French strikes spark confrontations between police and protestors May 26, 2016 Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, smoke bombs were thrown and arrests made amid protests over new labour laws by the French government. Their grievances centre on the government's proposed reforms to employment laws, which make it easier for firms to hire and fire. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said some tweaks could be [...]
Google’s Apple Pay rival Android Pay is finally here in the UK May 18, 2016 Good news for anyone eager to pay using just the swipe of their mobile, but who doesn't own an iPhone. Google's Android Pay is launching in the UK today, bringing the tap and pay technology to millions of smartphone users across the country. A rival to Apple Pay which launched last year, the app lets users pay by [...]
Here are the most popular credit cards of 2016 – and the rewards they offer April 1, 2016 The five most popular credit cards of 2016 have been revealed today and, unsurprisingly, it turns out customers love getting rewards for spending their money, with cashback cards topping the list. Train commuter, furniture-lover or jet-setter; there's a reward scheme to suit everyone. Here's a run down of the cards people have been searching for most on Which? Money Compare [...]
Which banks will offer the Help to Buy Isa? Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, NatWest, Santander and Virgin Money July 25, 2015 Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, Natwest, Santander and Virgin Money are among the banks and building societies which will offer the government's widely anticipated Help to Buy Isa. Help to Buy Isas, unveiled by chancellor George Osborne in his Spring budget, aim to give first-time buyers a much needed helping hand onto the property ladder. [...]
Saving no longer as easy as 1, 2, 3: Santander chops interest rate on top account – and now Lloyds is considering a rate change too August 15, 2016 Santander has today confirmed it is slashing interest rates on its popular 1,2,3 account to 1.5 per cent, while Lloyds has revealed it is mulling its options. Santander's change in rate will be effective from 1 November, and it is also making some changes to the overdraft rates. In a statement issued this morning, the bank [...]
Revenues up at Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate Pub Company July 4, 2016 Slug and Lettuce and Yates owner Stonegate Pub Company toasted healthy double-digit revenue growth in its first-half results today. The figures Total revenue across Stonegate's 660 managed pubs and bars was up 12.8 per cent to £342m for the 28 weeks to 10 April, up from £303m in the first half of 2015. Like-for-like revenue increased [...]
How the ONS single-handedly knocked £100,000 off the average UK house price in April June 15, 2016 Eagle-eyed house price watchers may have spotted something fishy about the official house price figures for April. Yep: in the figures, published yesterday, the average UK house price was almost £100,000 lower than last month – dropping from £292,000 in March to just £209,000 in April. Are those jitters over the EU referendum really having that bad an [...]
City Moves for 15 June 2016 | Who’s switching jobs June 15, 2016 JC Rathbone Associates Risk management consultancy JC Rathbone Associates (JCRA) has appointed Shripal Shah as director of real estate debt advisory. Shripal will join JCRA in August following 12 years at HSBC where he was head of real estate finance for the UK and the Middle East. At HSBC he was involved in number of [...]
These are the next areas that will get Virgin Media’s speedy fibre-to-the-premises broadband July 12, 2016 Virgin Media has named the next 30 rural communities which will gain access to its fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. The areas are expected to be connectable via full fibre by spring 2017 and is the next stage of Virgin Media's Supercharging Local Communities initiative, part of its £3bn Project Lightning network. It's aiming to bring 300 mega-bits-per-second broadband to small businesses located outside major towns and cities. Virgin [...]
These are 2016’s top 100 influential leaders in fintech (part 1 of 4) December 7, 2016 It is no secret that the financial services industry continues to be transformed by the digital revolution. According to PWC, roughly 20% of financial services business is at risk of disruption to fintech companies by 2020. It follows that investment into the sector continues to rise. In 2015, funding of fintech businesses more than doubled [...]