The return to work: Here’s when City firms are going back to the office August 7, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said a strong recovery for the UK economy will require people to have the confidence to return to work at the office. The government is worried that hospitality businesses are being hit hard by people working from home. But London firms have adopted a more cautious approach than the [...]
Forging closer ties with India is crucial, but let’s not lose sight of our neighbours February 3, 2020 Now that the UK has formally left the EU, our trading ties with partners across the world will be more in focus than ever before. This includes our relationship with India, a country I visited last week to promote ties in financial and professional services. The UK-India partnership is now worth some £20bn, with nearly [...]
Debenhams calls in top auditors to weigh up potential insolvency September 9, 2018 Embattled department store chain Debenhams has called in Big Four accountancy firm KPMG to help carry out desperate restructuring measures which could include a controversial insolvency process. Among the contingency options currently being weighed up by KPMG is a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which is an insolvency option that can be used to close stores [...]
Softbank-backed fintech Oneconnect chooses New York over Hong Kong for IPO November 14, 2019 Oneconnect, the fintech arm of Chinese financial conglomerate Ping An, has chosen New York over Hong Kong for the launch of its initial public offering (IPO). The company, which is backed by Softbank, filed a prospectus for an IPO on Wednesday and plans to list its shares on NASDAQ. Read more: Alibaba poised to launch [...]
US factory orders fall in September as trade war bites November 4, 2019 US factories suffered a steeper-than-expected fall in orders in September, survey data has shown, suggesting the country’s manufacturing sector is still being held back by the US-China trade war. Read more: US Fed lowers rates but signals it is done cutting Goods orders in the manufacturing sector fell 0.6 per cent last month compared to [...]
Federal Reserve ends cycle of cutting interest rates December 11, 2019 The US Federal Reserve left interest rates on hold today, bringing to an end the cutting cycle instigated in July. The decision came after a booming US jobs report on Friday showed that employment rose by its most in ten months in November. The Fed’s target interest rate will stay at between 1.5 and 1.75 [...]
Deliveroo losses deepen in expansion drive October 2, 2019 Deliveroo deepened its losses last year despite soaring sales as it pushed forward with expansion plans. The food delivery app said losses before tax were £232m in 2018 from £199m the previous year. Global sales increased by 72 per cent to £476m for the year. Read more: Deliveroo ad banned over misleading claim it could [...]
Law firms lead Stonewall’s top LGBT-inclusive employers January 30, 2020 City law firms are some of this year’s most inclusive employers for the LGBT community, with 15 topping Stonewall’s employers of the year. Legal organisations were the second most inclusive sector, with fifteen firms on the list. Last year’s winners Pinsent Masons topped the private sector employers at fourth place. Mayer Brown and the Solicitors Regulation [...]
CBI: Labour pledges could “crack the foundations of the economy” November 18, 2019 The head of Britain’s biggest business group warned yesterday that Jeremy Corbyn’s policies could “crack the foundations of the economy” at the start of a week which holds the potential to define the upcoming General Election. Carolyn Fairbairn, head of the CBI, told Sky News that business leaders are asking “who’s next” after the “bolt [...]
Government to review rollout of controversial IR35 tax reforms January 7, 2020 The government said today it will review the rollout of controversial tax plan IR35 which is due to take effect in April 2020. IR35, which aims to prevent workers from disguising themselves as freelance contractors as a way to pay less tax, is being extended in April. Under the changes private sector employers will be [...]