Coronavirus: Our digital shift has implications for blockchain April 22, 2020 Of the many lessons being learned during the current Covid-19 pandemic, an important one is that many industries are capable of going digital in an emergency. The rapid digital transition has been more agile where blockchain was already in place. Blockchain’s lasting legacy will be its role in the continuation of positive digital change post-crisis. [...]
How will Blockchain revolutionise financial services? April 22, 2020 In a recent PwC report, it was estimated that distributed ledger technology could reduce financial services infrastructure cost between US$15 billion and $20 billion per annum by 2022. This would positively impact both business and consumer banking in many unexpected ways. To truly understand the magnitude of the problem Blockchain can solve, one should look [...]
UK marketing budgets suffer sharpest drop since 2009 crash April 22, 2020 UK marketing budgets declined at the fastest rate since the 2009 global financial crisis in the first quarter as consumers and businesses cut spend due to the coronavirus crisis. A net balance of -6.1 per cent of companies slashed their total marketing budgets in the first three months of the year, according to the latest [...]
Peugeot maker PSA sales slump as coronavirus crashes car market April 21, 2020 Peugeot manufacturer PSA Group today posted a double-digit decline in sales for the first quarter as it forecast a slump in automotive markets across the globe due to coronavirus. The French car maker reported revenue of €15.2bn (£13.3bn) in the first three months of the year, down 15.6 per cent on the same period in [...]
Can inclusion efforts help business resiliency during the COVID-19 crisis? April 14, 2020 When business continuity plans kick in, as they have for the COVID-19 crisis, what happens to diversity and inclusion efforts at investment organisations? Do they fall away as ‘nice-to-haves’ or are they seen as contributing to a cultural edge of resiliency? Evidence from a meeting as the unprecedented global lockdown took hold – by conference-call, of [...]
Coronavirus: US Federal Reserve pledges another $2.3 trillion in loans April 9, 2020 The US Federal Reserve has promised an extra $2.3 trillion (£1.84 trillion) of loans to shore up the US economy as American unemployment surged for the third week in a row amid the coronavirus crisis. Fed chairman Jay Powell said the money would be made available for employers and households to help them through the [...]
Coronavirus: What does entertaining look like in a post-pandemic world? April 8, 2020 What will life be like after the Coronavirus? What will restaurants be like? What kind of holidays will we have? Who will be going to concerts? I’m pretty sure it’s not what you expect… how do I know? Well, at Ten Group – the world’s most successful lifestyle concierge service (“TENG” on the London Stock [...]
Asos shares soar as retailer orders £200m equity raise April 7, 2020 Shares in Asos rose by a third today after the fashion retailer announced a bumper share sale in a bid to shore up its finances during the coronavirus crisis. Asos unveiled plans for a placing of up to 18.8 per cent of issued share capital to protect against a “prolonged downturn” caused by the pandemic. [...]
UK productivity shows weak growth before coronavirus hit April 7, 2020 UK productivity grew by 0.3 per cent year on year in the final quarter of 2019, official statistics have shown, marking relatively weak growth before coronavirus hit the economy. The figure was unchanged from the previous quarter but was an improvement from the previous four quarters of zero growth or contraction, the Office for National [...]
WH Smith to tap investors for up to £150m due to coronavirus outbreak April 6, 2020 WH Smith has confirmed it is planning to tap investors for a cash injection of up to £150m to shore up its balance sheet due to the impact of coronavirus. The company said this morning that it has secured new lending facilities of £120m to strengthen its balance sheet, working capital and liquidity position, however [...]