Allianz vows to stop insuring Arctic oil and gas projects April 29, 2022 Insurance giant Allianz has said it will stop insuring Arctic oil and gas fields by the middle of next year. The German multinational, which is one of the biggest oil and gas sector insurers in the world, vowed to stop insuring new oil and gas fields, oil powerplants, and oil pipelines in the Arctic by [...]
Amazon posts first quarterly loss since 2015 as higher costs and lower sales hit bottom line April 29, 2022 Shares in Amazon have plummeted after the e-commerce giant posted its first quarterly loss in seven years, as the firm faced a litany of challenges that led to higher costs and lower sales. The Seattle headquartered firm posted its first quarterly loss since 2015, as staff shortages and inflationary pressures increased its costs and the [...]
M&C Saatchi reinstates dividend after swinging back to profitability April 29, 2022 Advertising agency M&C Saatchi today said it had returned to profitability after pretax profits of £21.6m for 2021, compared to an £8.5m loss in 2020. The communications agency spun out of Saatchi & Saatchi in 1995 said it plans to reinstate its dividend 2022, after failing to pay it last year. The firm claimed its [...]
Natwest’s profits soar as high interest rates boost bank’s mortgage business April 29, 2022 Natwest today said its profits had almost doubled since the previous quarter, despite inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, and the war in Ukraine. The bank said it had generated £841m in profits in the first quarter of 2022, up 93.8 per cent compared to the £434m in profits Natwest posted in Q4 2021. The first quarter [...]
UK fraud office returns £1m to victims of ‘Wolf of Wimbledon’ scammer April 28, 2022 The UK’s serious fraud office (SFO) has returned £1m in stolen funds to more than 200 victims of Australian fraudster Jeffrey Revell-Reade. The SFO said it had handed over another £1m in stolen funds, on top of the £3m already returned, after the fraudster conned investors out of a total £70m. The return comes after [...]
Laurence Fox asks judge to let jury hear his libel lawsuit April 28, 2022 English actor and right-wing political activist Laurence Fox is seeking for his libel lawsuit to be heard by a jury – in what would be the first libel trial to be heard by a jury in a decade. The request comes after Fox was sued by charity boss Simon Blake, Ru Paul’s Drag Race star [...]
Accountancy firm RSM consolidates power after buying out former partners April 28, 2022 The board of accountancy firm RSM has made a push to consolidate its power, by taking control of almost all shares in the firm through a buyout of its former partners. The shareholder buyout comes after RSM shareholders launched a coup against the accountancy firm’s ex-board in 2020, following the discovery an almost £10m hole [...]
McKinsey helped ‘turbocharge’ opioid sales while working for US regulators, House committee says April 28, 2022 Consultancy giant McKinsey played a “pivotal role” in the US opioid crisis by helping Purdue Pharma “turbocharge” sales of opioid painkiller Oxycontin whilst working for US drug regulators, a Congressional report has said. The multi-billion-dollar consulting firm helped Purdue develop strategies to boost sales of its addictive painkiller, by advising the firm to offer its [...]
EY Germany vows to improve working conditions in wake of Wirecard scandal April 28, 2022 EY Germany has vowed to cut staff workloads and improve company working conditions, in response to its role in the multi-billion-euro Wirecard scandal. The German arm of the Big Four accountancy firm said it plans to reduce workplace stress and the overburdening of its workers, by limiting overtime and hiring more people. The pledge comes [...]
UK fraud investigators serve notice on companies linked to mining magnate Sanjeev Gupta April 27, 2022 UK fraud investigators yesterday served notices at multiple addresses linked to mining magnate Sanjeev Gupta, just a day after French police raided Paris offices linked to the embattled steel tycoon. The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) yesterday issued Section 2 notices to trading addresses linked to the Gupta’s Liberty House Group of companies, requesting financial [...]