How Watford’s digital overhaul has helped the FA Cup finalists to keep punching above their weight May 16, 2019 Nestled among the replica kits and Javi Gracia T-shirts at Watford’s club shop is a version of “Guess Who?” in which the board game’s usual cast of characters is replaced with current Hornets players. Rival supporters might quip it’s an apt product for a team whose revolving door policy to recruitment can make it difficult [...]
Metro Bank launches £350m share placing at discounted price May 16, 2019 Metro Bank has launched a discounted share placing as the troubled bank taps up investors to raise £350m of capital. The challenger bank, which has struggled following a major loans blunder in January, placed the shares at 500p, a discount on today’s closing price of 536.5p. Read more: Metro Bank shares soar ahead of £350m [...]
Why is the mortgage market strangely resistant to technological change? May 16, 2019 Technology is so pervasive that it is easy to forget just how fundamentally it has impacted our lives. In fact, it is hard to think of an area of life that hasn’t been made more accessible, faster or cheaper. Personal finance is no exception. Price comparison websites, mobile banking, and other innovations have all transformed the [...]
Lloyds Bank avoids shareholder revolt over pension pay but faces grilling from Noel Edmonds over HBOS fraud May 16, 2019 Lloyds Bank has avoided a shareholder revolt over pension pay despite MPs accusing bosses of “boundless greed.” Chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio, Britain’s best-paid bank boss, took home £6.3m last year, which included a pension contribution of 46 per cent – compared to the maximum 13 per cent for other employees. Read more: Lloyds Bank unveils [...]
Accounting software firm Xero grows revenue thanks to strong UK performance May 16, 2019 Accounting software company Xero has posted a sharp rise in revenue for the full year, boosted by strong subscriber growth in the UK. Read more: Financial app store provider OpenFin backed in $17m funding round The figures Operating revenue soared 36 per cent to 552.8m New Zealand dollars (£267.9m) in the year to the end [...]
BT staff to be handed £50m in shares as new boss overhauls image May 16, 2019 BT will hand out £50m in shares to staff every year as the telecoms firm’s new boss embarks on a plan to turn around its tarnished image. Chief executive Philip Jansen today unveiled the company’s new ‘yourshare’ scheme, which will amount to roughly £500 per employee per year. Read more: BT boosts profits under new [...]
Airbus chief says discussions over buying Bombardier Belfast plant would be ‘premature’ May 16, 2019 Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury was cagey this morning on whether the firm is looking to buy Bombardier’s endangered factory in Belfast. Bombardier announced its Northern Ireland operation was up for sale at the start of the month, sparking calls for clarity over the future of its roughly 4,000 workers in the region. Airbus is [...]
Capital markets software firm OpenFin backed by Wells Fargo and Barclays in $17m funding round May 16, 2019 Capital markets software provider OpenFin has raised $17m (£13.2m) after being backed by Wells Fargo, Barclays and JP Morgan. OpenFin, the operating system (OS) for finance, provides banks, asset managers and hedge funds with financial desktop systems and access to their own app store. Read more: The financial services sector needs a shot of confidence [...]
Block Energy raises £12m to fund better than expected new well May 16, 2019 Block Energy today completed a £12m fundraise this morning after the company found it needed more money to explore a well which proved much more fruitful than first thought. The Aim-listed oil explorer said it had placed around 109m new shares at 11p each, a discount of nearly 16 per cent on yesterday’s closing price. Read [...]
Asda sales dip on Easter timing as IPO interest mounts May 16, 2019 Asda reported a fall in like-for-like sales today following the later timing of Easter, amid growing City speculation over a possible floatation for the Walmart-owned grocery giant. Like-for-like sales at the group tumbled 1.1 per cent as a result of the holiday shift in the three months to the end of March, Walmart said today, [...]