Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chops 680 jobs in the run-up to Christmas as 259 RBS and Natwest branches are marked for closure December 1, 2017 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has entered December with an unwelcome gift for its employees, announcing 680 jobs will be cut as it marks 259 branches for closure. Blaming the rise of online banking, RBS said it would get rid of 62 Royal Bank of Scotland branches and 197 Natwest branches. Read more: Royal Bank [...]
City firms on hiring spree as salaries look set to keep rising December 1, 2017 City firms are set to embark on a hiring spree next year as the need to deal with new rules and technology trumps the ongoing political uncertainty over the Brexit process. More than two-thirds of financial services firms plan to recruit staff over the next 12 months, with the majority planning to bring permanent staff [...]
London snow 2017: It’s snowing in the City as temperatures plummet November 30, 2017 Snow has arrived in the City, as temperatures plunged, hitting two degrees according to the Met Office. The first cold snap of the winter has well and truly arrived, and City workers have been greeted with snowfall this morning. Twitter users posted photos and videos of the exciting change in the weather – though you [...]
Government debt to stay above financial crisis levels until 2060 says Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) November 23, 2017 Government debt levels will not return to levels seen before the financial crisis until 2060 owing to the UK’s weak growth prospects, according to an influential think tank’s analysis of chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget. Poor productivity forecasts unveiled yesterday by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forced the independent Budget watchdog to revise down [...]
Activist investor warns London Stock Exchange against “character assassination” of outgoing boss Xavier Rolet November 21, 2017 Activist investor Sir Chris Hohn today lashed out at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) Group, saying that its board appears to be threatening a “character assassination” of its outgoing chief executive Xavier Rolet. In the latest twist in the LSE soap opera over the alleged forced retirement of Rolet, Hohn called for the Bank of [...]
Focus On Forest Hill: Meet the up-and-coming part of south east London that’s been dubbed the “new nappy valley” November 16, 2017 Like a lot of south east London, Forest Hill likes to keep a low profile – lest anyone find out just how good it is. But as the affordability crisis forces more and more Londoners to search the nooks and crannies of the capital for decent housing, many of them have alighted upon this useful [...]
Belief in people has led architecture firm Darling Associates to success November 15, 2017 Napoleon once said “an army marches on its stomach”. Looking after your army was important for Napoleon, and it’s also a top priority for Chris Darling, founder of Darling Associates, although unlike Napoleon’s army, his team are showing no signs of being underfed; he’s conquered (built an office in) both London and Poland, working on [...]
Theresa May doubles tech talent visas for non-EU foreign workers after Brexit to woo industry November 14, 2017 Theresa May is seeking to reassure the UK’s flourishing tech industry amid ongoing concerns over the impact of Brexit on hiring top talent. The Prime Minister and chancellor Philip Hammond will meet with top entrepreneurs and investors on Wednesday and is promising a flurry of measures to support startups across the country. “It is absolutely [...]
David Davis sets out post-Brexit vision for financial services November 14, 2017 David Davis has committed to protecting talent within financial services after Brexit, as he gives his clearest indication of the government’s thinking for the sector yet. Speaking at UBS this morning, the Brexit secretary set out his vision of the City’s future relationship with the EU after March 2019, based on three key planks: protecting [...]
Global M&A activity to hit cycle high of $3.2 trillion next year November 13, 2017 Worldwide mergers and acquisition activity will hit $3.2 trillion (£2.4 trillion) in 2018, as dealmaking is lifted on a rising global economic tide, according to forecasts to be published today. Investors are feeling “increasingly confident” because of a pick-up in global trade and GDP growth across most of the world, according to analysis by law [...]