Court gives green light to T-Mobile’s $59bn merger with Sprint February 11, 2020 T-Mobile and Sprint were today given the green light for their $59bn (£45bn) merger after a US federal judge ruled the tie-up was legal. A group of US state attorneys general filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger over concerns it would reduce competition and lead to higher prices. But judge Victor Marrero today [...]
Peloton IPO: At-home exercise firm prices float at $29 per share September 26, 2019 Exercise bike firm Peloton has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at $29 per share to value the company at $8bn (£6.47bn). Peloton priced its float at the top of its $26 to $29 range last night as it looks to raise $1.16bn. Read more: Why Wework’s IPO strategy is not working for investors The [...]
Airbnb ‘plots direct listing’ instead of traditional IPO for hotly-anticipated float October 1, 2019 Airbnb is said to be shunning a traditional initial public offering (IPO) in favour of a less conventional direct listing when it floats on the public market next year. The San Francisco-based tech giant is currently making preparations for a listing that would not involve creating any new shares, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with [...]
Private Equity vs venture capital: Opposite investment mindsets November 16, 2020 Private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) firms have the same goal: maximising returns. Yet PE buyout and VC early-stage funds go about it in very different ways. Many prospective investors fail to appreciate that the two most popular alternative asset classes adopt often directly opposing methods to drive performance. VC’s deliberate diversification In asset [...]
Softbank set to invest $100m in AI startup Behavox February 19, 2020 Softbank is reportedly close to investing $100m (£77m) in a startup which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help financial firms monitor employees’ behaviour. Softbank’s second Vision Fund is on the verge of signing the deal with Behavox, Sky News reported, which could be finalised as soon as next week. Behavox, which was founded in the [...]
Goldman Sachs introduces gender quota for floats January 26, 2020 Goldman Sachs will not take a company public unless there is at least one “diverse” candidate on the board. Speaking at Davos last Thursday, the bank’s chief executive David Solomon said: “From a governance perspective, diversity on boards is a very, very important issue.” The push for diversity will be focused primarily on women. Solomon [...]
Softbank profit plunges 99 per cent on heavy Vision Fund losses February 12, 2020 Softbank’s quarterly profit has been almost entirely wiped out after heavy losses from its Vision Fund hit the technology investor for the second consecutive quarter. The Japanese conglomerate’s operating profit from October to December plummeted 99 per cent to just ¥2.59bn (£18.2m) after its Vision Fund and a related vehicle recorded a $2bn loss. Softbank [...]
Bank of England slaps Citigroup with record £44m fine November 26, 2019 Citigroup has been hit with a £44m fine from the Bank of England after falling short of financial information standards. The Bank has slapped on the record penalty after Citigroup made “significant errors” in reporting its capital and liquidity positions between 2014 and 2018. Read more: Wework lays off 2,400 employees in efficiency drive The [...]
Growth in loan books after Charter Court tie-up with OneSavings November 14, 2019 Onesavings Bank and Charter Court Financial struck an upbeat tone yesterday after saying that lending franchises at both groups were strong following their recent merger. The duo said that they are expecting to report larger loan portfolios for the full-year period. Read more: Has Wework destroyed Softbank’s credibility? Loan book growth at OneSavings grew 15 [...]
Royal Mail wins High Court injunction to prevent Christmas postal strikes November 13, 2019 Royal Mail has secured a High Court injunction to block potential Christmas postal strikes. The company argued that there were “irregularities” with the ballot which delivered an outcome overwhelmingly in support of industrial action. Read more: Royal Mail launches search for new UK director The postal service has claimed that officials interfered with the voting [...]