FCA calls for contingent charging ban on pension transfer advice July 30, 2019 Britain’s markets watchdog has proposed banning financial advisers from getting paid only when a customer moves a pension pot, a practice known as contingent charging that it said cost consumers £2bn per year. MPs called for the ban last year after accusing the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of being too slow to prevent “vulture” advisers [...]
Vodafone rockets 8% amid IPO excitement July 29, 2019 It’s been a long time coming, but Vodafone has a market-friendly strategy to underpin a recovery. The spin-off of the “TowerCo” business is by far the most scintillating development within Vodafone (LSE:VOD) first-quarter trading update. Vodafone had previously mentioned that it was planning to monetise this part of the business, and has now added some flesh to [...]
FCA: UK could embrace ‘lower burden’ financial rules post-Brexit April 23, 2019 The City could benefit from a “lower burden” regulatory regime when the UK exits the European Union, the top financial regulator said today. Setting out his vision for the future of UK financial regulation, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) head Andrew Bailey said he thought the UK and EU would take contrasting approaches to regulation post-Brexit, [...]
UK regulator warns tech companies over cryptocurrency projects July 2, 2019 The UK finance regulator has warned Facebook to reject the mantra “move fast and break things” in relation to its libra cryptocurrency project, saying tech giants must “get it right the first time round”. Christopher Woolard, the executive director of strategy and competition at the Financial Conduct Authority, said regulators are facing issues that “could [...]
FCA overdraft rules: What they mean and which banks have hiked fees December 18, 2019 Millions of people may see changes to their available bank balances today as new overdraft rules from the financial watchdog covering how overdrafts are displayed come into effect. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has ordered UK banks to stop including overdrafts in funds marked as “available” to customers, in a move designed to make it [...]
Ten things every investor needs to know about offshore wind power September 5, 2019 The solar and onshore wind industries have long been areas of focus for climate change investors, but offshore wind has always lagged behind because of its higher cost. However, that is set to change, with substantial growth likely in the sector over the coming years, as offshore wind approaches cost competitiveness with conventional electricity generation. [...]
Beware picking an investment – or a football team – for its glory days August 14, 2019 Football being what it is, Liverpool’s triumphant Champions League campaign – with that extraordinary semi-final comeback against Barcelona to the fore – was never going to have every single club fan in the country up on their feet and cheering. Nevertheless, the weeks from the team’s victory over Spurs in June to the start of [...]
London Stock Exchange seals $27bn Refinitiv deal in bid to build Bloomberg rival August 1, 2019 London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) said today it had sealed a deal to buy data business Refinitiv in a transaction worth $27bn (£22.3bn). LSEG is buying the business in an all-share transaction from Thomson Reuters and a consortium led by private equity firm Blackstone which includes an affiliate of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and [...]
Eight things investors need to know about energy storage December 6, 2019 With renewable energy growing in importance, effective storage will be vital. And as costs continue to decline, the potential to achieve growth could be huge. Why is the roll out of energy storage so important for achieving the Paris Agreement targets? Decarbonising the electricity supply will require a huge expansion of renewables to replace thermal [...]
Huawei: The fake choice between US and China will weaken the world economy November 22, 2019 Over the last year, the UK and its European partners have been asked to make a false choice between the US and China. What started with a series of false claims about Huawei’s role in telecoms infrastructure has broadened into a wider campaign that places the very concept of globalisation and the global economy at [...]