Vodafone and Three UK ‘transformative’ merger sparks speculation over CMA approval June 15, 2023 Britain’s competition regulator is set to scrutinise the long-awaited tie-up of Vodafone and Three, announced yesterday. The deal will create the largest mobile network in the UK. Vodafone boss Margherita Della Valle said the merger is “great for customers, great for the country and great for competition”, but commentators warned last night the CMA was [...]
CoCos are back: European banks launch first AT1 bonds since Credit Suisse collapse June 14, 2023 AT1 bonds made a roaring comeback as European banks issued the first euro-denominated CoCo bonds since the collapse of Credit Suisse back in March. BBVA and Bank of Cyprus issued around €1.2bn (£1bn) bonds between them yesterday, and investors were only too happy to snap up the riskiest form of corporate debt. An AT1 bond [...]
The Notebook: Neil Bennett on scale-up funding, bounce-back Britain and a Love Supreme June 14, 2023 Roll up, roll up ladies and gentlemen for the greatest sale on earth, a once in a generation opportunity to snap up corporate assets at unrepeatable prices. If you don’t, my (imaginary) new investment firm, Car Boot Capital, will certainly do so. It is a truth universally acknowledged that we are living through a liquidity [...]
Bitcoin and crypto are entirely different things – that’s why Gary Gensler and the SEC might be right about securities June 13, 2023 It may not be a popular opinion, but Susie Violet Ward is in agreement with the SEC that 'all alt coins are securities', unlike Bitcoin.
FuturePlus Selected by Atlas FM to Consolidate and Improve Sustainability Practices across UK Sites June 13, 2023 The facilities management company is using the FuturePlus platform to engage its employees, clients and suppliers, and improve its social and environmental impact Sustainability and ESG management and reporting platform FuturePlus has been chosen by Atlas FM, a leading UK facilities management company, to help change its approach to sustainability and social impact. Over the [...]
Tech Week Day Two: Lack of diversity remains a black mark on UK tech’s track record of success June 13, 2023 In the last decade, London’s tech ecosystem has grown to encompass a diverse set of verticals: from AI, to fintech, climate tech and crypto. However, when it comes to improving the diversity of the people who make up the capital’s tech industry, progress has been slower. While many UK tech companies publicly say diversity is [...]
Women ‘key’ to growth but are leading just 12 per cent of FTSE 250 firms June 13, 2023 Women are at the helm of just 47 FTSE 250 firms – just 12 per cent – despite holding “the key to economic growth”, Labour’s Anneliese Dodds has warned. The shadow women and equalities secretary told the Financial Times Women in Business summit that her party was “pro-business” and would “back women” in business from [...]
Risk aversion is ‘endemic’ in UK, pensions chief warns June 13, 2023 The UK is in the grip of “endemic” risk aversion when it comes to investment, a pensions chief executive has warned yesterday. Tracy Blackwell, chief executive of Pensions Insurance Corporation, said the country needed to embrace the risk of the markets and look to divert capital into more productive areas of the economy. “How we [...]
Brexit cited as a major concern as US business confidence in Britain drops June 12, 2023 US business confidence in the UK has fallen for the third consecutive year, with the fallout from Brexit being cited as one of the main reasons for the collapse in confidence. The Transatlantic Confidence Index, published by BritishAmerican Business (BAB) and Bain & Company, today found that the US average business confidence rating for the UK dropped [...]
Government price tag for making tax digital has ballooned, report warns June 12, 2023 The credibility of the government’s plans to allow people to file their tax bills digitally has been undermined by repeated delays and a bill that has increased about sixfold, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. The official auditors said that the final bill is currently expected to be £1.3bn, an increase of more than [...]