DEBATE: Are Open Banking and PSD2 a real threat to banks? October 30, 2017 Are Open Banking and PSD2 a real threat to banks? Mike Gordon is chief executive of Callcredit, says YES. Banks make most of their money from a few products, which they package along with current accounts. Open Banking and PSD2 will change this model, as shown by our recent research with Ctrl-Shift. Open Banking requires [...]
Last minute Christmas gifts: Now you can easily give bitcoin thanks to two British entrepreneurs December 21, 2017 Who isn’t running around looking for last minute stocking fillers at this time of year? That was the situation one entrepreneurial couple found themselves in when they decided upon bitcoin as the perfect present. But one problem Laurence Kemball-Cook and Louise Doherty stumbled upon was how difficult it is to buy for someone not entrenched [...]
Amazon rolls out arts and crafts sites across the UK and Europe September 22, 2016 Online retail giant Amazon is expanding its specialist arts and crafts store selling handmade goods to the UK, shortly after bouncing its Echo home assistant over to British shores. The site is also coming to four other European countries – Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. The business, which is already operational in the US, will [...]
On Your Bike – the Best Cycling Apps September 12, 2017 Ever since Bradley Wiggins kick started the UK's dominance of professional cycling in 2012, the sport has seen massive growth in this country. Five years on and the UK still dominates with Chris Froome recently becoming the first man to win the Tour De France and the Vuelta a Espana in the same year. On [...]
Dixons Carphone has created an Amazon Dash style button prototype September 20, 2016 Dixons Carphone is experimenting with the Internet of Things (IoT) to create an Amazon Dash style button that can be used to provide customer support when their devices go wrong. Like a "panic button on a submarine", if your washing machine starts leaking, simply pressing the button will trigger a call back from Dixon's call [...]
Bricks or clicks? Rumours of the high street’s demise have been greatly exaggerated November 28, 2017 The way we shop may have changed markedly over time, but the nation’s appetite for shopping is as voracious as ever. This was shown, once again, in the frenzy around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, now important landmarks in the retail calendar. Early estimates suggest that spending exceeded £7bn. The fundamental shift has been driven [...]
Morrisons’ bounce back shapes up with same-day delivery Amazon tie-up (but it’s bad news for Ocado’s share price) November 16, 2016 The dream team is very much in business. Yes, that's right: Amazon and Morrisons have developed their tie-up to launch the aptly named Morrisons at Amazon service. But it's bad news for Ocado: shares were down 9.4 per cent by the early afternoon. Ouch. From today, Amazon Prime customers in selected areas can order a full [...]
Crowdfunding round on Seedrs launches for London’s latest meal delivery startup Independence Market, to rival Hello Fresh and Blue Apron November 27, 2017 Today sees the launch of London’s latest meal delivery startup, Independence Market, on crowdfunding platform Seedrs. But this business – described by its founder as “Amazon meets Avon” – is not just another Hello Fresh, Blue Apron or Graze replicant. With Independence Market, Rob Hocking – a teaching fellow at Oxford University’s Said Business School, [...]
Europe lacks giant tech stocks – but it may lead with the ‘industrial internet’ February 1, 2018 In the US, tech firms have been responsible for 42% of the rise in the value of the US stock market since 2014, according to a report in The Economist. Emerging markets too have their own tech giants in Alibaba and Tencent. But where are the tech companies here in Europe? And could emerging technologies [...]