Former Norton motorcycle boss pleads guilty to pensions investment breaches February 7, 2022 The former owner of motorcycle firm Norton has pleaded guilty to three charges of breaching employer related investment (ERI) rules after he pumped more than five per cent of his firm’s three pension schemes back into his business. Stuart James Garner, 53, was accused of illegally investing cash from the Dominator 2012, Commando 2012 and [...]
Exclusive: Railsbank CEO on finance’s ‘iTunes moment’, ripping up the rule book and the might of Amazon February 7, 2022 British fintech Railsbank is eyeing up ‘unicorn’ status as it looks to raise $100m funding which would value the firm at over $1bn. It follows a $70m funding injection last year from backers including Anthos Capital and Outrun Ventures, which bosses had suggested had left the firm with a valuation of close to $1bn. Time [...]
EM impact investing: the importance of the environment February 7, 2022 | City Talk As emerging market (EM) impact investors, care for the environment has long been a concern for us. In fact, the environment is one of five key investment themes we’ve identified as part of our impact investment process. By investing in sustainably run companies whose products or services help address environmental and societal challenges, our intent [...]
Private equity firms circle embattled retailer THG February 6, 2022 Troubled e-commerce retailer THG is being circled by private equity firms for a potential buyout. Representatives from Advent International have reportedly visited the firm’s Manchester headquarters while LA-based Leonard Green is understood to have also expressed an interest. Shares leapt 16 per cent on Friday following speculation about private equity interest in a Betaville blog [...]
Weekend chat: Many companies and investors fear greenwashing claims, says sustainability guru February 6, 2022 Increasing biodiversity and expanding nature-based solutions to solve the climate crisis through so-called voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) are currently a hot topic. VCMs, which encompass all transactions of carbon offsets that are not purchased with the intention to surrender into an active regulated carbon market, do include offsets that are purchased with the intent to re-sell [...]
BlackRock enters the TikTok fray with ‘financial wellness’ account February 4, 2022 The world’s biggest asset manager BlackRock has joined the TikTok craze with an account dedicated to “financial wellness” tips.
Railsbank closes in on ‘unicorn’ status with $100m funding round February 4, 2022 British fintech firm Railsbank is eyeing up ‘unicorn’ status as it looks to raise $100m funding that at a valuation of over $1bn, according to news reports.
It’s a myth that ETFs are eating the world February 2, 2022 | City Talk ‘Software is eating the world’: so wrote the US venture capitalist Marc Andreessen back in 2011. From today’s perspective, with companies like Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta dominating the stock markets, Andreessen’s observation seems to have held up. Had BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink made similar comments about exchange-traded funds (ETFs) 11 years ago, he likewise [...]
Govt urged to hike Companies House charges by 700 per cent to crack down on shell firms and fraud February 2, 2022 A group of influential MPs is urging the government to do more to prioritise economic crime and explain why legislation is being delayed. MPs also called for an overhaul of Companies House and to increase the cost to register a business by around 700 per cent, from £12 or £13 currently to £100, in an [...]
Activewear brand TALA raises £4.2m as it woos shoppers fed up with fast fashion February 2, 2022 Gen Z-orientated sustainable activewear brand TALA has raised £4.2m in funding with Active Partners and Venrex. Founded by social media influencer Grave Beverley, TALA aims to offer consciousness gym goers an affordable alternative to fast fashion rivals. Participants in the oversubscribed round included venture capital trust Pembroke VCT, as well as angel investors including Deciem [...]