Back British: Tech boss calls on UK pension funds to invest at home January 6, 2022 The boss of a national start-up group has called on pension funds to back British tech businesses and “take more of an interest in the next generation of UK companies”. Gerard Grech, CEO of TechNation, which works with smaller tech firms to boost growth, said that the UK was a global leader in technology but [...]
UK fintech investment surges after regulation refresh January 6, 2022 Investment into UK fintech firms surged last year as investors looked to capitalise on new regulation in the sector, research has revealed. Total investment into British fintechs jumped more than 217% to $11.6bn in 2021, second only to US firms globally which saw $46bn of investment, according to figures from Innovate Finance, the UK fintech [...]
Fifth of adults using buy-now-pay-later services once a month January 5, 2022 Usage of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services has exploded over the past year, according to new research from TSB.
Tech Special: The jobs, sectors and countries most at risk of automation and robotics in 2022 January 5, 2022 Digital change and automation are driving enormous productivity gains in the world of work. However, the rapid changes mean many individuals, businesses and even entire nations will be hugely impacted by automation and tech, with some roles and jobs to be replaced by robots altogether. Many of the industries that are most at risk of [...]
Banker bots: Amid increasing competition for top talent, banks could turn to AI January 4, 2022 Banks could begin to turn to artificial intelligence (AI), after the competition for top talent has prompted a battle of who can name the highest salary figure for newcomers. JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs have already dedicated teams to modernising their M&A advisory and capital markets businesses. And with pay for junior analysts at rival Morgan [...]
Capital raising in the City picks up despite ongoing Covid disruption as listed firms pull in close to £25bn this year December 29, 2021 UK listed companies have raised more than £12bn in new capital from investors in the second half of the year, bringing the total so far for 2021 between January and November to £24.7bn, according to data shared with Morning Wire This represents the second highest total since 2009, following on from 2020 when £34.4bn was [...]
2021: Best year ever for UK tech sector with £26bn in VC, 116 unicorns, record London listings and more jobs December 28, 2021 The UK tech sector looks back on its best year ever, raking in £26bn in venture capital, record London listings, more jobs and the number of British unicorns climbing to 116. Success feeds cities outside London as Cambridge has become the leading regional tech city in the UK thanks to its combination of high levels [...]
Half of all UK bank branches have been shut or are scheduled for closure as fintech kills off 736 locations in 2021 alone December 27, 2021 New figures published this morning show that the number of bank branches across the UK is dropping dramatically. In fact, nearly half of all banks’ branches have been lost since 2015, or are scheduled for closure, according to Which? Vulnerable customers are being left at risk of being “cut adrift”, the consumer organisation said after [...]
FCA confirms listing rule changes in bid to sharpen London’s edge for startup IPOs December 2, 2021 London’s financial watchdog this morning confirmed a list of changes to its listing rules that will come into force tomorrow, in an effort to bolster incentives for innovative founder-led companies to list on UK markets sooner. Chief among the new changes, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed it is introducing a “targeted form” of dual [...]
US platform buys Seedrs for $100m after CMA blocks Crowdcube merger on home turf December 1, 2021 UK crowdfunding platform Seedrs is being acquired by US investment platform Republic, just months after the UK’s competition watchdog blocked its plans to merge with homegrown rival Crowdcube. In a transatlantic deal that values Seedrs at approximately $100m (£75m), the two platforms are billing the combined entity as “the first global private investment marketplace with [...]