BoE’s Andy Haldane: Digital currencies could cut risk and boost lending November 18, 2020 Digital currencies could reduce risk in the financial system and aid monetary policy with interest rates close to rock bottom, Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane has said. Haldane also told The City UK’s annual conference that new technological infrastructure should be considered to help small and medium-sized businesses better access finance after years [...]
Insurer RSA’s board backs £7.2bn takeover deal November 18, 2020 British insurance giant RSA has recommended its shareholders back a £7.2bn takeover bid by groups from Canada and Denmark, in what could be one of the biggest M&A deals this year. The final bid from Canada’s Intact Financial and Denmark’s Tryg comes after two weeks of speculation, and was confirmed by RSA today. RSA has [...]
Government hits back at claims the UK is ‘back of the queue’ for Covid vaccines November 17, 2020 The government has hit back at claims that Britain is “back of the queue” for coronavirus vaccines and denied that there was a “scramble” to secure a supply of the drug being developed by US biotech firm Moderna. The business department today slammed reports in the Guardian and Metro claiming the UK had failed to [...]
Anti-vaxxers may lose travel insurance over Covid vaccine refusal November 17, 2020 Anti-vaxxers may risk invalidating their travel insurance if they are medically able but decline to have the coronavirus vaccine, an insurance expert has warned. Medical underwriting specialist and travel insurance expert Tricia Tietema told City A.M she would expect that those who are medically able to have the coronavirus vaccine, should one become available, but [...]
Crypto AM shines its Spotlight on ByteTree Asset Management November 17, 2020 Bitcoin – acceptance and accessibility An asset still in its infancy Estimates vary, but it’s reckoned that there are about 60m Bitcoin wallets in existence. That seems like a lot until you consider there are around 3.5bn smartphone users on the planet. Assume that smartphone ownership is a pre-condition of digital currency ownership and you [...]
Government must shield, not sacrifice, financial services in Brexit negotiations November 16, 2020 The health and success of London’s financial businesses is pivotal to the national interest. Banks and other financial institutions that operate out of the Square Mile and Canary Wharf play a vital role in financing businesses, start-ups and critical infrastructure projects in every corner of the UK.
Business interruption case heads to the Supreme Court November 16, 2020 A landmark legal battle between the City regulator and leading insurers over business interruption payouts heads to the Supreme Court today. Hundreds of thousands businesses that were forced to close or faced significant losses amid the pandemic made claims on their business interruption insurance. But leading insurers disputed the claims arguing their policies did not [...]
Treasury opens bidding process for first seven post-Brexit Freeports November 16, 2020 From today, the Treasury will start accepting bids from cities and towns across England for the first seven Freeports, which are to be created in 2021. Ultimately, the government aims to establish 10 Freeports across the UK, the Treasury confirmed this morning. Areas given Freeport status will be given a range of tax reliefs, including on purchasing [...]
Ban on new petrol and diesel car sales to be brought forward to 2030 November 14, 2020 Boris Johnson is set to announce that the ban on petrol and diesel vehicles will be brought forward to 2030. The announcement is expected as part of a landmark speech laying out the government’s 10 point plan for climate change. Back in February the ban on the sale of such vehicles was brought forward to [...]
BoE warns insurers are being ‘optimistic’ in Covid-19 estimates November 13, 2020 Insurers risk being optimistic in estimating losses from Covid-19 related claims and should stress-test their underlying assumptions, the Bank of England has warned. In a letter to insurers today, the BoE set out its findings from a review across the general insurance sector on reserving, managing exposures and dealing with uncertainty over contracts in light [...]