Aviva’s UK unit testing AI for ‘quicker solutions’ August 21, 2023 The head of Aviva’s UK unit has revealed that the insurance giant is experimenting with artificial intelligence across its business. Adam Winslow, CEO of Aviva UK & Ireland General Insurance, told the Insurance Post that virtual assistants and chatbots were the “obvious next step” for offering customers “quicker solutions to whatever their query is”. “There [...]
HomeServe founder pours £110m in crusade to revive flailing British high street August 20, 2023 HomeServe founder Richard Harpin is injecting £110m of his own cash into medium-sized businesses, aiming to breathe life back into the UK’s beleaguered high streets. After cashing in on the sale of insurance company HomeServe to Brookfield last year for a cool £4.1bn, the home repairs mogul Harpin said he is trying to “help others [...]
London-based at-home cancer tester teams up with digital GP to speed up diagnoses August 17, 2023 A London-based provider of diagnostic tests which allows Brits to screen for cancer at home has teamed up with a digital GP to provide faster treatment. Newfoundland, which specialises in at-home diagnostic tests, has partnered with Doctorcall, which offers tele-medicine as well as at-home GP appointments, to launch the service in London. The partnership comes [...]
Sir Michael Parkinson dies aged 88: Heartfelt tributes to ‘greatest interviewer of our age’ August 17, 2023 Sir Michael Parkinson has died aged 88, as tributes flowed in for the TV talk show host, also known for being the face of Axa insurance adverts for over-50s. A statement from Sir Michael’s family said: “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his [...]
Tech Workers Spend Less Than Half The Day On Focus Work August 17, 2023 A recent Blind study has revealed that 45% of tech workers spend less than four hours each day on “focused work”. Instead, they spend the rest of their time in meetings, fire-fighting and catching up on correspondence and admin tasks. While this lack of focus on high level tasks can impact career progression, especially if [...]
Long-term investment ends in triumph – just look at the Lionesses August 17, 2023 Everything’s going up, they cry. Well, almost everything. The price of a ticket to watch Arsenal’s women’s team at the Emirates last year was £12. This year it’s come down to £7 or £9, depending on how many games you buy for. Who said you can’t find value in 2023. The story of women’s football’s [...]
FTSE 100 live: London flat after inflation fall as Admiral and Aviva lead gains August 16, 2023 The FTSE 100 started Tuesday flat with investors still worried about a further rate hike by the Bank of England despite a drop in inflation. The capital’s premier blue-chip index opened low, fluctuating between 0 and 0.01 per cent in the first hour of trading, sitting at 7,388.08 by 09.45. Headline inflation dropped to 6.8 [...]
Admiral: Insurance giant hikes prices by 20 per cent to stave off inflation hit August 16, 2023 Insurance group Admiral ramped up its prices by 20 per cent in the first half of the year to stave off the worst impact of rampant inflation on its profits margins. In its half year results today, the London-listed motor insurance specialist posted a four per cent bump in profits in the six months to [...]
Aviva hikes dividend payout after profits boost August 16, 2023 Insurance giant Aviva has hiked its payout to shareholders today after posting a boost in profits in the first half of the year on the back of growth across the group. In its half year results this morning, the FTSE 100 firm said operating profits had grown eight per cent to £715m in the first [...]
Rise of the ‘finfluencers’: Instagram, Facebook and Reddit drive investment ideas in young people August 15, 2023 Young people are increasingly turning to social media for investment ideas even as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) starts to whip out regulation on the field of finance influencers – or ‘finfluencers’ as they are often known as. Over a fifth of investors ages between 18 and 34 are taking investment advice such as stock [...]