Global investors flock to London in ‘golden age’ for tech January 14, 2021 London has cemented its role as Europe’s leading tech hub after a near-record year of investment as overseas investors circle in on the capital’s best firms. Global tech investors are piling into the capital with a total $10.5bn (£7.7bn) investment recorded in 2020, a quarter of Europe’s whole VC investment for the year. The amount [...]
British Gas owner Centrica still suffering from fall in business power demand January 14, 2021 British Gas owner Centrica said that the coronavirus pandemic was continuing to heap pressure on its finances, with business electricity demand still down as people continue to work from home. In the second half of the year, the firm said that business energy demand was down 15 per cent, compared to 30 per cent in [...]
MP calls for City watchdog to probe ‘patchy’ British Gas insurance January 13, 2021 A Stockport MP has called for City watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), to investigate a British Gas backlog dispute as more than 100,000 could be left without home insurance. British Gas parent company Centrica has been accused of provoking a strike which has left its ‘HomeCare’ customers without cover. Writing to the FCA this [...]
Financial services M&A dips as management shifts priorities January 12, 2021 M&A in the UK’s financial services industry dropped amid the pandemic as management’s priority shifted away from deals to the preservation of cash. The UK financial services industry announced just 136 deals in 2020 down from 211 in 2019, according to exclusive EY data. Deal activity came to a near standstill at the start of [...]
Rathbones names ex-Phoenix boss Bannister as chairman January 12, 2021 Rathbone Brothers has appointed ex-Phoenix Group CEO Clive Bannister as its new chairman. Bannister will take over from Mark Nicholls at the wealth manager, who will retire from the role at the company’s annual general meeting in May. The news comes as Rathbones reports a nearly 9 per cent jump in total funds under management [...]
Classic Golf GTIs: driving Volkswagen’s hot hatch icons January 11, 2021 The Volkswagen Golf GTI has been the benchmark hot hatch since 1975. We drive the first three generations – which is the best of the breed?
Government releases £800m of dormant funds for pandemic recovery January 9, 2021 The government will release dormant assets from across the insurance and pensions sector to expand its coronavirus recovery efforts. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has today announced the expansion, which will also secure assets from the investment, wealth management and securities sectors, could unlock over £800m. Funding raised through the expansion of [...]
Clifford Chance appoints new executive partner and general counsel January 8, 2021 Clifford Chance has made Robin Abraham its next executive partner and general counsel after a 16 year career at the law firm. Abraham will succeed Chris Perrin, who has been in the position since 2003. Abraham will formally take up his new role at the magic circle firm on 1 May, and is already working [...]
Screenshot: Will Sunak save music festival season? January 8, 2021 A weekly column from City A.M. bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: Reporting from the ruins of democracy **A rallying cry to save music festivals **Youtube, Talk Radio and the quagmire of online regulation Media Moment of the Week I usually [...]
Close to 4,000 UK financial firms ‘at risk of collapse’ after first Covid-19 lockdown January 7, 2021 The UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown threatened the viability of around 4,000 financial firms, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said this morning. The financial watchdog surveyed 23,000 smaller financial firms to greater understand the financial impacts of Covid-19 and found that 59 per cent of firms expected blows to their profits due to the pandemic. Others’ [...]