Five years since Brexit: four charts to show UK shares could be returning to favour July 9, 2021 As Brexit negotiations reached their denouement late last year UK investors sensed the outlook for their home market improving. The Schroders 2020 UK Financial Adviser Survey revealed 40% of respondents were looking to increase allocations to UK shares over the subsequent 12 months, see: Are investors adjusting to the new normal? Six months on, with a “no-deal” outcome [...]
Downing Street clashes with Brussels over €47.5bn Brexit divorce bill July 9, 2021 The UK has hit back at the EU over its hefty Brexit divorce bill, saying it did not recognise the figure and insisting the final payment would remain within the government’s own projections. The bloc last night said Britain was liable to pay €47.5bn (£41bn) to the EU as part of a post-Brexit financial settlement. [...]
Brexit: Financial services will thrive on the world stage with access to rich foreign markets July 9, 2021 Something has changed in financial services. The events of the last week have put this beyond doubt. In the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, we were focused on designing a deep and comprehensive relationship with the EU based on alignment. When that was rejected, we hoped for the significantly less comprehensive equivalence determinations. As the [...]
Not over yet: UK ‘liable to pay EU €47.5bn’ in Brexit divorce bill July 8, 2021 The UK is reportedly liable to pay €47.5bn (£41bn) to the EU as part of a post-Brexit financial settlement. The EU’s consolidated budget report for 2020, seen by RTE News, states that the UK owes the bloc €47.456bn under a series of articles to which both sides agreed as part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. [...]
FCA slaps Lloyds Bank’s insurance division with £90m fine for misleading customers July 8, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority fines the insurance division of Lloyds Bank £90.7m for sending misleading renewal quotes to nine million customers. The renewal quotes claimed the amounts were “competitive” when new customers could get a better price on the same products elsewhere, the FCA said. The FCA said the breach of rules caused “a risk [...]
DEBATE: Do banks still need a high-street presence? July 8, 2021 Monzo, Revolut and Starling are all household names. People can open accounts without ever speaking with an employee and most don’t have any branches at all. High-street banks are also closing down and the mass transition towards online banking has only been expedited by the pandemic. Do banks still need a high street presence? Gareth [...]
Andalucía: taking the worry out of travel July 7, 2021 A land of contrasts and surprises for visitors to enjoy, safe in the knowledge that full Covid-19 security precautions are in place and, what’s more, tourists are automatically insured in the unlikely event of infection. International Travel Insurance for Andalucia In these times of the Covid-19 pandemic, Andalucía is known to be a ‘safe destination’ [...]
Insurance chief Nick Lyons picked as new Lord Mayor of London July 7, 2021 Insurance bigwig Nick Lyons has reportedly been appointed as the next Lord Mayor of London after a secretive election in the Square Mile. Lyons, who is chairman of insurer Phoenix and a board member of Bupa, is said to have been picked for the role last night by the City of London Corporation’s Court of [...]
Rip-off travel ads ‘rife’ on Google as scammers exploit Brexit confusion July 7, 2021 Rip-off copycat adverts for travel documents are “running rife” on search engines such as Google as unscrupulous sellers look to capitalise on confusion over post-Brexit travel arrangements. An investigation by consumer group Which found scores of copycat ads were appearing for common travel documents such as health cards, visas and international drivers’ licences. These adverts [...]
UK fiscal watchdog puts cost of reaching net zero at £1.4 trillion July 6, 2021 The cost of the UK reaching net zero by 2050 could be as high as £1.4 trillion, according to figures included in a report published by Britain’s fiscal watchdog today. The UK economy will require over £1 trillion in investment over the next three decades to hit the government’s target of making Britain carbon neutral, [...]