Uber protests France: Taxi drivers block roads and burn tyres in Paris June 25, 2015 French taxi drivers have blocked roads to airports and stations in Paris with cars and burning tyres as part of huge protests against Uber. Read more: Boris Johnson says Uber drivers must pass black cab style Knowledge test The protest force is made up of thousands of drivers, as conflict between taxi drivers and the taxi [...]
Palantir founder hits out at claims unicorn startup is struggling May 8, 2016 A founder of one of the world's most highly valued startups has hit back at claims the company is struggling with the loss of clients and staff. Joe Lonsdale, a founder of the secretive startup Palantir along with PayPal pioneer Peter Thiel and others, which boasts the Bank of England as one of its clients, said it was [...]
Low fuel prices means it’s cheaper to run a car now than it was in 2013 June 6, 2016 One of a household's biggest bills is being held down by low oil prices. The average annual cost of running a car is around 22 per cent – or £622 – less than 2013, coming in at £2,197.42. The decline is due to the price of petrol at the pump, which makes up almost half of the costs of [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 13, 2016 China's decelerating economy is causing fresh concern across international markets and the International Monetary Fund isn't helping. Here's what you need to know before the US market opens at 14:30 London time. The US market is pointing heavily south ahead of the open. The S&P 500 is down by 0.31 per cent in the pre-market. The Nasdaq [...]
Is fintech the new black? Lower trust in disruptors gives banks reason to cheer June 10, 2016 Digital innovation – and more specifically the impact of fintech – is currently the most intensely debated topic in the financial services sector. Two years ago hardly anyone outside the industry had heard of fintech. Now it’s the hottest investment class globally for VCs. PwC recently produced a report claiming that over 20 per cent [...]
Competition warnings over OnTheMarket were pretty much inevitable April 22, 2016 Anyone with even a passing interest in technology and its history could have predicted this one: just as the Luddites were eventually overwhelmed by power looms, online property portal OnTheMarket was destined to stumble. And lo, yesterday it came to pass: the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) effectively took a sledgehammer to the site’s business [...]
Uber vs black cab: Who wins among London passengers? – Brand Index June 23, 2015 London Mayor Boris Johnson’s fiery tête-à-tête with a black cab driver certainly provided plenty of fodder for the headline writers, but what does the exchange tell us about the nature of the taxi industry? And what does YouGov data tell us about attitudes towards Uber, in particular? Uber has shaken the industry to its core. [...]
Inside Uber’s huge new San Francisco HQ: Concept design pictures reveal plans for 420,000 sq ft Mission Bay office May 30, 2015 When you're one of the most highly valued startups in the world with millions of dollars of venture capital backing, there's a few things you could splash some of that cash on. For Uber, as well as expanding its global empire, that means building a huge new headquarters from which to mastermind that world domination. Plans [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 2, 2016 The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) are both in Vienna today to decide on their respective policies and could add an extra kick of volatility to global markets. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 14:30 London time. US futures are struggling ahead of the opening bell. [...]
We’re fintech investors, but here’s why we’ll never be based in Silicon Valley May 23, 2016 In 1934, Willie Sutton was asked by FBI agents “why do you rob banks, Willie?”. Sutton replied dryly, “because that's where the money is”. We create rather than rob banks, so why did we set up outside of Silicon Valley, where the tech money is? Because that’s where the banks are. Anthemis is in London, New York and Geneva, [...]