Holiday Homes: Sussing out the property market in Barcelona, the Spanish city proving popular with cash-strapped millennials June 2, 2016 Barcelona is the millennials’ Paris. There are scores of city-wide events aimed at a younger demographic, the art galleries are overwhelmingly modern, and a cursory glance through social media will net you far more pictures of young couples standing atop one of Barcelona’s several hills than the Eiffel Tower. The city’s growing popularity means property [...]
The Treasury could be about to return £17bn of Bradford and Bingley assets to private ownership January 6, 2016 A sizable part of the Bradford and Bingley (B&B) mortgage book could be about to be sold off in what could be the biggest ever sale of financial assets by a British government. The government is reportedly working on plans to offload a £17bn tranche of the bailed out mortgage lender. A spokesperson for UK [...]
London fintech startup World Remit raises $45m from Triple Ventures Growth BDC and Silicon Valley Bank February 10, 2016 Star London fintech startup World Remit has landed another multi-million pound round of funding from investors. Triple Ventures Growth BDC and Silicon Valley Bank have invested $45m (£31m) in the form of debt financing to fuel expansion plans. Read more: Index has a new $550m VC fund and its eye on London startups The remittances startup lets [...]
B&M European Value Retail in talks to buy stores from six retail chains November 18, 2014 B&M European Value Retail said yesterday it was in talks to buy stores from at least six retailers which are downsizing their portfolios as the bargain chain continues its UK expansion spree that will see it double in size over the next eight years. The retailer, which opened its 400th store last month, said it [...]
Terry Butcher interview: Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli can be one of England’s very best June 6, 2016 Former Three Lions skipper Terry Butcher has tipped Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli to illuminate Euro 2016 and take the next step towards assuming the status of one of England’s best ever players. Alli is a strong candidate to start England’s opening Group B clash against Russia in Marseille on Saturday after a memorable Premier League [...]
Citymapper raises $40m with funding from Index Ventures and Benchmark Capital January 20, 2016 The London founded startup Citymapper has raised a new round of funding from venture capital investors worth $40m (£28m). Index Ventures and Benchmark Capital have funded the series B round along with Yuri Milner, Tom Stafford and Michael Lynton. The hugely popular app founded in 2010 uses data to give users real-time travel information. It [...]
London FinTech startup Iwoca raises $20m series B funding from Commerzbank and Acton Capital July 30, 2015 London FinTech startup Iwoca has landed a new round of funding including investment from Commerzbank. The $20m series B round from the German bank's venture capital arm CommerzVentures, Acton Capital Partners, the Munich-based private equity and VC firm, Redline Capital and other existing investors, will accelerate the lending platform's growth across Europe. “We're aiming to offer [...]
Kingfisher share price up after chief executive says company is “very confident” it can deliver five-year plan March 23, 2016 Kingfisher's share price rose by more than three per cent this morning after the DIY giant said its five-year plan was on track. The figures The company, which owns B&Q and Screwfix, reported adjusted sales of £10.3bn. This was down from £10.6bn in the year to 31 January 2015. But it reported small increases in [...]
888 Holdings’ 2015 operational profits halve due to levies but operational successes boost share price March 22, 2016 The share price of online betting and gaming provider 888 Holdings rose as its announced its full-year financial results for 2015 today, emphasising operational successes despite a halving of its operational profit. The figures Operating profit for 888 Holdings, the owner of 888.com, halved from $80m (£55.5m) in 2014 to $40.8m (£28.3m) in 2015. The company saw gaming duties [...]
Ed Cooke talks octogenarians, Paradise Lost, why Citymapper will be the biggest company in the world and girls on bikes July 25, 2016 I consider learning and memory to be exactly the same thing. "Think about artificial intelligence: that’s really artificial memory. It’s funny that most people privately doubt their intellect, but they’ll often volunteer that they have a bad memory, not low intelligence. It’s something to do with memory being seen as a selective mental skill, I [...]