Varley plays dealmaker February 9, 2011 EX-BARCLAYS chief executive John Varley has driven project Merlin from the beginning, acting as the chair and chief organiser of the initiative. Barclays was never obliged to participate in Merlin, unlike part-nationalised RBS and Lloyds, causing a flurry of speculation over Varley’s enthusiasm for the project. New Barclays chief executive officer Bob Diamond was keen [...]
Sailing on the high seas with pirates, yachts and brokers galore January 9, 2011 WHAT do you do when you’ve done the rounds at a clutch of investment banks and stockbroking firms? Well, write a novel about the thrilling world of super-yachts, pirates and international finance, of course. And that’s exactly how Adam Wilson, non-exec chairman of Atlantic Coal, former managing director of Hichens Harrison and founder of Teather [...]
Sailing on the high seas with pirates, yachts and brokers galore January 9, 2011 WHAT do you do when you’ve done the rounds at a clutch of investment banks and stockbroking firms? Well, write a novel about the thrilling world of super-yachts, pirates and international finance, of course. And that’s exactly how Adam Wilson, non-exec chairman of Atlantic Coal, former managing director of Hichens Harrison and founder of Teather [...]
Fears of City exodus from Non-dom plan February 7, 2011 GOVERNMENT plans for a crackdown on “non-doms” could hit Britain’s economic recovery and cause an exodus of wealth creators from the City, tax experts warned yesterday. Chancellor George Osborne is considering plans to introduce a flat-rate levy for the 120,000 non-doms – people residing in the UK, but not domiciled here to avoid paying UK [...]
UK must take centre stage in EU policy race January 9, 2011 LAST week, the chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, made it clear that badly thought through regulation must not be allowed to undermine European competitiveness in financial services. Such a strongly worded public statement provides further evidence of the government’s belief that the financial services industry has a vital role to play in facilitating a [...]
London is still at forefront of business world January 16, 2011 THERE is no doubt in my mind that despite the uncertainty surrounding taxation and regulation and despite the continuing public anger, unfavourable media reports and a degree of political point-scoring, the City of London remains – in the eyes of the international business community at least – one of the most attractive financial centres in [...]
London is still at forefront of business world January 16, 2011 THERE is no doubt in my mind that despite the uncertainty surrounding taxation and regulation and despite the continuing public anger, unfavourable media reports and a degree of political point-scoring, the City of London remains – in the eyes of the international business community at least – one of the most attractive financial centres in [...]
Osborne axes plan to reveal bank bonuses November 22, 2010 GEORGE Osborne has performed a remarkable U-turn over plans to force banks to reveal details of pay and bonuses, in a major coup for the City. The chancellor has repeatedly said he would press ahead with proposals to make banks publish the pay and bonuses of employees who earn more than £1m in bands, while [...]
Osborne axes plan to reveal bank bonuses November 22, 2010 GEORGE Osborne has performed a remarkable U-turn over plans to force banks to reveal details of pay and bonuses, in a major coup for the City. The chancellor has repeatedly said he would press ahead with proposals to make banks publish the pay and bonuses of employees who earn more than £1m in bands, while [...]
Auditors are not watchdogs, they are bloodhounds on a tight leash December 14, 2010 HEAD OF POLICY, ACCA THERE are two sides to every story. This particular story concerns audit and its value to society. Are you sitting comfortably? “Extraordinarily self-satisfied” is how the former chancellor Lord Lawson described the suggestion by top auditors that there hadn’t been a failure of audit prior to the financial crisis. “You were [...]