FCA proposes 180-day wait for property fund withdrawals August 3, 2020 The City regulator is planning to ask investors in open-ended property funds to give 180-day notice before they withdraw money. In a consultation paper released today, the Financial Conduct Authority said there was a “liquidity mismatch” between the underlying property held in the funds and the almost daily basis in which investors buy and sell [...]
Silicon Roundabout: What will London’s tech hub look like after lockdown? April 1, 2021 The cluster of tech companies in East London, also known as Silicon Roundabout, was largely born out of the last financial crisis after soaring rents pushed companies out. This time round the fate of East London may look a little different as tech companies make remote working the norm. Remote working is here to stay [...]
Insurance, disrupted: What does the start of 2021 tell us about the industry? January 29, 2021 We waited patiently for the new year. January was meant to be a fresh dawn, with many businesses embarking on transformation programmes to emerge stronger from the pandemic. But, looking at the economic and political events from this month, we see more disruption ahead. Particularly for insurance companies. Before founding OLIVER, I spent 15-years at Commercial [...]
Insurers need to capture the Covid-19 zeitgeist and go beyond expectations January 21, 2021 As a communications professional, you rarely want your client and the words “the Supreme Court” to appear in the same sentence. However, last week, the justices issued a 112-page judgement on the Financial Conduct Authority’s appeal asking for “clarification” on whether insurance companies were required to pay business interruption claims for companies which had been [...]
FCA warns insurers to cough up on coronavirus payouts April 15, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today urged insurers to pay out for business interruption claims that covered a coronavirus shutdown. In a letter to insurance bosses, the FCA’s interim chief executive Chris Woolard warned the watchdog would be carefully scrutinising the industry’s treatment of customers. The FCA said most business interruption policies did not cover [...]
City figures brought in to advise on UK trade negotiations August 25, 2020 Some of the City of London’s most prominent business leaders have been drafted in by the government to consult on the UK’s ongoing trade negotiations. Leaders from companies such as EY, Barclays and HSBC will be members of the Department of International Trade’s newly formed trade advisory groups. The government is simultaneously negotiating trade deal [...]
Working from home takes toll on younger generations, survey finds October 14, 2020 Working from home is disproportionately affecting young people, according to new research, as fears of fresh local lockdowns around the country continue to hamper a return to the office. More than 85 per cent of 1,500 office workers surveyed by design firm Oktra said they struggled with the switch to homeworking during the pandemic. Younger [...]
Car insurer Admiral suspends special dividend on regulatory pressure April 27, 2020 Car insurer Admiral said today it would suspend its special dividend after regulatory pressure from the Bank of England. Admiral said it would go ahead with its standard dividend payment of 56.3p per ordinary share on 1 June, but said it would not pay its previously recommended special dividend of 20.7p per ordinary share. The [...]
Screenshot: Will workers’ rights put a puncture in Deliveroo’s IPO? March 26, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Farewell to the real McCoy **Will workers’ rights put a puncture in Deliveroo’s IPO? **A watchdog bares its teeth Media Moment of the Week: Farewell to the real McCoy In a shock bit of transfer news this week, BBC presenter Simon McCoy announced he was leaving the Beeb [...]
City Moves 17 February: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? February 17, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. This week we see movements across the financial sector, with the City of London Group, BNP Paribas and Gateley Capitus all welcoming fresh additions. BNP Paribas AM gets new deputy CEO BNP Paribas Asset Management appointed a [...]