How regulation and market priorities drive fintech focus globally June 28, 2017 The interest in fintech worldwide shows no signs of abating, as illustrated by the strong attendance at each stop on our recent CFA Institute speaker tour throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. But even more interesting is the regional variation in what 'fintech' means to local entrepreneurs. Talking to investors, company founders, [...]
Focus On Clapham: Commons, good schools and cosy gastropubs means families stay put in SW4 June 2, 2017 Clapham is not a straightforward neighbourhood. Unlike Dalston, it isn’t synonymous with hipsters; it isn’t known for its international wealth like Knightsbridge; and it isn’t the naturalised home of the English gent like Hampstead. It’s best described as a south London suburb that has welcomed wave upon wave of migration from other boroughs. The Georgian [...]
New homes on sale in London: from restored Victorian terraces in Bayswater to new homes in up-and-coming Walthamstow August 4, 2016 Brackenbury Square, Hammersmith From £550,000 Live the west London village life a short walk away from Goldhawk Road tube station at Brackenbury Square. The Notting Hill Sales development takes its name from nearby Brackenbury Village, which is in the Hammersmith Grove Conservation Area with all the boutiques and independent shops the village name engenders. There [...]
David Cameron warns of mortgage rise if Britain votes for Brexit June 5, 2016 David Cameron has warned that mortgages could rise for millions of homeowners if Britain votes to leave the EU. The Prime Minister has said average repayments could rise by nearly £1,000 a year because leaving Europe could lead to tighter credit controls as well as pushing up interest rates. But the claim has been called "desperate" [...]
First-time buyers make the most of sudden stall in UK house prices April 12, 2015 First-time buyers snapped up 21,000 houses in February, taking advantage of a short-term blip in house prices, according to estate agents Reeds Rains and Your Move. That is an 11 per cent rise in the number of transactions on the month. The average first-time buyer paid £143,767 for their property, down four per cent on [...]
General Election 2015: Labour bids to woo first time buyers with stamp duty pause April 27, 2015 Labour will today announce that it would scrap stamp duty for first-time buyers on properties worth up to £300,000, for the first three years it is in government. The move is seen as a bid to win over younger voters and pull ahead of the Conservatives, as polls continue to show the two parties neck-and-neck [...]
UK property transactions down by 45 per cent in April as stamp duty changes hit May 24, 2016 The number of property transactions in the UK fell by 45 per cent between March and April, according to new data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The figures from HMRC show 94,370 properties were sold in April compared to 164,400 in March as landlords scrambled to snap-up homes before stamp duty changes came into effect, putting a [...]
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband calls for rent-to-own industry to be better regulated July 4, 2016 Following an investigation, former Labour leader Ed Miliband has called on the rent-to-own industry to be better regulated. Having investigated some rent-to-own companies in his constituency of Doncaster, Miliband said "my constituents have told me they can end up paying three times as much, if they miss a payment or are late the costs spiral or worse, [...]
The help to buy Isa: How helpful is it and what does it really offer first-time buyers? April 23, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne threw would-be first-time buyers a lifeline in his Budget last month: the Help to Buy Isa has been dubbed a key part of the government’s savings revolution, offering assistance to those who want to get onto the property ladder. Due to come into force this autumn, this new Isa wrapper will mean [...]
Rents are up 2.6 per cent in the year to April – and the market could be heating up a lot more this summer May 27, 2016 Private rents in Great Britain were up 2.6 per cent in the year to April, according to data released today by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) – and the rental market could get a lot more heating over the summer months. Unsurprisingly, London was burdened with the largest rent inflation, with rents rising at a [...]