From Industrialized Yield Farming to Hydroponics December 16, 2020 Over the course of 2020 the liquidity locked in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols has grown in rapid fashion with use cases such as crypto-backed lending, decentralized exchanges (DEX’s) and insurance bringing the Total Value Locked (TVL) in DeFi to its current peak ~$15 billion with the majority of this capital existing on the Ethereum blockchain. [...]
Why it’s too soon to scrap the office December 14, 2020 The fraction of the UK workforce currently working from home stands at around a third — far above pre-pandemic level of just five per cent. Productivity seems to have remained largely stable since the great shift to remote work. And it has proved popular with many workers, who have seen immediate benefits such as greater [...]
Our three-year journey creating the INX token, the first SEC-registered Security Token IPO! December 7, 2020 It was considered an astronomical undertaking, but during the 2017 ICO boom, I knew that it was high time for a major shift to take place in capital markets: The regulation of blockchain assets under the Securities Act. ICO’s at that time were considered relatively new to financial markets, but since they weren’t IPO’s, they [...]
Pride and paradox: How to celebrate business success in the midst of a pandemic December 2, 2020 Though we have all read countless stories of under-pressure businesses this year, we should not forget the many companies that have benefitted from 2020’s radical shift in human behaviour. 12 months ago, the average person on the street had no idea about “Zoom”, for example. Since then, the video conferencing brand has become a household [...]
CMA to examine electric vehicle sector December 2, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a market study into electric vehicle charging, following the government’s move to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles to 2030. The study will focus on the supply of chargepoints for plug-in hybrid and all-electric ‘passenger’ electric vehicles, comprising cars and light vans. The move [...]
There’s a new type of leader in town: Agile, decisive, and interested in more than their own voice November 27, 2020 The turbulence of 2020 has provided a new lens through which to look at our leaders, prompting a rethink of what leadership should look like in the Covid era and beyond. Over the past nine months, leaders have had to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, sweeping technological changes, worldwide Black Lives Matter protests, and of course [...]
BP to sell London headquarters to Hong Kong investment firm for £250m November 20, 2020 BP has announced the sale of its London headquarters to Hong Kong investment firm Lifestyle International for £250m. The oil giant, which is aiming to sell $25bn of assets by 2025, will lease the 1 St James’s Square property back for two years. BP, led by chief executive Bernard Looney, has already divested or agreed [...]
The Mandalorian season 2 episode 4 review: S2E4 feels like classic Star Wars November 20, 2020 *** SPOILERS AHEAD: If you haven’t watched the most recent episodes of The Mandalorian Season 2, look away now*** In last week’s chapter, The Heiress, we were introduced to new characters who are likely to play a big role in this season at some point. This week, we go back to a relatively self-contained adventure, [...]
Vaccine could accelerate the return to the office, survey finds November 17, 2020 News that a vaccine could be rolled out as early as next month has been hailed as transformative and could see a return to the offices sooner than most think. A survey of 700 UK employees by Publicis Sapient show 47 per cent of employees would feel more comfortable to get back to the office [...]
DEBATE: Is there a case for a ‘working from home’ tax? November 17, 2020 Richard Tice, businessman and chairman of Reform UK, says YES Nightmare: your business loses half its customers overnight. You must react: do you double your prices, adjust your cost base, or seek a bailout? This is the dilemma facing public transport companies, as millions of customers suddenly choose to work from home. Double fares, halve [...]