Exclusive: UK finance leaders want buoyant investment as we enter post-Covid world February 26, 2021 UK finance leaders are gearing up for a year of eager investment as Covid recovery prospects boost economic positivity, according to a report by procurement consultancy Proxima. The survey found that a combination of political change and post-Covid visions are underpinning an overwhelmingly positive outlook. So, what will the future bring for the UK’s wounded [...]
DeFi: Unlocking liquidity for consumers & institutions February 25, 2021 Decentralised Finance (called ‘DeFi’ for short) refers to the distributed applications or financial ‘protocols’ that are built on a public blockchain and are community governed rather than controlled by a centralised entity or intermediary. One way to think of it is as a system of open source “money legos” or components that can be assembled [...]
Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon: Working from home is not the new normal February 25, 2021 Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon: Working from home is not the new normal
The highs and lows of Antonio Horta-Osorio’s decade at Lloyds February 24, 2021 The return to dividend payouts announced today is a strong legacy for the outgoing Lloyds boss, who oversaw the successful turnaround of a bank left reeling from the financial crisis. Antonio Horta-Osorio will step down at the end of April, with finance chief William Chalmers set to take over temporarily before HSBC banker Charlie Nunn [...]
City Corporation approves third tower in a month as developers back Square Mile’s future February 24, 2021 The City of London Corporation has today (24 February) approved a new 38-storey development at 2 Finsbury Avenue, making it the third tall building to receive planning permission in the Square Mile in 2021. The newly approved office-led development, by British Land and GIC, aims to become an innovative, inclusive and sustainable place to work, [...]
Lloyds to slash office space as it resumes dividend despite 72 per cent profit drop February 24, 2021 Lloyds resumes dividend despite 72 per cent profit drop as it unveils wealth drive
Michael Gove to hold crunch Northern Ireland meeting with EU today February 24, 2021 Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will meet with his EU counterpart today in a crunch meeting to discuss post-Brexit problems at the Northern Ireland border. European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic, who is the Brussels’ key representative to the UK-EU Joint Committee, said last week he wanted all issues with the Northern Ireland protocol of [...]
Post-Covid offices will become cultural hubs and even art galleries to tempt staff back to the office February 24, 2021 “Ditch the desks and ditch the boardroom! Tell your people to bring their trunks and they will love working for you.” So said Robert Dowling, CEO of Deanlow Consulting in Ontario in 2016, after revealing that his employees spent their days paddling around a company swimming pool with laptops to promote creative thinking. We’re five [...]
UK agrees to EU extension of Brexit trade deal ratification February 23, 2021 The UK has agreed to a request by the EU to extend the date of its parliament’s ratification of the Brexit trade deal until 30 April. The trade deal was provisionally approved by the 27 EU ambassadors in December to ensure it came into place on 1 January when the UK left the single market [...]
HSBC results: Shift to Asia, office space slashed, dividend returns February 23, 2021 HSBC today said it plans to nearly halve its office space globally as part of a radical overhaul that will see the lender shift its focus to Asia. The bank will pump roughly $6bn (£4.3bn) into the region over the next five years, focusing mainly on its wealth management business in greater China as well [...]