Tory peer Lord Marland ‘in the running’ to chair competition watchdog March 29, 2021 Tory grandee Lord Marland is said to be in the running to become the next chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in what could be the latest political appointment by Boris Johnson. Lord Marland, a former Conservative minister, is one of several names being circulated at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial [...]
Stripe tops US startup rankings as valuation jumps to $95bn March 15, 2021 Digital payments firm Stripe has become the most valuable private company in Silicon Valley after fresh funding drove up its price tag to $95bn (£68bn). The financial services firm last night announced it had raised $600m in fresh capital from investors including Allianz, Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Sequoia Capital, and Ireland’s National [...]
Uber under investigation by US and foreign tax authorities June 4, 2019 Uber has revealed it is under investigation by a string of tax authorities in the US and abroad. The ride-hailing firm said in a filing today that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has launched a probe into its taxes for 2013 and 2014. Read more: Uber loses $1bn in first quarterly results since stock market [...]
Demand for streaming service helps narrow Disney’s losses February 11, 2021 Disney’s nascent streaming platform has helped to offset some of the impact of the pandemic on its wider entertainment business. The House of Mouse beat analysts’ expectations posting $16.25bn in overall revenue down from $20.86bn in the previous quarter. Disney’s parks, experiences and products segment have been closed since the second quarter and predicts additional [...]
Mayor of London election: Sadiq Khan pledges to ban gambling ads on the Tube April 6, 2021 Sadiq Khan has pledged to ban gambling advertisements on the Tube if he is re-elected as mayor next month. The mayor’s election manifesto, released today, said his current junk food ad ban on the London Underground would be extended to include “harmful gambling advertisements” if he wins the 6 May election. Khan previously banned all [...]
Klarna challenger Zilch becomes fastest-ever British unicorn November 10, 2021 London-based fintech Zilch has today closed a mammoth $110m Series C funding round and become the UK’s latest billion dollar company in record-breaking time. The round brings Zilch, whose product capitalises on the lucrative Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) sector but in many ways resembles a credit card, to a $2bn valuation – four times [...]
A passage to India? British fintech firms turn to the sub-continent March 19, 2021 PayPal failed in India, but that doesn’t mean other fintechs should stay away. Gaurav Singh, Founding Partner at JPIN VCATS, explains why the sub-continent still offers such promise. India represents arguably the greatest market opportunity in the world, particularly for FinTech start-ups. It has the third largest number of start-ups in the world, and there [...]
There are staycations – and then there’s the Savoy June 21, 2021 Tribal rivalries run strong in London, as we all know. Proper south Londoners don’t go north of the river unless under duress; east Londoners think west London is just the bit you have to fight through to get to Heathrow. But if lockdown has taught us one thing, it’s that no matter how buzzing, lively [...]
Four Silicon Valley CAs on why its status as the world’s tech capital will remain unchallenged November 16, 2021 The pandemic saw many tech companies thrive as the world went more virtual. Despite talk of a drift away from Silicon Valley, local CAs tell Ryan Herman why its status as the world’s tech capital will remain unchallenged. This article first appeared in ICAS’s CA magazine. For Ninos Sarkis CA, there was only one place [...]
Uber partners with insurtech startup to offer digital insurance May 30, 2019 Ride sharing giant Uber has struck a deal with a US insurtech startup to offer digital insurance for its drivers. Inshur uses information about average trips, locations and driver ratings in near real-time to calculate the price of the driver’s policy. Read more: Uber facing £1bn VAT tax bill after HMRC opens investigation The startup [...]