Crossrail 2 set to cost taxpayers £41.3bn, reveals London mayor February 27, 2019 Crossrail 2 is set to cost over £40bn, the Mayor of London has revealed in a budget document published earlier this week. The £41.3bn estimate for the proposed north to south London line is higher than the Greater London Authority's widely cited £30bn budget, which is based on 2014 prices. Read more: Crossrail 2 boss says [...]
Tom Kelman CA is bringing B-corps to 21st-century business September 28, 2021 For everyone who strived to achieve A grades at school, take heart: B is the new benchmark for 21st-century business. Tom Kelman CA, Consultant Finance Director at B Lab UK, tells Kitty Finstad why the B team is now the one to be on. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Build back better. The [...]
What anti-obesity measures and the National Food Strategy mean for businesses September 17, 2020 A number of studies suggest that people who are overweight or obese are at greater risk of serious illness, even death, as a result of Covid-19. In response, the UK government has set forth a raft of measures aimed at curbing obesity. The National Food Strategy’s first recommendations have also been submitted to government. Both target [...]
The Hollywood of Europe: How the Canary Islands are being reinvented as a film hub October 31, 2020 In the opening scenes of action-thriller Jason Bourne, the film’s forgetful hero, played by Matt Damon, strides through violent protests on the streets of Athens. He meets his spy partner in the iconic Syntagma Square, before being chased through a sea of blue and white flags by a menacing CIA hit squad. But for eagle-eyed [...]
How much should I be saving for retirement? December 14, 2020 Investors globally are saving actively toward their retirement, but how much is enough? It is a question that has confounded people for generations: how much is enough when it comes to saving for retirement? The unfortunate truth is that no one can know for sure. Our desires and needs in retirement change – as do [...]
Has Covid-19 changed the conversation around sustainable investing? January 22, 2021 Sustainable investing is not just about a company’s financial success, but how it achieves that success. The importance of considering all stakeholders is intrinsic to the approach. Those stakeholders range from employees to shareholders to wider society. The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on how companies treat their employees, protect their customers, and help [...]
Introducing MiCA: Europe’s proposed cryptoasset laws, explained October 16, 2020 As the European Commission launched its long-awaited Digital Finance Strategy in late September, a senior official announced: “The future of finance is digital”. The Commission sees digital finance as a weapon in its arsenal as it seeks to relaunch and modernise the European economy to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Strategy sets out [...]
Transport for London ‘in line for Tube bailout’ April 22, 2020 Urban transport operators including Tube operator Transport for London are in line for government bailout as the complete collapse in passenger numbers due to coronavirus raised questions over their survival. The Financial Times reported that Whitehall officials said that emergency funding could be released by the end of the week following negotiations. Passenger numbers have [...]
The investor’s dilemma: do sustainable funds need a digital detox? March 3, 2021 Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma makes for uncomfortable viewing for users of social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube or Twitter. i.e. pretty much all of us. And as a sustainability specialist who invests (at the time of writing) in Alphabet , the parent company of Google and YouTube, I find the issues covered extra [...]
Loan taken out by GLA to save Crossrail would have put pressure on TfL’s credit rating, finance boss admits January 7, 2019 The Greater London Authority (GLA) agreed to take on a £1.4bn loan to save Crossrail to protect Transport for London's (TfL) less robust credit rating, it has been admitted. At a meeting of the London Assembly's budget and performance committee, chair of the transport committee Caroline Pidgeon asked why it was the GLA that was taking [...]