The Hundred: Why sponsors will like English cricket’s controversial competition proposal June 10, 2018 “Embarrassing and shambolic – a total mess.” No, not the England team’s performance against Pakistan in the First Test at Lord’s last month, but former skipper Michael Vaughan’s verdict on the England and Wales Cricket Board’s proposal for a new eight-team city-based tournament, dubbed “The Hundred”. It is fair to say that the announcement of [...]
RBS jumps on DoJ settlement reports : RBS finally returned to profit after a decade of losses May 14, 2018 Last year RBS finally returned to profit after a decade of losses, and while it was only a minor profit there was still a sense that the bank may have turned a corner in turning the tide of regular losses. Not surprisingly the market reaction to the £752m profit was a little underwhelming given that [...]
RBS is closing 162 branches resulting in 800 job losses as more customers opt for mobile banking May 1, 2018 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is closing 162 branches and cutting nearly 800 jobs after a review of its network in England and Wales, noting that an increasing number of customers were using branches less often and using mobile banking. It said the branch closures will result in 792 roles being made redundant and [...]
Shocking new pictures of Bishopsgate bomb aftermath released on 25th anniversary of attack that rocked the City of London April 24, 2018 Never before seen images of the destruction caused by an IRA attack in the City have been released to mark the 25th anniversary of the incident. A powerful bomb was planted in a stolen truck outside 99 Bishopsgate, exploding on Saturday 24 April 1993, killing one person and wounding another 44. Today the City of [...]
From vicars to City titans: Goldman Sachs, Shell and Barclays among names behind £550m Lloyds legal battle | City A.M. April 4, 2018 Today City A.M. reveals the varied and surprising names behind a massive £550m legal battle with Lloyds over its takeover of HBOS at the height of the financial crisis – and the cast includes major institutions, aristocrats, vicars and politicians. The groups, which includes institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Nomura Asset Management and pension funds [...]
The future of innovation is fintech – and long let the City’s dominance continue March 13, 2018 Fintech is now the firepower of innovation in the City. Such innovation has driven a complete rethink in how firms, governments, and consumers across the world think about finance. From streamlining capital markets, to debunking traditional insurance practices and offering completely new ways to bank, the UK sector has it all. Read more: Fintech leaders [...]
PwC, Tesco, JP Morgan, British Science Association, NatWest, women in tech March 8, 2018 PwC is launching a new initiative today called Tech She Can, to get more women into technology-related jobs. The company is collaborating with 17 other corporations — ranging from Tesco to JP Morgan — to tear down barriers for women entering technology by creating what they dubbed a “tech talent pipeline”. Sheridan Ash, the PwC [...]
Open banking is a test of trust for financial firms: What lenders face in their quest to win customers’ confidence March 5, 2018 Open banking, the new initiative threatening to tear up the banking rule book, has the power to revolutionise how people manage their money. For the first time, customers will be able to give companies other than their bank access to their financial data, opening retail and business banking to fresh competition and delivering more choice, [...]
Natwest to launch new fintech accelerator in London in April February 26, 2018 Natwest bank will launch new fintech accelerators in four cities across the UK in April, including one in the capital, it announced today. The bank will launch units in London, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh, supporting up to 80 fintech firms with a "technology team mentor" and access to government contacts. The six- to 18-month acceleration [...]
NatWest has recruited a “digital human” called Cora to help customers February 21, 2018 NatWest has developed a new “digital human” prototype called Cora to have conversations with customers and help them out with some 200 banking queries. Since the start of last year, NatWest has been using a text-based chat bot which customers can use on its online help pages. Now though, the bank has drawn upon “advances [...]