Oil and gas decommissioning costs to hit nearly £17bn with 1.2m tonnes from North Sea to be removed November 23, 2021 With 1.2 million tonnes of disused oil and gas installations from the North Sea expected to be removed for reuse and recycling, UK oil and gas firms are being forecast to spend some £16.6bn on decommissioning work over the next decade. Industry body Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) said work in this area would be [...]
Across the Channel: French prime minister tests positive for Covid-19 as Coronavirus cases climb November 23, 2021 The office of France’s prime minister confirmed early this morning that he has tested positive for Covid-19, hours after returning from a visit to neighbouring Belgium and just as France is seeing a nationwide resurgence of infections. Jean Castex will adapt his schedule for the coming 10 days to continue his activities in isolation, his [...]
It’s Friday again: Atom Bank shifts to four-day week November 23, 2021 Digital lender Atom Bank has become the biggest UK employer to shift to a four-day working week. Staff at the challenger bank, launched in 2016, will work a 34-hour week spread over four days for the same monthly pay. Staff are being encouraged to work “core hours” of 9.30am – 4.30pm between Monday and Thursday. [...]
Amazon’s merciless move to block Visa likely to lead to rapid uptake of… Amazon credit cards, which are issued by Mastercard November 22, 2021 Following the news that Amazon will no longer accept payments from UK-issued Visa credit cards, some industry insiders are convinced the e-commerce giant’s decision is a calculated move to drive the adoption of the company’s own payment cards, and will give a competitive advantage to Visa’s main rival, Mastercard. Last week, the online retailer confirmed that Visa credit [...]
Digital board game downloads rise by 144 per cent following pandemic explosion November 22, 2021 Digital board game group Marmalade Game Studio, and makers of Monolopy and Cluedo games, estimated that downloads have increased 144 per cent over the past 18 months.
JP Morgan offers to cover hotel quarantine costs for staff in Hong Kong November 22, 2021 JP Morgan has offered to give staff in Hong Kong up to $5,000 to cover quarantine costs, so they can visit families abroad. The city has tough quarantine rules, meaning arrivals into Hong Kong must quarantine in a hotel for up to three weeks. In a memo to staff, the investment bank said: “We recognise [...]
Brussels pushes to freeze out London banks in post-Brexit crackdown November 22, 2021 The EU is planning on freezing out London banks by clamping down on the network of national arrangements that allow non-EU banks to sell services to the bloc. Brussels is pushing to cut off avenues for banks operating outside the region to conduct cross-border transactions. The news was first reported by the Financial Times. The [...]
BoE governor says cash is disappearing as he makes case for Britcoin November 22, 2021 A central bank bigwig has said that the disappearance of cash underpins the case for a central bank issued digital currency (CBDC).
Metro Bank’s largest City shareholder sells stake after private equity buyer walks November 22, 2021 A leading institutional investor has cashed in its shares at Metro Bank after a US private equity buyer walked out on takeover talks.
UBS: Ex-Morgan Stanley president Colm Kelleher to succeed Axel Weber as chair November 22, 2021 Colm Kelleher has been proposed as the next chair of UBS, the company confirmed this morning.