CBI: May must secure support for Brexit deal for UK economy to post moderate growth December 6, 2018 The UK economy will have a tough time posting even moderate growth next year without an orderly Brexit, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) warned today. The CBI’s forecast of 1.3 per cent growth in 2018, 1.4 per cent in 2019 and 1.6 per cent in 2020, a slightly lower set of predictions than the [...]
Top HSBC executive probed by Financial Conduct Authority November 6, 2018 A top executive at HSBC is being probed by city regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Sky News reports that Paul Watson, whose online profile lists him as head of regulatory compliance for the global banking and markets division of HSBC, is being investigated by the regulator. The inquiry, which is thought to have started [...]
Danske Bank money laundering whistleblower Howard Wilkinson slams UK company structures as a ‘disgrace’ November 21, 2018 Danske Bank whistleblower Howard Wilkinson slammed British company structures for covering up money laundering activities. Wilkinson, who revealed an alleged €200bn (£178.1bn) money laundering scandal involving his former employer, said limited liability partnerships and Scottish liability partnerships “have been abused for years”. “The role of the United Kingdom is an absolute disgrace. Limited liability partnerships [...]
Banking challenger Chetwood builds the world’s first dynamic loan as fintech startups look on November 30, 2018 Welsh banking challenger Chetwood Financial has today unveiled the world’s first so-called dynamic loan, where the interest rate falls as borrowers improve their credit score. Built in collaboration with credit rating firm Clearscore and launched under its brand Livelend, the loan uses technology to monitor a customer’s credit score and reduce its rate at three-month [...]
Deutsche Bank shares hit record lows as German bank dragged into money laundering scandal November 20, 2018 Shares in Deutsche Bank hit record lows today after the German bank confirmed it was involved in the Danske Bank money-laundering scandal. Danske whistleblower Howard Wilkinson had claimed on Monday that a major European lender was involved in processing up to $150bn (£117bn) in suspicious payments. The former head of Danske Bank’s trading unit in [...]
Consultants ‘braver’ about challenging clients who treat women inappropriately, says PwC January 17, 2019 Advisers are “getting braver about…calling out our clients” who act inappropriately towards female consultants, a partner at PwC told a tech industry event in east London today. The partnership at PwC gets “incensed” when client chief executives shout at female partners, said Mads Thomson, who leads the the professional services firm’s technology consulting business in [...]
Barclays shares: Optimists see an opportunity April 29, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. These results do not impress, but there’s lots going on at Barclays and plenty to interest investors. Without the attention generated by activist investor Edward Bramson, it’s likely that last week’s lacklustre investment banking performance at Barclays (LSE:BARC) may have been passed off as just another quarter blighted by [...]
Finance chiefs desert Saudi business summit as backlash to missing journalist intensifies October 16, 2018 The global boycott of a high-profile Saudi investor conference gathered pace yesterday as the bosses of JP Morgan, Ford, Blackstone and BlackRock led an executive exodus following the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The US resident and critic of the Saudi government has not been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. [...]
City firms draft in extra staff for crunch Brexit deal vote in preparation for market volatility and investor calls January 11, 2019 The City is bracing itself for next week’s crunch vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal with banks drafting in extra staff to work through the night responding to market volatility and investor calls. MPs will finally vote on the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement on Tuesday after a month's delay, with traders, investors and analysts on [...]
City A.M.’s rate-setting committee vote to hold interest rates as Brexit uncertainty peaks March 20, 2019 The Bank of England must hold interest rates as Brexit uncertainty looks set to continue beyond 29 March, City economists have said. The Bank’s rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC) will announce its decision at midday on Thursday and is expected to leave rates unchanged at 0.75 per cent. Read more: Bank of England leaves policy unchanged [...]