Cityfibre secures £1.12bn debt package to fund UK full-fibre rollout December 18, 2018 Fibre network provider Cityfibre has secured a £1.12bn debt package from seven major financial institutions to help fund its rollout of full-fibre broadband across the UK. Proceeds from the infrastructure debt package will be used to fund the first part of Cityfibre’s £2.5bn plan to bring full-fibre to five million homes, the company said today. [...]
Alternative finance lender Oakam is trying to help the unbanked November 30, 2018 Payday loan companies get a bad rap. And it’s easy to see why, considering the predatory businesses practices and extortionate interest rates charged by lenders like Wonga, which collapsed into administration this year. High-interest, short-term loans were back in the news this week, with the announcement that the fintech startup Monzo is considering offering such [...]
Stress in the City: How the UK’s top law firms manage employee wellbeing November 26, 2018 The legal world has been rocked by the recent suicide of a US partner which has led to an examination of the high-stress, long-hours culture prevalent in elite law firms. The widow of Sidley Austin partner Gabe MacConaill, who killed himself last month, wrote a heartbreaking open letter in the American Lawyer magazine detailing the [...]
RBS names new deputy chief executive in charge of ring-fenced bank November 14, 2018 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) today appointed a new deputy chief executive to take over ring-fenced bank Natwest Holdings. Alison Rose, who serves as the chief executive of commercial and private banking, will take on the new role from the beginning of December. She will continue in her current job while also deputising for [...]
Transferwise repackages its business banking with a debit card November 14, 2018 Fintech unicorn Transferwise is today relaunching its business banking effort to include a debit card, integration with accounting platform Xero and an open access developer channel. The newly-revised business product will provide a Transferwise Business debit card for spending both online and in-store in 45 currencies, in addition to its previous offering of local bank details [...]
FRC calls on firms to account for Brexit impact in annual reports October 24, 2018 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has told listed companies to lay out how leaving the EU could impact their business in their financial reports due shortly after Brexit. In an open letter to the UK’s finance directors and audit committee chairs, the FRC said they must clearly identify specific Brexit challenges such as changes in import [...]
Brexit boost: Natwest pledges an extra £2bn to help businesses through EU divorce October 23, 2018 Natwest has tripled its funding to prepare British business for Brexit. The bank has set aside an extra £2bn to support companies which rely on EU exports, labour or foreign exchange rates. Read more: Philips warns no-deal Brexit will hit British manufacturing The bank says it beleives nearly 2,000 of its customers could benefit from [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland introduces 1.5 per cent savings rate days after Goldman Sachs October 11, 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) today announced a new savings rate of 1.5 per cent just weeks after Goldman Sachs entered the British market. The instant access savings account will pay the annual rate, which will put it near the top of the best-buy tables for some customers, up to the first £10,000, whereas Goldman's [...]
Pregnant woman shot with pellet gun by City cashpoint as muggers try new tactic to distract victims October 9, 2018 An expectant mother was shot with a pellet gun outside a City cashpoint on Monday in what police believe may be a new tactic from muggers trying to grab money from their victims. Five-month pregnant Nikki Morgan was outside Halifax on Fenchurch Street in broad daylight, trying to unlock her pin code when something hit [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland name ‘under review’ as bank rebuilds its reputation after financial crisis October 8, 2018 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is reportedly considering changing its name to distance itself from the financial crisis 10 years ago. The RBS name is under review as part of a rebrand, chairman Sir Howard Davies said yesterday, as the bank claims to have fixed historical problems as it turns its attention to its [...]