February retail sales perform well but warnings for mid-level retailers as living costs spike March 4, 2022 Purchases of clothes have driven retail sales growth, thanks to the easing of Covid restrictions. Total like-for-like sales swelled 49.6 per cent in February, according to the BDO’s February High Street Sales Tracker. This was from a base of minus 3.1 per cent in February 2021, when the country was in the throes of a [...]
Major UK insurers call on government to extend pension auto-enrollment to young workers March 4, 2022 A group of major British insurance firms and pension funds have called on the government to extend the UK’s pension auto-enrollment terms to include young and low-wage workers. The group sent a letter to Rishi Sunak yesterday to call on the government to “level up pensions for everyone” by abolishing the “lower earnings limit and [...]
Pubs face extra £800m in energy bills with bosses bracing for cocktail of hiked costs this spring March 3, 2022 Pubs have reported £800m in additional energy bills, with hospitality bosses warning suppliers are refusing to ink new contracts with venues. Firms have reported energy bills ballooning 150 per cent compared to pre-pandemic energy bills, with an average above 100 per cent. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said its members had reported that [...]
Aviation software company Sabre cuts ties with Russia’s Aeroflot following Ukraine invasion March 3, 2022 Aviation software company Sabre announced today it has cut ties with Russian airline Aeroflot following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Texas-based group said it has terminated its distribution agreement, removing Aeroflot’s content from its global distribution system – which is used by global travel agencies and websites to book and service flight reservations. “We are [...]
New UK sanctions: Russian aviation and space industry blocked from insurance market March 3, 2022 The UK government has imposed fresh sanctions targeting Russia’s aviation and space industry, meaning that businesses cannot access the UK insurance sector. The measures, hauled in in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will “severely limit” access to the global insurance and reinsurance market, the UK government announced today. The European Union (EU) is expected [...]
Healthcare doesn’t need to be disrupted, but it is ripe to be simplified through M&A March 3, 2022 Scaling a digital healthcare company in Europe is no easy task. From the complexities involving institutions in different countries to the regulations and insurance structures from region to region, the global healthcare market is especially difficult to navigate. Entrepreneurs are naturally ambitious, but in this arena that drive will only get you so far. To [...]
City set for ‘dramatic growth’ of funds that combine ESG and Shariah as Islamic Finance underserves demand March 3, 2022 London could see a dramatic growth in the number of investment funds that combine ESG and Shariah compliance over the next two years, finance experts have told City A.M. today. Professionals working across a wide range of sectors in the Square Mile and beyond expect a dramatic growth in these funds, while half think a [...]
Insurance group Admiral delivers jump in profits as car customers drive growth March 3, 2022 FTSE-100 insurance group Admiral reported a boost in profits and hiked its dividend payout today as it felt the lift of more than half a million new customers in its core motor insurance division last year.
Pressure grows on pension providers to scrap Russian investments March 2, 2022 Pressure is growing on the UK’s biggest pension and insurance fund managers to slash their Russian exposure.
City minister says UK changes to EU financial services rules will not be a ‘big bang’ March 2, 2022 Overhauling the EU’s financial services rulebook post-Brexit will not be a “big bang” moment and could take several years, according to UK City minister John Glen. Glen told Westminster’s Treasury Select Committee today that the push to reform EU regulation will be an “iterative” process and that any intervention will not “overnight change the competitiveness [...]