Northzone raises €300m fund and is eyeing London fintech startups September 5, 2016 A European venture capital firm which has previously backed Spotify, iZettle and London fintech startup MarketInvoice, has launched a new multi-million pound fund to plough into tech startups across Europe, including the UK in another vote of confidence in the country after Brexit. Northzone has closed a €300m (£252m) fund to invest in early stage companies from global institutional investors and is eyeing up tech [...]
A major insurance firm just joined this blockchain consortium August 31, 2016 The blockchain consortium R3 has signed up yet another new member, this time the major US insurance firm MetLife. The addition brings the number of members to more than 60 and it joins the likes of the biggest banks such as Barclays, HSBC and Goldman Sachs. The insurer will work with the other financial services [...]
Forget baby boomers and millennials, it’s Generation X that’s shaping the fate of companies in Europe August 26, 2016 Sandwiched between the headline-grabbing millennials and baby boomers, Generation X is sometimes overlooked. But according to Hugo Scott-Gall of Goldman Sachs Research, understanding what drives the decisions of the group born between 1965 and 1980 is essential, not least because the cohort has hit its peak spending power and accounts for over 25 per cent [...]
Don’t fall for the Uber hype – London needs a common sense approach to taxis August 25, 2016 The lavishly resourced Uber PR machine has cranked into gear once again – with a blizzard of activity attempting to obstruct Transport for London's eminently sensible new rules for regulating the taxi industry in London. Quite why Uber are huffing and puffing as much as they are is anyone’s guess: TFL – the industry's regulator – [...]
Londoners – and men – think they are worth more than everybody else August 24, 2016 Londoners think they are worth twice as much as everybody else, according to innovative new research. Pollsters Opinium surveyed 2,000 people across the country for insurance group LifeSearch to find out how much people think their assets are worth, combining this with their average annual salary and the financial value they place on their out-of-work activities such as [...]
Falling ratios are far from critical according to Fitch August 23, 2016 A top ratings agency has given the UK's life insurance firms a vote of confidence, despite recent tough market conditions. The fall in bond yields over the first half of 2016 may be squeezing solvency ratios at Britain's leading life insurance companies but the decline is not enough to worry ratings agency Fitch, which said they "remain strong". Under Solvency II, insurers [...]
Fancy driving a Tesla? You can rent one from Heathrow Airport August 17, 2016 Horses were a cool way of getting around. You couldn’t ride one into a tree or over the edge of a cliff, even if you tried. You could fall asleep on them and safely wake up in the stable next to your house. They eat nothing but hay and poop out pure, nutrient-rich horse puddings. [...]
Solvency ratio concerns weigh on Admiral as its share price dives August 17, 2016 Insurance giant Admiral led today's FTSE 100 laggards as it slid eight per cent after revealing a solvency ratio decline within its half-year results announcement that wasn't to everyone's tastes. The figures Group profits were up to £193m from £186m on turnover that jumped nearly 20 per cent from £1.06bn to £1.26bn. UK operations profit before tax increased slightly from [...]
Everyone will benefit from the coming “brain free” car revolution August 16, 2016 Driverless cars are making headlines, with the future of travel revealing itself to be grounded very much in the present. It’s a thrilling time to be in the motor business as trials of new vehicles are gaining momentum. And while it will take time for the technology to be fully rolled out on our roads, completely [...]
This insurer is calling the shots in the war for tech talent August 11, 2016 Finding appropriately skilled staff for technology projects is a problem which plagues many businesses, but one insurance company has told City A.M. it seems to have it sussed. Gary Hoffman, chief executive officer of Hastings Group Holdings, revealed the company was increasingly looking beyond other insurance firms to sniff out the best talent and turning to tech giants, such [...]