hundreds of climate protesters shut down traffic at the heart of the City today, accusing the financial sector of “bankrolling the environmental crisis”. Read more: Extinction Rebellion targets Blackrock in day of City protest Activists from protest movement Extinction Rebellion gathered in the rain at around 7am to begin a “day of disruption” that saw [...]