Full speed ahead for motor insurers on the legal road to self-driving cars January 21, 2019 In the last twelve months alone, the government has spoken loudly about the direction in which it wants advances in self-driving cars to go. And yet, though these developments are certainly innovative, and exciting, speed bumps remain – especially for the motor insurance industry – on the road to autonomous vehicles becoming an everyday reality. [...]
FTSE 100 index rises on hopes of US – China trade war breakthrough January 18, 2019 The FTSE 100 is up more than one per cent this morning on hopes of a breakthrough in trade talks between the US and China. The index was boosted by hopes of progress in the trade war, which were sparked by news reports suggesting that the US is considering reducing tariffs on Chinese imports. Read more: Markets lift [...]
Flawed cyber insurance policies could lead to years of litigation January 17, 2019 The majority of cyber insurance policies on the market are riddled with flaws and may not pay out in the event of a data breach or hack, according to new research. A review by insurance governance company Mactavish of dozens of off-the-shelf cyber policies identified a litany of flaws. Mactavish chief executive Bruce Hepburn said: [...]
Climate change and cyber threats among biggest risks in 2019, World Economic Forum warns January 16, 2019 Climate change and evolving cyber threats are among the biggest risks in 2019, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned. But the organisation said geopolitical tensions, such as the US-China trade dispute, were hindering the fight against climate change and could impact global growth in the coming year. The WEF’s global risks report – ahead [...]
Blackrock investigates hoax letter to chief executives over climate change January 16, 2019 Blackrock is investigating a hoax letter published this morning, claiming to be from chief executive Larry Fink, that warned companies that the world’s largest investment firm would divest unless they took action against climate change. The letter, which was posted on a spoof Blackrock website as the company reported its financial results, said the investor [...]
Over-50s insurer Saga set to meet profit expectations after sales cruise forward January 16, 2019 Saga, the insurer and package holiday provider for the over-50s, reported overall profitability is in line with expectations today despite a “challenging” market. Forward sales for cruises have been strong, the company reported, with its ship the Spirit of Discovery, which will set sail in June this year, reaching 69 per cent of the sales [...]
Parent trap: the child benefits system has ended up punishing the very people it was designed to protect January 16, 2019 For high-flying parents who earn more than £50,000 a year, the child benefit system will seem ridiculous. You go through the effort of applying for the benefits (over the course of a year, this amounts to £1,000 for the first child, and £700 for each additional child), only for the money to be clawed back [...]
City Moves for 16 January – who’s switching jobs at Orchard Street, Crowell & Moring and Stephens Rickard? January 16, 2019 Who’s switching jobs today? Orchard Street Orchard Street Investment Management, the specialist commercial property investment manager, announces the expansion of its leadership team with the promotion of Tom Chadwick to partner. Tom joined Orchard Street in 2014 as investment transactions manager following a successful six-year track record at Aviva Investors, where he started his career [...]
Aberdeen Standard Investments makes $13m investment in digital insurance company Singapore Life January 15, 2019 Asset management firm Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) has announced it will invest $13m (£10.1m) in digital insurance company Singapore Life. The minority equity investment will build on ASI’s existing strategic relationship with the company beyond the management of its fiduciary assets. Singapore Life is the first fully digital insurer in Singapore, and aims to become a [...]
Big brands doing big deals show the UK sports sponsorship industry remains in rude health January 14, 2019 January is typically the time to look forward, to forecast and predict what will happen in the coming year. To understand the state of the UK sponsorship industry, however, it’s more worthwhile to look at what happened in the months leading up to Christmas. Rewind to the week after Black Friday in December and big [...]