A two-tiered debt capital bond market puts economic equality in the UK in peril February 21, 2022 The pledge to tackle economic inequality across the country is a central ambition of this government. What the financial industry can do in this process is a key question of our times. Finding an answer can help define the City’s legacy and the financial industry’s impact on broader society for generations to come. The City [...]
FCA: UK listing regime has been ‘slow’ and ‘missed the boat’ September 17, 2021 The City watchdog has labelled the UK’s listing regime as being historically “slow” and missing the boat on attracting fast-growing tech companies. Speaking at an event examining the new listing proposals put forward by the Financial Conduct Authority, Clare Cole, the regulator’s director of market overnight, said London’s listing rules have “often [been] slow and [...]
London’s newly-listed LendInvest scores £150m partnership with Barclays and HSBC August 16, 2021 Property finance asset manager LendInvest has announced a £150m lending collaboration with two of Britain’s biggest banks, just weeks after its £255m IPO on London’s AIM index. The new tie-up is geared towards financing UK property entrepreneurs and will see the British banks provide funding for short-term mortgages through LendInvest’s digital platform. It’s the first [...]
Ocean Outdoor lands £30m Canary Wharf advertising contract August 23, 2021 Advertising group Ocean Outdoor has secured a lucrative contract to operate out-of-home media services for Canary Wharf Group. London-listed Ocean has renewed its deal to run digital screens and billboards in the financial hub, landing a new long-term contract worth £30m. The agreement means the company will retain exclusive rights to sell 40 full-motion digital [...]
Wise launches cross-currency investment feature for UK customers September 21, 2021 British fintech giant Wise has entered the retail investing space with its new feature “Assets”, which allows UK account holders to invest in stocks across 54 currencies. As of today, individuals and businesses holding Wise accounts will be able to hold their money as stocks and use Assets to invest in BlackRock’s iShares World Equity [...]
Hines to refurbish West End building into mixed-use retail and office space April 28, 2021 Real estate firm Hines has secured planning consent for its proposed mixed-use retail and office scheme in the heart of London’s West End. The building, located with dual frontage to both New Bond Street and Oxford Street, was acquired on behalf of Hines in February 2020. The planning consent will enable the company to proceed [...]
Crowdcube launches IPO platform for retail investors June 1, 2021 Crowdcube has today announced the launch of a new IPO platform as minister plan to reduce the dominance of institutional investors in listings. The UK crowdfunding company allows retail investors to xxx . It will offer a service for public as well as private share sales from this summer, the Financial Times reported. “These community [...]
Lidl heads for Hampstead: Discounter eyes London sites in major expansion plan June 24, 2021 Lidl is plotting an expansion into well-heeled districts including Hampstead and Knightsbridge as part of a plan to increase store numbers in the capital. The German discount retailer plans to have 1,000 stores in its portfolio by the end of 2023, with the supermarket eyeing areas in town centres, edge of town centre locations, retail [...]
Truss won’t be the first or the last to U-turn, but she taught us how not to do it October 20, 2022 It has been less than four weeks since the disastrous mini-budget, followed by a series of screeching U-turns in government policy. It’s made for sickeningly compelling viewing, partly because most of us have, at times, experienced our own shocking about-turns and forced mea culpas. We can all relate. And the next 12 months look likely [...]
Mounting Bank of England rate hike speculation weighs on London markets November 16, 2021 Mounting speculation that strong jobs figures will coax the Bank of England into hiking interest rates next month weighed on London markets this morning. The capital’s FTSE 100 index pulled back 0.16 per cent to 7,340.28 points, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 lost 0.10 per cent to dip to 23,598.73 points. Experts are stepping up [...]