Half of all UK adults have received their first vaccine dose, says Matt Hancock March 20, 2021 More than half of the UK’s adult population has received the first dose of a Covid vaccine, according to the health secretary. “I’m delighted to be able to say that we’ve now vaccinated HALF of all adults in the UK,” Matt Hancock said on Twitter. “The vaccine is a national success story and our way [...]
International spectators banned from entering Japan for Olympics March 20, 2021 International spectators will be barred from entering Japan during this summer’s Olympic Games amid concerns over the pandemic, the organisers said today. Officials met earlier today to discuss whether foreign visitors would be allowed to travel into Japan after about 1m tickets were sold abroad. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organising Committee said tickets purchased by [...]
Government draws up plans to run Liberty Steel as concerns of GFG collapse grow March 20, 2021 The government is bracing for the collapse of GFG Alliance by drawing up plans to run Liberty Steel using public money. Liberty Steel is currently run by GFG Alliance, owned by tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, which is embroiled in the Greensill Capital scandal. The boutique bank, advised by former PM David Cameron, was among GFG’s biggest [...]
Treasury mulls slashing higher-rate tax relief on pensions contributions March 20, 2021 The Treasury is reportedly considering huge cuts to tax relief on pensions contributions amid the spiralling cost of measures brought in during the pandemic. On 23 March, which has been dubbed “tax day”, the Treasury will announce new consultations on proposed taxation reforms, which could include reforms to pension tax. When people pay into their [...]
Payments group Wise mulls direct London listing March 19, 2021 Payments company Wise, formerly known as Transferwise, is reportedly looking to list in London without selling new shares to investors. Upheld as one of the UK’s most successful startups, having reached unicorn status in 2015, Wise has long been considered a candidate for an IPO. The fintech, which was most recently valued by private investors [...]
Scottish Mortgage manager James Anderson to leave firm next year March 19, 2021 James Anderson has announced he will step down as manager of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust next year after more than two decades at the helm. Baillie Gifford, which runs the investment trust, said Anderson will step down on 30 April 2022 and the trust’s co-manager Tom Slater, who joined in 2015, will continue to run [...]
AJ Bell buys mobile platform Adalpha March 19, 2021 AJ Bell has bought startup platform Adalpha to enhance its mobile offering for advisers and their clients. The investment platform, which has £55bn assets under administration, said the “simplified proposition” has the potential to complement its existing adviser platform business AJ Bell Investcentre. “Financial advisers need a variety of propositions to match a diverse range [...]
Bank of England’s Andy Haldane predicts “rapid-fire” recovery March 18, 2021 Bank of England’s Andy Haldane predicts “rapid-fire” recovery
OneSavings Bank flags £28.6m fraud by corporate customer March 18, 2021 OneSavings Bank has delayed its results after discovering potential fraud by one of its corporate customers. In a late statement on Wednesday the buy-to-let lender, which was scheduled to publish results this week, said it had recently become aware of possible fraud but maintains it is likely an “isolated incident”. The maximum possible loss could [...]
Credit Suisse replaces asset management head after Greensill collapse March 18, 2021 Credit Suisse has replaced the chief executive of its asset management business and announced plans to separate the division that has faced scrutiny over its Greensill-backed funds. The Swiss bank announced the appointment of Ulrich Korner as chief executive of the asset management business who will report directly to the bank’s chief executive Thomas Gottstein. [...]