Aon to buy Willis Towers Watson for nearly $30bn in insurance mega-deal March 9, 2020 Aon said today it had agreed to acquire Willis Towers Watson for nearly $30bn (£22.9bn) in an all-stock deal that will create one of the world’s largest insurance brokers. The deal between the two would create a company with a combined value of approximately $80bn. Aon confirmed last year it was in early stage talks [...]
Phoenix posts profit jump in strong annual results March 9, 2020 Insurance consolidator Phoenix said profit jumped 14 per cent last year and cash generation exceeded targets to hit £707m. Phoenix buys life and pensions books from companies looking to move them off their balance sheets. Operating profit rose to £810m in 2019 from £708m in the previous year. Cash generation rose to £707m, up from [...]
Five Tips for Business Success from Five International Women in Finance March 9, 2020 What advice do the top women in finance have for those trying to make their way in the sector? Last year, I interviewed 50 accomplished women from around the world for my 2020 research paper “Top Tips for Business Success,” released on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2020. As it turns out, five of the [...]
Prudential plans sale of stake in US arm March 8, 2020 Prudential is planning a sale or partial float of its US insurance business as it faces pressure from an activist hedge fund to focus on Asia. The London-based insurance giant is set to lay out plans to sell a stake in US firm Jackson, which it has owned since 1986, the Sunday Times reported. The [...]
Surge in female SME owners as gender gap narrows March 8, 2020 International Women’s Day has been capped off by a report today showing a surge in the number of female owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) over the past year. The analysis of more than 1.4m small businesses revealed the number of SMEs owned by women rose 31 per cent in 2019, according to SME [...]
Lord Ashcroft’s Devonshire Club set to appoint administrators March 8, 2020 A luxury private members’ club co-owned by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft could be on the brink of insolvency after launching a hunt for administrators. The Devonshire Club, close to Liverpool Street station in the City, has filed notice with the High Court of its intention to appoint an administrator. It has also hired insolvency experts [...]
Coronavirus crisis wipes £59bn off FTSE 100 March 6, 2020 Coronavirus wiped £59bn off the FTSE 100 today to cap off another week of stock market turmoil. The blue-chip stock index sank by 3.6 per cent, or 242.88 points, to finish the week on 6,462.55 points – its lowest since July 2016. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 was down 2.98 per cent, or 576.62 points to [...]
What will Rishi Sunak’s Budget mean for personal taxes? March 6, 2020 With a commitment to leave rates for income tax, national insurance and VAT unchanged, the new Chancellor may be looking for other areas to raise tax in March’s Budget – possibly in capital gains tax and inheritance tax. In addition, the Conservative Party manifesto contained commitments to “review and reform” entrepreneurs’ relief (ER) as well [...]
City watchdog outlines tougher climate change disclosures for top firms March 6, 2020 The UK’s top listed firms must disclose how their business is affected by climate change using globally-agreed guidance or explain why they cannot, under proposals outlined today by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Under the plans, firms with a premium listing would have to either make climate-related disclosures in line with the approach set out [...]
Firms send staff home as coronavirus arrives in Canary Wharf March 6, 2020 Contagion fears gripped Canary Wharf last night after a host of multinational firms pressed the button on coronavirus contingency plans in what could be just a taste of things to come. On a rollercoaster day in one of the globe’s most important financial hubs HSBC took the decision to evacuate more than a hundred staff [...]