How challenger banks are revolutionising the sector October 15, 2021 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Three expert CAs tell Karam Filfilan how a new wave of challenger banks are helping to revolutionise the sector, both for consumers and businesses. Read October’s CA magazine now Digital transformation has revolutionised the banking sector over the past decade. Gone are the days of neighbourhood bank branches [...]
New gas boilers to be banned from 2035 in latest decarbonisation push October 15, 2021 New gas boilers are set to be banned from 2035, with households being incentivised to make the transition to heat pumps with a £5,000 grant. The move, due to be unveiled under the government’s Heat and Buildings strategy next week, is one of the plans of action in getting the country to net zero by [...]
Full fibre broadband is the next gold rush to get Britain connected October 14, 2021 There is a gold rush taking place in the UK right now. Private equity barons and telecoms cowboys are pouring money into BT Openreach challengers. Last month Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company and the IKEA holding company Intergogo injected over £1bn in CityFibre. It was the largest single round of funding into a UK full [...]
No, the traditional suit won’t ‘die’- and here’s why October 13, 2021 We are told that formal dress is dying, its mortal wound inflicted by the pandemic and the lockdown embrace of more casual attire. Certainly there are worrying signs: Marks & Spencer has stopped selling suits in many of its stores, and in the market as a whole sales are down dramatically. I have written in [...]
Roof tiler Marley abandons £500m floatation plans amid growing market concerns October 12, 2021 The biggest producer of roof tiles in Britain has abandoned its £500m plans to float on the London Stock Exchange, blaming “market volatility” as investors fear a rise in UK interest rates. Marley Group announced its change of plans this morning despite “considerable institutional investor interest”, according to the company. The news came less than [...]
Sunak eyes overhaul of capital raising rules to boost London market post-Brexit October 12, 2021 Rishi Sunak has set out his ambition to make capital raising easier for public companies listed in London as a part of the government’s regulations overhaul post-Brexit. The chancellor today launched the UK Secondary Capital Raising Review, which will look at ways of giving listed companies greater access to capital through secondary transactions in a bid [...]
OnTheMarket lifts profit expectations on the back of strong interim results October 12, 2021 The company behind property search website OnTheMarket.com saw profits soar in the first half of FY21 amid strong interest. The company saw revenues climb to £14.9m in the first half of the year, an increase of 46 per cent compared to the same period in 2020, while adjusted operating profit soared by 163 per cent [...]
It’s time to break the social housing stalemate and build affordable homes October 12, 2021 When you’re losing in a game of chess, you try to end it with a stalemate: no one wins and no one loses. The game ends in a draw. The social housing system in the UK finds itself exactly in this position. The difference is that someone is losing: the scores of families stuck on [...]
Brits can expect more and cheaper fish from £21bn post-Brexit trade deal with Norway and Iceland October 11, 2021 The recently signed free trade agreement between the UK and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein is likely to reduce fish processing costs which may lead to more and cheaper fish for British consumers. A report by the House of Lords European Affairs Committee said today the deal, which was signed in July, will mean cheaper fish [...]
On a charge or out of juice – can EV charging infrastructure keep up with demand? October 11, 2021 One of the most notable trends of the past 18 months has been soaring demand for electric vehicles (EVs). This is particularly the case in Europe, where the share of EVs as a percentage of overall car registrations has grown to almost 10% (chart 1). Other geographies are also now showing renewed signs of strength, [...]