Currensea: Travel card fintech targets overseas growth after bumper summer October 22, 2024 Travel debit card start-up Currensea is targeting overseas markets for its next phase of growth after a rebound in holiday demand helped the fintech grow its user base by a third this summer.
UK banks brace for Budget tax raid despite lobbying efforts October 21, 2024 UK banks are bracing for a tax raid in Labour's maiden Budget as new analysis reveals the sector is already paying a significantly higher rate than counterparts in the US and EU.
Government should consider Post Office mutualisation, ex-minister says October 20, 2024 The government should consider plans to turn the Post Office into a John Lewis-style mutual, a former business minister has said, amid reports Whitehall is looking at the viability. Conservative shadow business secretary Kevin Hollinrake has said he would support a proposal to transform the Post Office’s business structure into a mutual in which customers [...]
Boris Johnson Unleashed: Puns, prose but too little punch October 17, 2024 Let’s face it: if you aren’t a Boris fan or someone inclined to read every political biography, it’s unlikely you will pick up this book. When I told my brother I was reading it, his response was: “Why would you want to relive that mess?!?”. My mother was more pointed: “I’m not reading anything by [...]
Arbuthnot: Historic bank leans on wealth unit as rate cut hits lending income October 17, 2024 Arbuthnot Banking Group reported growth in its wealth management arm as the historic lender looks to weather a fall in interest rates.
Rentokil returns to growth after activist investor scuffle October 17, 2024 Pest-control company Rentokil has reported an uptick in revenue as it grapples with the after-effects of a profit warning and activist investor backlash. The firm told markets this morning that revenue grew by 3.6 per cent year on year in the three months to 30 September, from £1.39bn to £1.44bn. Shares in the company rose [...]
The Square Mile and Me: M Restaurants founder Martin Williams on backpack etiquette and mandatory two hour lunches October 17, 2024 Each week we ask a City figure to take a trip down memory lane. Today it’s Martin Williams, CEO of Groucho and founder of M Restaurants on the City staple’s 10th birthday What was your first job? I started working in hospitality when I was sixteen, as a dishwasher in a grotty hotel in North Yorkshire. I [...]
UK house prices surge as cooling inflation gives rise to lower borrowing costs October 16, 2024 House prices in the UK rose by 2.8 per cent against the backdrop of the lowest inflation for three years and prospect of interest rates coming down further. The UK average according to the Office for National Statistics sat at £293,000 in the year to August 2024, though London prices are typically higher. This marked [...]
Bibby Stockholm: Profit rises for asylum seeker barge ahead of closure October 15, 2024 The Bibby Stockholm barge, which houses asylum seekers off the coast of Dorset, continued to turn a profit in 2023, it has been revealed. The three-storey vessel has posted a pre-tax profit of £167,035 for the 12 months, down from the £421,701 it reported for 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show its turnover [...]
Robert Walters blames Budget uncertainty for slump in UK fees October 15, 2024 Recruiter Robert Walters has posted a slump in net fee income as economic and political uncertainty dragged on hiring in the UK and Europe.