UK-US trade deal set to devalue UK’s financial services sector March 2, 2020 The government has admitted a free trade deal with the US is likely to lead to a drop in the value of the UK’s financial services sector, as other parts of the UK economy begin to expand. Number 10 this morning published its negotiating mandate for talks with Washington. Those discussions, expected to be spearheaded [...]
Activist investor demands removal of Barclays boss Jes Staley over Epstein links March 2, 2020 Barclays should remove chief executive Jes Staley from its board over his ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to activist investor Sherborne. In a letter to shareholders, Sherbone, which is led by Edward Bramson, said the decision by Barclays’ board to nominate Staley for reelection amid an ongoing regulatory investigation was “ill advised”. Sherborne, [...]
Deutsche Bank under pressure from UK regulator over compliance failings March 2, 2020 The British financial regulator has criticised Deutsche Bank for failing to improve its compliance and anti-money laundering controls, and warned this could threaten the lender’s access to the UK post-Brexit. Bank of England regulators have told the German lender they now require monthly updates, as opposed to typical quarterly meetings, according to the Financial Times. [...]
Home Office chaos looks none too Priti March 2, 2020 The perpetual conflict between Eastasia, Oceania and Eurasia’ in Orwell’s 1984 is a warning, not a how-to. Yet Number 10 and Boris Johnson’s government seem to be creating their own version of permanent war, finding enemies real and imagined right across the ranks of the civil service, the backbenches and Britain’s oldest institutions. The latest [...]
Hungary for UK growth March 2, 2020 Last Friday, after four years, I stepped down as the ambassador of Hungary to the Court of St. James’s. I arrived just days before the Brexit referendum — a referendum that, of course, shaped almost everything I did in the role here. It became apparent that the two priorities for me would be the representation [...]
How Yorkshire Tea turned a storm in a teacup into a marketing success March 2, 2020 Yorkshire Tea unwittingly found itself in the middle of a Twitter storm last week when the new chancellor, Rishi Sunak, published a seemingly innocuous image of himself “making tea for the team”. The photo featured the brand like a poorly orchestrated influencer marketing campaign. Soon after, the company was faced with a torrent of abuse [...]
If Britain is to hit net-zero, we need the City to step up its green finance ambitions March 2, 2020 The unveiling of the COP26 Private Finance Agenda at Guildhall last week was a landmark moment for our climate change efforts as a nation. The annual UN conference, this year taking place in Glasgow, will convene global leaders to discuss the world’s most pressing issue. And as policymakers gear up for the pivotal event, it [...]
Goldman-backed Neyber set to be rescued by rival Salary Finance March 1, 2020 The Goldman-Sachs backed lender Neyber will reportedly sell its assets to rival Salary Finance. Neyber is expected to appoint administrators this week, according to Sky News reports. The consumer finance provider will offload its assets including its blue-chip customer contracts to Salary Finance. Sky News sources said the deal was almost certain to happen in [...]
Legal firms call for reform of Serious Fraud Office after ex-Barclays execs acquitted February 28, 2020 Law firms have called for reform of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today after three former Barclays executives were cleared of financial crisis-era fraud to save the bank. Roger Jenkins, Thomas Kalaris and Richard Boath were all acquitted of charges of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation in connection with the 2008 Qatar fundraisings. [...]
Coronavirus: the investment impact in seven charts February 28, 2020 The spread of coronavirus, COVID-19, beyond China has created fresh uncertainty for the global growth outlook and sparked volatility in financial markets. Outbreaks in South Korea, Iran and Italy have raised concerns that the spread outside of China may be accelerating. We offer key facts on the spread of the virus, interspersed with views from [...]