Britain is plagued by uncompetitive markets and a regulatory system encouraging market concentration June 14, 2021 The backslapping over the G7’s efforts to institute a new minimum global corporation tax rate last week was almost audible. The deal is a critical juncture – a signal that established economies are no longer racing to the bottom on business tax. But the palpable excitement should be cautioned: it takes far more to create [...]
Google completes $2.1bn Fitbit takeover after antitrust probe January 14, 2021 Google today said it has completed its $2.1bn (£1.5bn) takeover of Fitbit, more than a year after the deal was announced. The tie-up was subjected to a lengthy investigation by regulators amid concerns about Google’s market power and the use of people’s health data in targeted advertising. But the European Commission last month cleared the [...]
Competition watchdog launches investigation into fake online reviews May 22, 2020 The competition watchdog has opened an investigation into several major websites over whether they are doing enough to protect shoppers from fake and misleading reviews. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will probe how the sites detect, investigate and respond to issues such as suspicious reviews — for example where one user has [...]
Domino’s slams Amazon’s £442m investment in Deliveroo May 14, 2020 Pizza takeaway chain Domino’s has slammed a watchdog’s decision to give the go-ahead to Amazon’s £442m investment in Deliveroo, saying the decision will harm competition and consumers. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally cleared the investment in April over concerns that Deliveroo could collapse without extra financial backing due restaurant closures during the coronavirus [...]
EU takes on big tech firms with new legislation December 10, 2020 Under new European regulation big tech companies will face large fines if they do not take more responsibility for policing the internet. The EU will require large tech firms, such as Facebook and Amazon, to vet third-party suppliers and share data with authorities and researchers on how they moderate illegal content, according to a document [...]
Google owner Alphabet beats revenue estimates as cloud losses grow February 2, 2021 Google parent company Alphabet beat revenue expectations for the fourth quarter, but revealed hefty losses in its cloud computing division. The tech giant posted revenue of $56.9bn (£41.7bn) in the final three months of the year, up from $46bn in the same period last year. Alphabet said the figures were driven by strong performance from [...]
Competition watchdog to investigate Facebook’s Giphy acquisition June 12, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today begun an investigation into the completed acquisition of Giphy by Facebook. An initial enforcement order was sent earlier this week as the CMA conducts an inquiry into whether the merger of Facebook and Giphy will “result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets [...]
Just Eat slams watchdog’s approval of Amazon’s £442m investment in Deliveroo May 18, 2020 Just Eat has slammed the competition watchdog’s “U-turn” decision to give the go-ahead to Amazon’s £442m investment in Deliveroo during the coronavirus crisis. The delivery platform, which was bought by Dutch firm Takeaway.com earlier this year, said it was “concerned by the very sudden U-turn in the Competition and Market Authority’s decision making”. The CMA [...]
Open banking: UK banks could pay to access central hub of Brits’ financial data June 18, 2020 British banks would pay for access to a central open banking resource under proposed next steps to introduce the concept in the UK, an industry body said today. Open banking functions to let people share their spending habits, regular payments and payees with other banks would move into a separate service company, under next steps [...]
Competition watchdog blocks JD Sports’ £90m takeover of Footasylum May 6, 2020 The competition watchdog has provoked a furious response from JD Sports after blocking the retailer’s £90m takeover of rival Footasylum. Following an in-depth investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled the tie-up would lead to a “substantially” lessening of competition nationally. As a result, consumers would be left with fewer discounts and could receive [...]