Best of travel: Why Panama is Latin America’s hot holiday destination February 24, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Alex Dymoke’s trip to Panama to see if it really is all hats and canals. ••• In Britain, Panama is famous for two things: the canal and canoe man. Back in 2002, John Darwin [...]
Reading and Leeds festivals to go ahead this summer in boost for return to normality February 24, 2021 Reading and Leeds music festivals will go ahead this summer, organisers have confirmed, in a major boost for hopes of a return to normality in the second half of the year. Stormzy, Post Malone and Liam Gallagher have been confirmed as the headline acts of the twin events, which will run on the August Bank [...]
The highs and lows of Antonio Horta-Osorio’s decade at Lloyds February 24, 2021 The return to dividend payouts announced today is a strong legacy for the outgoing Lloyds boss, who oversaw the successful turnaround of a bank left reeling from the financial crisis. Antonio Horta-Osorio will step down at the end of April, with finance chief William Chalmers set to take over temporarily before HSBC banker Charlie Nunn [...]
How stablecoins provide a blueprint for tomorrow’s money February 24, 2021 Tether CTO Paol Ardoino explains how stablecoins could provide a blueprint for the future of the world finance.
Lloyds to slash office space as it resumes dividend despite 72 per cent profit drop February 24, 2021 Lloyds resumes dividend despite 72 per cent profit drop as it unveils wealth drive
Plant-based milk company Oatly files for US IPO February 23, 2021 Plant-based milk company Oatly, which is backed by Oprah Winfrey, today said it had confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO). The IPO marks a profitable era for plant-based alternatives, which flies in the face of the EU’s ban on using marketing terms such as ‘oat milk’ or ‘vegan cheese’ last year. A source [...]
FTSE insurer Aviva confirms sale of French unit for €3.2bn to Aema Groupe February 23, 2021 Aviva confirms sale of French unit for €3.2bn to Aema Groupe
Phoenix Group buys Standard Life name February 23, 2021 Standard Life Aberdeen has sold the historic Standard Life name to insurance group Phoenix for an undisclosed sum. The firms have agreed Phoenix will buy the Standard Life name over the course of the year, in what both parties claim is a “simplification” of the partnership. Employees who work on the Standard Life brand are [...]
Unemployment hikes to 5.1 per cent in biggest leap in a decade February 23, 2021 The UK unemployment rate marked its highest increase in 2020 in more than a decade, according to the latest official statistics, as the labour market continues to feel the weight of months of closures during the pandemic. The annual increase in the unemployment rate last year was the largest jump since the wake of the [...]
Post-Brexit regulatory changes for the City could free up £95bn, says study February 23, 2021 The UK could free up £95bn for City insurance firms to reinvestment into the economy if the Treasury waters down the EU’s Solvency II regulations post-Brexit, according to a new study. The Association of British Insurers report, researched by accounting firm KPMG, recommends easing the cap on how much capital insurance firms must hold at [...]