London ranked among top cities “fully open for business” on LGBT+ inclusivity and competitiveness January 24, 2018 London has been ranked among the top cities crowned “fully open for business” in a new study assessing which places across the globe demonstrate the highest levels of inclusion and economic competitiveness. A coalition of 25 global firms, including Deutsche Bank, KPMG and Accenture, released the Open for Business report today to reflect that LGBT+ [...]
Davos 2018: The number of private jets descending on these four Swiss airports is about to spike by 335 per cent January 18, 2018 As the Swiss ski resort of Davos gears up to receive the leaders of the free world (and Donald Trump) for the World Economic Forum (WEF), one group is gearing up for its most stressful week of the year: air traffic controllers. More than 1,000 private jets are due to descend on airports around the [...]
Is Uber a tech or transport firm? Europe’s highest court’s about to decide December 20, 2017 A major question of modern times asking whether Uber is a transport or technology company is set to be answered by Europe's highest court on Wednesday. The European Court of Justice will make a ruling in a long-running case originating in Spain and is expected to decide that Uber is a transport company. The implications [...]
11 tech startups to watch according to top insurers in Startupbootcamp’s insurtech accelerator December 11, 2017 Nearly a dozen startups looking to disrupt the insurance industry with technology such as artificial intelligence have been chosen for the latest cohort of a London programme, backed by Lloyds Banking Group, Allianz, Scottish Widows and Confused.com among several high-profile financial firms. The 11 early stage startups from nine countries around the world will join [...]
Avoiding the financial perils of divorce November 29, 2017 If your marriage has broken down, the emotional strain can take its toll. But splitting your finances can make the divorce process a lot tougher. Last year, the number of divorces among opposite sex couples increased by 5.8 per cent compared to 2015, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. But worryingly, [...]
New Bond Street overtakes Champs Élysées to become Europe’s most expensive shopping street November 15, 2017 London’s New Bond Street has overtaken the Champs Élysées to become the most expensive place in Europe for retailers to have a store. With a price of $1,720 (£1,305) per square foot per year, New Bond Street is the third most expensive shopping hotspot in the world, after Upper 5th Avenue in New York and [...]
Millions of gig economy workers miss out on auto-enrolment and a workplace pension November 8, 2017 Millions of British gig economy workers are missing out on a workplace pension as auto-enrolment bypasses the sector, according to a study released today. Gig economy workers could boost the size of their pension pot by up to £75,000 if a form of auto-enrolment were extended to cover all workers, according to research by the [...]
Cohabiting couples: Don’t get caught out November 1, 2017 As fewer couples choose to tie the knot, it’s clear that marriage is no longer widely seen as the be-all-and-end-all to a relationship. Instead, many couples are opting for the cohabitation route – as sexy as that sounds. Figures from insurance giant Zurich estimate that there are more than 400,000 cohabiting families in London alone. [...]
Lloyds Bank boosts Scottish Widows by bolting on Zurich Insurance’s £15bn workplace pension arm October 12, 2017 Lloyds Bank today snapped up Zurich’s £15bn UK workplace pension arm. The lender will bolt Zurich’s operations onto its Scottish Widows business in a deal that underlined its “commitment to the financial planning and retirement segment”. Scottish Widows manages more than £124bn of assets, of which £35bn is in workplace pensions. First launched in 1812, [...]
Insurance professionals call for change in firms’ culture to boost diversity September 25, 2017 Professionals in the insurance industry believe workplace culture needs to change to attract and retain top talent, according to a new survey from insurance diversity festival Dive In. Almost three quarters, or 71 per cent, of insurance professionals surveyed from around the globe said that the environment in firms must become more inclusive. The UK [...]