MPs tell government to intervene if banks don’t do enough to halt branch closures May 13, 2019 The government or the financial watchdog should be ready to intervene if banks do not do enough to halt the closure of local branches, MPs have suggested. In its report into financial inclusion, the influential Treasury Select Committee (TSC) said the closure of local branches were more likely to affect older and more vulnerable customers and [...]
O2 first-quarter revenues rise as it unveils investment plan for stadiums and hotels May 10, 2019 O2 has posted a rise in revenues for the first quarter as it unveiled fresh network investment in stadiums and hotels ahead of the launch of 5G. The mobile operator reported revenues of £1.5bn in the three months to the end of March, up 5.3 per cent on the same quarter last year, while operating [...]
Hackers steal $41m in bitcoins from crypto exchange Binance May 8, 2019 Hackers have stolen bitcoins worth roughly $41m (£31m) from cryptocurrency exchange site Binance, the company said today. Read more: Bitcoin price gains continue as it jumps to six-month high Binance said hackers had withdrawn 7,000 bitcoins in a single transaction after using techniques including phishing and viruses as part of a coordinated large-scale security breach. [...]
Sterling slips as UK prepares to take part in European elections May 8, 2019 The pound slipped 0.23 per cent this morning from $1.307 to $1.304 following yesterday's confirmation that the UK will take part in the EU elections. The 0.23 per cent drop comes after the government repeatedly said it did not want the UK to take part in the elections to the European Parliament later this month. [...]
Insurer Direct Line suffers as premiums drop in a competitive market May 8, 2019 Shares fell at Direct Line this morning as the insurer faced lower gross written premiums in the first quarter of the year. The measure fell 2.1 per cent to £753.9m, driven by a 4.2 per cent contraction in the UK’s largest motor insurance unit to £386.9m. Read more: FTSE 100 insurer Direct Line posts drop [...]
Facebook taps London talent for its global Whatsapp payments drive May 7, 2019 Facebook has chosen London as the global centre of a payments push for messaging platform Whatsapp, as the capital gains another boost in tech workers and post-Brexit confidence. Whatsapp, which is owned by Facebook, will hire around 100 people in an expansion of its workforce by about a quarter, the Financial Times first reported. Read [...]
Purplebricks shares drop after founder Michael Bruce steps down May 7, 2019 Shares in online estate agent Purplebricks fell as much as eight per cent in early trading after it revealed founder and chief executive Michael Bruce is stepping down. Purplebricks said Bruce has resigned with immediate effect and will be replaced by chief operating officer Vic Darvey. Read more: Shares in Purplebricks plummet as UK and [...]
West End landlord Shaftesbury braced for court row with tycoon shareholder May 2, 2019 A bitter row between a major London landlord and one of its largest shareholders has descended into threats of legal action this morning. FTSE 250 property giant Shaftesbury Group, which owns large parts of the West End including much of Carnaby Street and Chinatown, is braced for a court battle with Hong Kong billionaire Samuel Tak Lee [...]
Here’s why Boohoo shares are climbing higher May 2, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Stock markets are struggling on boohoo's results day, but the retailer is defying the gloom. Fast fashion is back in vogue on the London market, with well-received results from Boohoo adding to euphoria over a spectacular 2019 for shares in AIM-listed rival ASOS (LSE:ASC). Their recent turnaround follows an [...]
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson ousted from cabinet over Huawei security leak May 1, 2019 Defence secretary Gavin Williamson has been fired from the cabinet after an investigation into the leak of details of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting discussing Chinese tech firm Huawei. Prime Minister Theresa May wrote in a letter released today that "no other credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified". Read more: [...]