Exclusive: Electric vehicle fundraiser looks to put some spark into raise efforts February 28, 2022 Electric vehicle (EV) finance business WeFlex has brought in EY to drive its £60m funding effort. A mixture of debt and equity, the funding will be used to help hailing driving companies such as Uber to switch to EV, providing insurance, vehicle servicing and PCO licensing. WeFlex has already raised £2m in equity from investors [...]
Saturday Sitdown: Mortgage guru Colin Bell on why Brits are ready for 50 year fixed rates February 26, 2022 Following the Bank of England’s recent interest rate rise and all the implications it has for the property and mortgage market, one firm is offering loans at a 30 year fixed rate, with plans to offer 40 and 50 year fixes in the near future. Sold as a massive lifestyle enabler and gives people much [...]
Axa must pay £4.4m Covid insurance claim to high-end restauranter Corbin & King, High Court says February 25, 2022 High end restaurant business Corbin & King, which owns restaurants across London, including Colbert in Sloane Square and The Wolseley in Mayfair, has won a £4.4m case against insurance giant Axa, after the insurer refused to cover losses incurred by the restauranter during Covid-19. The case comes after Axa said it would not pay Corbin [...]
UK life insurers to have ‘tens of billions’ freed up by scrapping EU’s Solvency II regulation February 25, 2022 UK life insurers will be freed up to invest “tens of billions” of pounds more after the decision to scrap the EU’s Solvency II regulation post-Brexit, City minister John Glen has said. Glen, writing in City A.M., today said changes to the much-maligned EU regulation will unleash investment into “growth-supporting infrastructure like wind farms and [...]
John Glen: How I’m going to reform EU’s Solvency II post-Brexit February 25, 2022 This government has been clear about its vision for turning the UK into the most open and dynamic financial services sector on the planet. We understand the crucial contribution the sector already makes to this country and are determined, post-Brexit, that it fulfil its huge potential. A big part of that will be about unleashing [...]
‘Perfect storm’ of headwinds crimps UK optimism February 25, 2022 A “perfect storm” of headwinds gripping households with the tightest financial squeeze in a generation is eroding Brits’ optimism, reveals a closely watched survey published today. Concern about the impact soaring inflation will have on household finances drove UK consumer confidence to its lowest level in over a year, plummeting to minus 26 points this [...]
Lloyd’s of London chairman to helm TheCityUK’s leadership council February 24, 2022 TheCityUK has appointed the chairman of Lloyd’s of London to the helm of its leadership council. Bruce Carnegie-Brown, an insurance broker and also vice chairman of Banco Santander, will head the forum that hauls in financial and professional services figureheads to develop the organisation’s strategy in the City. Succeeding Sir Adrian Montague, who will step [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? February 24, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Howard Kennedy London law firm Howard Kennedy has bolstered its contentious trusts and estates team with a new partner. Strengthening the firm’s private wealth offering, Monika Byrska joins from Thomson Snell & Passmore where she was a [...]
Rishi Sunak to outline argument for tax cuts in keynote speech February 23, 2022 Rishi Sunak will promise to cut taxes in a keynote speech today, with the chancellor to hit out at “flippant” calls for him to slash taxes immediately without considering the effect on planned spending. The chancellor will say at the annual Mais lecture that “I am going to deliver a lower tax economy, but I [...]
Bank of England Governor Bailey doubles down on pleas to go easy on pay demands February 23, 2022 The Governor of the Bank of England yesterday doubled down on his pleas to workers to temper pay demands despite households facing the worst cost of living squeeze in a generation. Andrew Bailey added to his previous comments when responding to a grilling by MPs, also calling on businesses to exercise restraint during price setting [...]