Aviva boss Mark Wilson paid £4.3m last year after bonus bump March 27, 2018 The chief executive of insurer Aviva was paid £4.3m last year, with nearly £2m of that coming as a bonus after a strong year. Chief executive Mark Wilson received £1.028m as a basic salary, a £1.945m bonus, £966,000 in long-term share incentives and £288,000 in pension payments. His total remuneration actually dipped from last year [...]
The fintech revolution is democratising finance, and London is leading the way March 26, 2018 It has been a busy seven days for those who work in fintech or follow its developments closely. A week ago today, we saw unlikely partners come together at the start of the Innovate Finance Global Summit. The City’s 800 years of Gothic grandeur of the Great Hall played host to leading innovators, investors, politicians, [...]
Financial services firms pressing “the pause button” on Brexit contingency plans after transition agreement reached March 26, 2018 A raft of financial services firms feel able “to put the pause button” on Brexit contingency plans after the transition agreement, the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) chief economist said today. Rain Newton-Smith said that last week marked “a huge step forward” with the transition agreement struck between the UK and the rest of the [...]
RSA chief Stephen Hester receives nearly £5m pay packet after strong 2017 for the insurer March 25, 2018 The chief executive of RSA Stephen Hester will take home nearly £5m after a strong 2017 for the insurer which saw it achieve a record underwriting profit of £394m. On top of his salary of £987,000, the former Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) boss received a £1m bonus, £2.6m as part of a long-term incentive [...]
RSA chief executive Stephen Hester pockets nearly £5m after strong 2017 for the insurer March 25, 2018 The chief executive of RSA Stephen Hester will take home nearly £5m after a strong 2017 for the insurer which saw it achieve a record underwriting profit of £394m. On top of his salary of £987,000, the former Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) boss received a £1m bonus, £2.6m as part of a long-term incentive [...]
House of Fraser’s lenders call in advisers EY as high street crisis continues March 24, 2018 House of Fraser has become the latest household name to send out warning signals, as its lenders have appointed EY as advisers to check its ongoing viability as a business. In a year that has already seen the collapse of Toys R Us and Maplins, a syndicate of banks acting as lenders to House of [...]
Last week in the City March 23, 2018 This week, China warned the US that it is not afraid of engaging in a trade war, the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates again, and Facebook shares plummeted after allegations that millions of users' profile data had been harvested. The FTSE 100 was down 3.5% over the course of the week by mid-session on Friday. [...]
Artemis: Investing for income March 23, 2018 On Britain’s railways, a double yellow light is an instruction to exercise “preliminary caution”. On seeing it, a train driver should continue to move forward but be prepared to begin slowing at the next signal; there may be an obstruction ahead. These are the conditions under which investors seeking income currently operate. Financial assets in [...]
Aviva shareholder criticism prompts £450m preference share climbdown March 23, 2018 Insurance giant Aviva has today been forced into a U-turn over controversial plans to cancel £450m of high-interest shares. After receiving “strong feedback and criticism” from investors, Aviva has reneged on proposals to bin its irredeemable preference shares. Some of the shares date back to 1992 and pay an 8.5 per cent coupon. Boss Mark [...]
Rihanna roils markets as China bags a key element March 21, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (March 12 to March 16, 2018). This week, Barbadian singing sensation Rihanna managed to wipe $1bn off the valuation of tech group Snap, the Chinese secured a major cobalt deal to help it produce electric [...]