Ascential floats on the London market at 200p per share, giving welcome relief to Guardian Media Group February 9, 2016 Ascential, the magazine and events business that runs the Cannes Lions advertising festival and publishes Retail Week, has floated on the London market at 200p a share. The valuation gives the company, which is owned by Guardian Media Group a and private equity group Apax, a market cap of around £800m. They remain the largest [...]
Mayoral Tech Manifesto 2016: We must liberalise skilled visa policy to ensure the success of London’s tech sector February 9, 2016 The new Mayoral Tech Manifesto 2016 outlines the bold steps the next mayor must take to maintain London’s position as the digital capital of Europe, and make it a truly digital city for businesses and citizens. But can it be done? In theory, it can. If the infrastructure, investment and government decision-making aligns, the opportunity is there for [...]
Shrove Tuesday 2016: Fire insurance claim costs almost double on Pancake Day, and new world record for tallest pancake tower set February 9, 2016 For some people, trying to nail the perfect pancake flip is more than just a cause of frustration – it's a costly fire hazard. According to statistics from home insurance provider Policy Expert, in 2015, claims for fire damage rocketed up to £11,546 on Shrove Tuesday, compared to just £6,543 on an average day for the rest of [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Sadiq Khan has danced into the lead over Zac Goldsmith for London mayor, but how important will voter turnout be on 5 May? February 9, 2016 In three months’ time London will have a new mayor, ending the eight year era of Boris. Sadiq Khan may well be in the box seat with both pollsters and bookmakers at present, but the Tooting MP has a delicate dance to perform until voters head to their local polling places on 5 May. Khan’s [...]
Setting bank data free with open APIs is just the start for consumer choice February 9, 2016 Today’s report from the UK Open Banking Working Group has recommended the creation of an Open Banking Standard that will make it possible for banking data to be shared and used securely. But what does this actually mean? In layman’s terms, it means data that banks hold on their customer base – balances, transaction history [...]
Whether London’s next mayor is Zac Goldsmith or Sadiq Khan, they must pay attention to the tech sector February 9, 2016 A mayoral election campaign can be a strange thing. Without the national media attention of a General Election one can be forgiven for sometimes thinking that the candidates have gone quiet. But they're out there. From Orpington's church halls to Barking's pub function rooms, the candidates know that victory is secured one local paper at a [...]
City Moves for 9 February 2016 | Who’s switching jobs February 9, 2016 Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking has strengthened its technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) team in London with the appointment of Natalie O’Byrne as mid-markets relationship director. With six years’ experience in corporate banking, she joins the nine-strong TMT team having previously worked in a similar role for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking looking after clients [...]
UK insurance firms feeling the pressure from the top and the bottom of the market – PwC February 9, 2016 Insurance firms are feeling the pressure from below and above, according to new data out today from accounting group PwC, with bosses citing regulators and new competitors entering the market as two of their biggest concerns. The survey revealed that 94 per cent of insurance chief executives are concerned that over-regulation in the sector could [...]
Football INDEX’s Adam Cole talks Messi, tech in Bangkok and lads’ mags on VHS February 8, 2016 Plenty of entrepreneurs describe their lightbulb moment as realising that they could fix somebody else’s problem. Adam Cole’s moment, back in 2000, had a touch more glamour. “I was having dinner at a friend’s, and his wife said to me, ‘darling, the FTSE is so dull; us girls know nothing about it. Imagine if we could [...]
Farewell Tech City: Why the capital’s thriving technology sector is so fearful of Brexit February 8, 2016 London's tech sector has been one of the country’s biggest success stories since the financial crisis. It works really well in London, aided by a range of world-leading creative industries, from film-making to news, which are themselves increasingly like tech firms. And let’s face it, there’s a cultural vibrancy that makes the capital a brilliant [...]