UK financial services sector shakes off Covid blows as vacancies surge March 10, 2021 Vacancies in the financial services sector are well on their way to recovery after a sharp slump at the start of the pandemic, according to new APSCo data. Research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) showed hiring fell 58 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 as Covid battered employment prospects. However, numbers [...]
Financial services’ annual reports across the Atlantic chart path to optimistic Covid recovery March 10, 2021 Britain’s economy entered crisis mode in March last year and plotting a course toward recovery dominated the recent budget. But there is reason for optimism, and the conclusion of the annual reporting cycles for the leading financial institutions in the UK and the US can tell us a lot about where we will see growth [...]
Habito launches UK’s longest-ever fixed rate mortgages March 10, 2021 Habito has today announced that it will launch the nation’s longest-ever fixed rate mortgage, which will come without early repayment charges or exit fees. The “Habito One” will give buyers of all types access to long-term fixed rate periods starting at 10 years, going up to an unprecedented 40-year fixed rate term. The firm said [...]
HSBC launches £15bn lending fund for British SMEs March 10, 2021 HSBC has today launched a new £15bn fund to help UK SMEs through the economic recovery. The fund, which includes over £10bn of regionally focussed allocations, seeks to move away from the “traditional” London focus and drive growth in regions across the country. “The past 12 months have highlighted the challenges many small businesses face. [...]
British Business Bank boss calls for more ‘risk-sharing’ in recovery loan scheme March 10, 2021 The head of Britain’s state-owned business bank has called for more risk-sharing in SME lending as she looks at combatting fraud in a new loan scheme. Catherine Lewis La Torre, who took over as chief executive of the British Business Bank (BBB) in September, told City A.M. there is a need for the market to [...]
George Osborne hits out at Sunak’s ‘unenterprising’ corporation tax hike March 9, 2021 Former chancellor George Osborne has slammed Rishi Sunak for his £45bn plans to raise corporation tax, saying they will send a message to other countries that “Britain isn’t a very enterprising place”. Osborne said today that he would have preferred to raise VAT to raise government revenues instead of Sunak’s plan to hike corporation tax [...]
NHS workers were originally set for 2.1 per cent pay rise, says chief executive March 9, 2021 NHS staff were originally in line to receive a 2.1 per cent pay rise before the pandemic, the health body’s chief executive has said. The government sparked widespread outrage last week after ministers announced health workers were set to receive a 1 per cent pay rise this year. Labour said the annual increase amounted to [...]
More than 1m small businesses ‘at risk of collapse’ due to cyber threats March 9, 2021 The government has been urged to pump more money into cyber defences after new research revealed that more than 1m small businesses would collapse if they were targeted by hackers. A poll of more than 500 business leaders found nearly a quarter of UK SMEs — equivalent to 1.3m companies — were likely to go [...]
Exclusive: London pubs, restaurants and hotels to claim almost £200m in restart grants March 8, 2021 London pubs, restaurants and hotels are set to receive almost £200m in extra government grants to help them reopen after the latest coronavirus lockdown. Around 13,000 hospitality businesses across the capital will be eligible to claim £184.2m in the restart grants, City A.M. can reveal. Research by real estate adviser Altus Group showed 3,632 pubs [...]
BoE boss says Covid recession will have fewer long-term effects than previous UK downturns March 8, 2021 The Covid crisis will not have as many long-term economic effects in the UK as previous recessions, according to Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey. Bailey today said his diagnosis of the UK’s economic recovery prospects was “positive, but with large doses of cautionary realism”. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) last week said it [...]