Natwest increases small business loan programme amid Brexit uncertainty April 23, 2019 Natwest will double its growth funding programme for small and medium-sized British businesses, citing the need to help them navigate Brexit disruption. Read more: Government provides £200m for small firms as Brexit threatens EU funding The UK bank’s growth funding loan pot, which was started in May 2018, will be immediately doubled to £6bn in [...]
Cryptocurrency platform Coinbase launches Visa debit card April 11, 2019 Cryptocurrency platform Coinbase has launched a Visa debit card that allows customers to spend their digital currency in stores and online. When customers use the card, which is only available in the UK, Coinbase will convert the cryptocurrency into pounds, and transaction summaries and receipts will be recorded within a new app, which has also [...]
Watch out high street banks – Apple has a credit card and is out to steal your supper March 29, 2019 Every day, new competitors are coming out of the woodwork and vying for a piece of the high street banks’ pie. This has forced the big banks – some kicking and screaming – to evolve, and at a pace that they’ve never before experienced. Change is not a new concept for consumers when it comes [...]
Losing out: British finance bosses leaking £6.7bn a year by failing to update accounting systems March 27, 2019 Outdated accounting systems which prevent British companies taking advantage of early payment discounts are costing them £6.7bn a year, according to research. More than one-fifth of finance bosses (22 per cent) surveyed by Opinium believe their accounting software is out of date, while 16 per cent said it did not allow them to use early [...]
Credit where it’s due: Apple enlists help of Goldman Sachs to launch privacy-focused credit card March 25, 2019 Apple has been giving its image a makeover. The world’s most valuable corporation has become far more than a purveyor of hardware – and software – in recent years. With the launch of its own credit card at its services-focused event in California on Monday, Apple ushered in a new era on its journey to become [...]
Contactless card payments rise by a third with transaction limit set to increase March 15, 2019 Every two in five card payments are made with contactless technology according to new data. Contactless transactions rose 31 per cent year-on-year in 2018, data from banking trade body UK Finance revealed, demonstrating a growing confidence in paying without use of a Pin. A wider adoption of the technology on public transport and in more [...]
Natwest launches fingerprint payment trial for contactless card purchases March 11, 2019 Natwest will trial fingerprint payment technology to allow customers to make purchases worth more than £30 when using their contactless card. The trial, which will begin in the next few weeks, will allow shoppers to verify payments above the £30 contactless limit using their fingerprint rather than having to enter their Pin number. Read more: [...]
Which London Underground line suffers the worst delays? March 8, 2019 Delayed Tube trains and chaotic commuter journeys have long been the fodder of water cooler conversations across the capital. But transport-related tiffs can now be put to rest, as new data has revealed which London Underground line suffers from the worst delays. Data compiled by Casino.co.uk shows denizens of the District line are the worst [...]
DEBATE: In light of this week’s Access to Cash Review, is the UK ready to go cashless? March 7, 2019 In light of this week’s Access to Cash Review, is the UK ready to go cashless? Abhijit Deb, head of banking and financial services (UK&I) at Cognizant, says YES. From contactless card technology to smartphone payments, we have seen innovations draw much of the public away from cash to new methods. Convenience is obviously a big [...]
Revealed: These are London’s most stressful Tube stations February 21, 2019 There’s nothing that Londoners love more than hating the Tube – and their local Tube station, in particular. But thanks to new research by web conferencing firm Powwownow we can officially name and shame the very worst of the worst. Read more: Citymapper launches contactless London travelcard for commuters Powwownow crossed Transport for London (TfL) 2017-18 data [...]