Amazon just launched its own version of YouTube May 10, 2016 Amazon has upped the ante again when it comes to video with a new service which sounds a lot like YouTube. Users will be able to upload their own content through Amazon Video Direct (AVD) and it will be available to the millions of members of its Prime Video streaming service alongside movies and original TV shows, such [...]
As Buckingham Palace prepares for Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday, here are some of the worst tributes on offer April 18, 2016 Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 90th birthday this year, and the whole corporate world is clamouring to celebrate it with her. As the nation gears up to wish her maj a happy birthday, UK retailers are also cashing in on the moment in history. Affordable Accessories Affordable jeweller Signet is patriotically promoting products at its Ernest & [...]
How to revive the music industry: Imogen Heap explains why blockchain could bring about a music revolution July 10, 2016 Whether we stream it through our smartphones or buy tracks from our laptops, technology has made music more accessible than ever before. For consumers, this is good news. But for the music industry, it’s a different story. In 2015, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) estimates music consumption increased 3.7 per cent and streaming grew a whopping [...]
Crowdfunding platform SyndicateRoom teams up with London Stock Exchange to allow individual investors to participate in IPOs March 14, 2016 Crowdfunding platform SyndicateRoom has revealed a new tie-up with the London Stock Exchange (LSE) that will allow crowdfunding investors to participate in initial public offerings (IPOs) and placings on the main market of the LSE and AIM. The Cambridge-based equity crowdfunding platform, which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and has facilitated almost £50m [...]
Belvoir share price soars as profits at the property services group jump by a quarter April 4, 2016 Belvoir Lettings, the Aim-listed agency business which runs a network of franchises across the UK, said revenues jumped by 19 per cent to £6.9m over the year, boosted by acquisitions. Shares in the company, which counts ex-City workers and former servicemen among its franchisees, have surged by more than 13 per cent after posting a 25 per cent jump in profits to £2.2m, [...]
How six City analysts reacted to Arm’s acquisition by Softbank July 18, 2016 Another ripe fruit was plucked from the tree of UK plc today, after Japanese lender Softbank announced it was acquiring Arm Holdings, the rockstar chip designer. Not surprisingly, shares in the company, whose clients include Apple and Samsung, shot up more than 40 per cent on the announcement of the news. But how did the City [...]
The City remembers David Bowie’s bonds January 11, 2016 City folk were as stunned as all Londoners by the death of David Bowie, announced yesterday. The iconic musician will stay cemented in history for his exceptionally inventive work that spanned six decades. Bowie’s innovation was evident both in and outside the studio – and even in the world of finance. The Brixton-born legend turned [...]
Prime position: Will Amazon come out on top in TV? May 16, 2016 Not content with battling premium video services like Netflix, Amazon now has YouTube in its sights. The launch of new user-generated content platform Amazon Video Direct (AVD) will allow video makers to upload their content to the site, where it can be watched by tens of millions of Prime subscribers. But becoming a one-stop shop for [...]
Is Facebook’s decision to pay more tax in the UK a victory for the government’s diverted profits tax? March 7, 2016 Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at ACCA, says Yes. It looks as though the Diverted Profits Tax is starting to have the desired effect, as the threat of its higher rate is shepherding multinational corporations back into the corporation tax fold in the UK. But that isn’t working in isolation. The impacts of the OECD’s Base [...]
In defence of “tax havens”: Why the world would be much poorer without offshore finance April 8, 2016 Offshore financial centres (OFCs) have taken a bashing in the press in the last few days following the Mossack Fonseca leaks. But the truth is that the major OFCs are extremely well regulated and have been so for many years. It is far harder to set up a company in Jersey than in the UK, [...]