Demand for financial services drops for first time in five years and could fall further this quarter January 14, 2019 Demand for financial services has fallen for the first time in five years and business volumes could drop even further in the first quarter of 2019, firms have warned. A survey of 84 companies, carried out by the Confederation of British Industry and PwC, showed that business volumes and sentiment fell in the three months [...]
Brexit ‘likely to face delay beyond 29 March’ as essential bill backlog builds January 11, 2019 Brexit will be delayed beyond 29 March, it is reported, as six key bills must be passed before the UK can leave the EU. The backlog of essential bills, which includes the Immigration Bill, means the Brexit timetable must be extended, the Evening Standard reported today. Read more: Top Brexit donors fear UK will never [...]
Mark Kleinman’s big predictions for the Square Mile in 2019 January 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP exit, Unilever’s HQ U-turn, Melrose’s swoop for GKN: 2018 was a year full of surprises in the City. And while forecasting might be a fool’s errand, here are 10 predictions for the year ahead. •Theresa May will decisively lose next week’s “meaningful vote” on Brexit: that’s not a punt that will [...]
Insurer Axa to shift jobs to Dublin in Brexit move January 10, 2019 Insurer Axa is moving staff to Ireland in the light of the UK’s impending exit from the EU. Chief executive of the French insurer Thomas Buberl told reporters today that Axa’s recently acquired XL unit had already made plans to move staff to Ireland from the UK before its takeover by Axa last year. Buberl [...]
Former Lloyd’s of London CEO Inga Beale joins London First board January 10, 2019 Dame Inga Beale, who became the first female chief executive of Lloyd’s of London in 2013, has joined the board of business campaign group London First. The City veteran will assume her role at London First with immediate effect, having announced her departure from Lloyd’s last year. Read more: Lloyd's of London appoints successor to Beale [...]
Digital finance technology is wonderful, but we must design it with consumers’ best interests at heart January 10, 2019 Every morning, I browse my phone as I commute to work. I check my emails, the news, Twitter, and increasingly I open my various finance apps. I recently logged into my investment platform app and made a new investment – £1,000 in a startup Swedish retailer. Once the money was invested, I was applauded with [...]
Why the cheapest mortgage deal isn’t necessarily the right one January 9, 2019 The Financial Conduct Authority’s report into the mortgage market found that around 30 per cent of borrowers were unable to see that they were eligible for a cheaper deal. On average, these consumers paid around £550 per year more over the introductory period compared to the cheaper product. But this poses a question: is the cheapest [...]
City Moves for 9 January – who’s switching jobs at Novidea, Unily and Hunton Andrews Kurth? January 8, 2019 Who’s switching jobs? Novidea Novidea, the data-driven platform provider for the insurance industry, has announced that Ben Potts has joined the company as UK managing director, to spearhead the company's growth and expansion across the UK and EMEA region. Previously, Ben held various leadership and revenue-focused executive roles with Majesco, Xchanging and Jardine Lloyd Thompson [...]
US insurer Metlife appoints new boss after stock slumps following spin-off January 8, 2019 US insurer Metlife today appointed one of its senior employees as chief executive to take over from the current holder of the role Steve Kandarian. Michel Khalaf, the head of the company’s US and Europe, Middle East and Africa business, will take the reins from 1 May when Kandarian retires. Kandarian has led Metlife for eight [...]
Fintech unicorn Monzo to appoint former Northern Rock boss to banking board January 8, 2019 Digital bank Monzo has appointed the former head of failed bank Northern Rock to its board, as the startup aims for growth in 2019. The fintech firm is to announce Gary Hoffman as its non-executive chairman tomorrow, as first reported by Sky News, replacing Baroness Kingsmill who has chaired Monzo since 2015. Hoffman will bring [...]