I want to build a national consensus on Britain’s bright post-Brexit future September 15, 2016 Napoleon is said to have once described Britain as a nation of shopkeepers. It was not meant as a compliment, but it highlighted one of our country’s biggest and most enduring strengths. We are one of the great trading nations of the world and the decision taken by the people to leave the EU will [...]
Four of the best: Investment opportunities from around the globe August 16, 2016 Markets have been turbulent this year and much talk has focused on potential risks. A smattering of uncertainties to consider include the ramifications of the Brexit vote and whether the UK will enter recession. Nor does anyone know how extraordinary monetary policy in Europe will pan out, or the ultimate impact there’ll be from the trillions [...]
A slice of the major players: WiseAlpha enables you to invest in big firms for as little as £100 August 25, 2016 Peer-to-peer and marketplace lending have thrown open opportunities for retail investors – from investing in SME and consumer debt to property, in addition to invoice financing options for high net worths. However, there’s one remaining major asset class retail investors have not been able to access – secured corporate loans and bonds (the wholesale variety, [...]
“I’ve got the best job in the world”, says Sadiq Khan, City A.M.’s Personality of the Year 2016 November 10, 2016 Sadiq Khan is feeling ambitious as he sits down with City A.M to discuss his first six months as London mayor. Khan isn't just sketching out his plans for the next six months in office – the former Tooting MP is talking in decades. To be precise, he's talking about serving no fewer than six [...]
Why companies like Twitter are paying top dollar for AI startups July 12, 2016 Big tech firms acquiring artificial intelligence startups are paying top dollar for them and are increasingly looking for those yet to bring in revenue, bucking the trend of wider tech M&A. “A good AI engineer is worth more than many company chief executives right now,” said Victor Basta of advisory firm Magister Advisors which identified the pursuit of talent in AI as one [...]
Britain must be tough but empathetic toward the EU to secure a good Brexit for the City of London January 19, 2017 Britain's departure from the EU will dominate 2017. Theresa May has set out her 12 Brexit objectives, Article 50 will be triggered shortly, and elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands threaten to further destabilise the existing order. Every sector of Britain’s economy will be affected. Protecting the future of Britain’s financial services industry – [...]
Getting VC funding right: Why you need to think about pre-built networks, IP and evolving the whole team September 19, 2016 So you've built the next tech unicorn. The platform is solid, your product fits the market and all you need now is scale. However, someone needs to help pay for all the free sugary drinks, table tennis tables and office space that the army of growth hackers, developers and sales people are going to need. [...]
Passporting tops the Brexit wishlist for financial services firms October 2, 2016 Securing passporting rights is the main Brexit concern of the financial services sector, research out today has found. The study by professional services firm EY found that over two-thirds (68 per cent) of all policy wishlists financial services firms have made public following June's vote have made reference to maintaining passporting for goods and services. The proportion which are [...]
Business growth expectations at highest levels for over a year says CBI October 2, 2016 The prospect of an interest rate cut in 2016 is diminishing according to experts after the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that it expects a bumper Brexit bounce in the final quarter of 2016. The CBI said that businesses across the manufacturing, service and distribution sectors are anticipating strong output growth for the next three months, jumping to their highest levels [...]
Trade association asserts that builder’s merchants sales are strong August 4, 2016 The trade association representing builder's merchants has stressed today that sales are in the industry are strong after construction supplier Travis Perkins said that it had been hit by the Brexit vote. The Builders Merchants Federation said sales in the sector were up were up 3.1 per cent in June as compared to the same period last [...]