The Dark Side of the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) August 25, 2020 Once again it feels like the technologists are dragging us down a rabbit hole of complexity and claiming that blockchain and crypto will be our saviours. The next ‘magic bunny’ out of the crypto hat? Ethereum Name Service or ENS for short So what the heck is ENS? Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a service [...]
DEBATE: Will cyber attacks increase as we return to the office? August 25, 2020 Will we see an increase in cyber attacks as more businesses return to the office? Chris Hodson, CISO at Tanium, says YES Cyber criminals exploited business disruption in the rush to get workers set up from home in March. Our research saw a 92 per cent spike in attacks targeted at companies in the first [...]
Why the whistleblower is truly the boss’s best friend August 25, 2020 Whistleblowers have an unfair reputation.Traditionally known as the “snitch”, or the “traitor”, the whistleblower — especially in the corporate services firms — should be rebranded as the “chief executive’s best friend”. We need to change the stigma of the whistleblower. Historically, those who dared to speak up — whether to uncover a persistent culture of [...]
PwC resigns as auditor of gold miner Petropavlovsk on governance concerns August 24, 2020 PwC has resigned as the auditor of under-fire gold miner Petropavlovsk due to concerns over the firm’s corporate governance after a long-running boardroom battle. The FTSE 250 miner today confirmed that the Big Four accountant had turned down its appointment as Petropavlovsk’s auditor. According to the Russia-focused company, PwC cited “the recent significant changes in [...]
How working flexibly can give investors an edge August 24, 2020 I’ve always said that the question of how you create a high performing investment culture is inextricably linked with the individuals involved and how they interact with each other. This is a people business and this view has been at the heart of how we approach investment matters at Schroders. As a leader of an [...]
Rio Tinto boss has bonus slashed by millions after mining giant destroys Aboriginal caves August 24, 2020 The boss of FTSE miner Rio Tinto will have his bonus reduced by £2.7m after the company destroyed sacred caves in Australia. Chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and two other executives will take the financial hit after the company destroyed two caves in Western Australia – against the wishes of Aboriginal traditional owners – as part [...]
The City’s partnerships abroad will help drive the Covid recovery — whatever its shape August 24, 2020 There has been much debate in recent weeks as to what the Covid-19 recovery will look like. But whether the shape is V, U, W, or even a “Nike swoosh”, one thing that will be integral to any economic rebound is international trade. In normal circumstances, I would visit over 20 countries during the year [...]
The City View: Moneypenny CEO on why it’s time to come out of hiding and find some confidence August 24, 2020 In this episode Christian talks to Joanna Swash, chief executive of the customer services and office support provider Moneypenny, which has 20,000 corporate clients in the UK and US. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Joanna talks about the impact of the early stages of lockdown on her company and explains how she transitioned 1,000 [...]
Relx snaps up UK analytics firm Scibite in £65m deal August 21, 2020 Relx today said it has acquired British data analytics firm Scibite as the publishing giant shifts its focus to digital services. The FTSE 100 company did not disclose financial terms, but a source told City A.M. the deal was worth roughly £65m. The deal forms part of Relx’s strategy to supplement organic growth with analytics [...]
DEBATE: Should the government take equity stakes in struggling businesses to help support them? August 21, 2020 Should the government take equity stakes in struggling businesses to help support them? Leigh Webb, associate director and head of private equity sponsor coverage at finnCap Group, says YES. While I agree that, on the whole, government ownership is far less effective than using equity or capital markets when bailing out companies, this is not [...]