India’s Covid crisis makes Barclays and other banks to shift call centre operations back to UK May 3, 2021 Barclays has announced it will shift some of its Indian call centre operations back to the UK as staff in the South-Asian country are struggling to cope with the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. A range of other UK and US banks and companies are mulling to do the same, according to multiple media reports in India [...]
Barclays profit more than doubles to £2.4bn, as it shifts call centres to UK from India April 30, 2021 Barclays’ profit more than doubled in the first quarter despite not releasing cash set aside to cover bad loans from the pandemic like its British rivals. The bank posted a pre-tax profit of £2.4bn for the first three months of the year, up from £923m in the same period a year earlier and beating an [...]
Clifford Chance to work minimum of 50 per cent in the office post-pandemic April 30, 2021 Clifford Chance will expect staff to be in the office for at least 50 per cent of the week post-pandemic, as the law firm moves to a more flexible way of working. The new approach means staff at the Magic Circle law firm could work remotely for up to 50 per cent of the time. [...]
Business rates appeals soar as property experts slam government’s ban on Covid-19 review requests April 30, 2021 Business rates appeals have soared since the beginning of the pandemic, with experts branding the government’s decision to block reconsiderations based on Covid-19 as a “material change of circumstance” as a “disgrace”. The latest figures showed that, between 1 April last year and the end of March 2021, 409,430 checks had been lodged by firms, [...]
BNB notches $600 and market ‘prices in’ Cardano’s Africa announcements as Bitcoin sits back April 30, 2021 Bitcoin looks to be sitting this one out as the market reacts to Cardano's huge announcement, while BNB ploughs through $600.
Deutsche Bank staff in the City set for three-day work from home week April 29, 2021 Deutsche Bank plans a post-pandemic policy for its City staff that allows them to work from home for up to three days a week. The implementation of the hybrid working model is part of a wider initiative to encourage flexible working at the German financial giant. “It’s a range of 40 per cent to 60 [...]
Cardano leading the charge against Bitcoin dominance April 29, 2021 As Bitcoin's market dominance falls below 50 per cent, alt season is in full swing with Cardano leading from the front.
UK set to formally recognise the EU’s ambassador in bid to cool tensions April 29, 2021 The UK is set to grant full diplomatic status to the EU’s ambassador to the UK in a move that could cool tensions and put to bed a long-running dispute. João Vale de Almeida, a near lifetime Eurocrat, took up the ambassadorial post last year, but had not been formally recognised by Boris Johnson’s government. [...]
Keystone Law CEO: ‘There’s always been a culture of presenteeism in law firms – but that makes less sense now’ April 29, 2021 AIM-listed Keystone Law has enjoyed a good financial year, with profits and revenue at the firm up, something it attributes to being accidentally pandemic-ready thanks to its flexible approach to work. Revenue for the year jumped nearly 11 per cent to £55m, while profit before tax rose to £5.4m, some £200,000 more than the previous [...]
We need new models of public procurement April 29, 2021 Public procurement has been in the headlines recently, and not for wholly good reasons. During the pandemic, governments around the world have rushed to buy essential kit – including face masks, gloves, medical equipment and vaccines – from suppliers. This scramble has come at a price, with the balance of power moving from the buyer [...]