London offices get facelift in lockdown despite pandemic May 17, 2021 New construction starts in London have jumped by one-fifth in the six months to March 2021, despite the pandemic and changing working practices, research by Deloitte has found. New office starts are up to 3.1 million square feet, Deloitte found, with 32 new schemes breaking ground during the six months. More than half (56%) of [...]
Protestors gather outside Lloyd’s of London over coal mine insurance May 17, 2021 Protests took place today outside Lloyd’s of London in the City and in 12 other locations around the UK over insurance-related environmental concerns. People gathered to demand Lloyd’s stops insuring all coal mines immediately. The protest was designed to coincide with the reopening of Lloyd’s underwriting room. According to pressure group Coal Action Network, Lloyd’s [...]
Pension transfer scam crackdown risks delaying thousands of transfers May 14, 2021 The government tabled proposals to tackle pension scheme fraud today, but it could risk blocking or delaying thousands of legitimate transfers, AJ Bell’s chief executive has warned. The plans outlined by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) could push providers to ask people transferring to a pension scheme not on the government-approved ‘safe destination’ [...]
6 Technology-driven trends that will change business strategy May 14, 2021 Last year Gartner’ published ‘Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2021’ as an e-book to highlight those trends that are set to drive significant disruption and opportunity over the next five to 10 years. Nearly half-way into 2021 and many of the trends identified in the report are as pertinent now as they were then, with some [...]
Financial watchdog proposes stiffer ‘duty’ to beef up consumer protection May 14, 2021 The UK’s financial watchdog has tabled a proposal today for a stiffer “duty” on companies to protect consumers from scams and mis-selling. Mis-sold financial products, including endowment mortgages, pensions and payment protection insurance have plagued retail investors for decades. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the firms it regulates would need to follow the new [...]
SFO launches money laundering probe into Gupta family over ties to Greensill Capital May 14, 2021 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said this morning it is launching an investigation into the Gupta Family Group Alliance. “The SFO is investigating suspected fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering in relation to the financing and conduct of the business of companies within the Gupta Family Group Alliance (GFG), including its financing arrangements with Greensill [...]
David Cameron denies speaking to Lex Greensill about future job while Prime Minister May 13, 2021 David Cameron has denied he spoke with Lex Greensill about one day working for his supply chain finance firm while he was Prime Minister. Greensill, an Australian former investment banker, worked as an adviser in the Cabinet Office from 2011 while Cameron was Prime Minister. Cameron went on to work for now failed Greensill Capital [...]
Prudential share price tumbles as Jackson Life demerger gets pushed back May 13, 2021 Prudential’s demerger of its US arm Jackson Life has been pushed back to the second half of the year, the insurer announced today, causing its share price to tumble. The group had originally hoped to complete the demerger in the second quarter of this year, however it has now been pushed back to Q3 or [...]
City lobby pays off: New finserv compensation pot for consumers slashed by more than £200m May 13, 2021 The amount of money banks and other financial institutions will have to pay into an insurance pot to protect customers should one of them fail has been slashed from an earlier estimate, after they protested about the high levels. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) reduced the total levy by £206m from its January forecast. [...]
Beazley sees premiums rise but flags $70m loss from US storms May 13, 2021 Insurance firm Beazley today said that its gross written premiums jumped nearly a fifth in what it labelled a “positive” start to 2021. The firm said that gross premiums written increased by 16 per cent to $971m in the first quarter, up from $840m in the same period last year. It added that its estimated [...]