The City watchdog I chair is becoming more innovative – and assertive July 19, 2022 Richard Lloyd OBE is the interim chair of the Financial Conduct Authority Our annual report shows the Financial Conduct Authority continues to change. Becoming more innovative, assertive and adaptive. We are being tougher on firms that want to operate in the UK to make our markets safer. Last year one in five applicants didn’t [...]
Steaming inflation cuts Brits’ spending power at fastest pace on record July 19, 2022 The number of Brits in full time work reached record highs in the three months to May as unemployment rates held at 3.8 per cent, official figures have revealed today.
NatWest will provide £1.25bn in aid to farmers facing inflation July 18, 2022 NatWest will offer farmers a £1.25bn lending package amidst surging inflation in the UK. This package follows earlier support and takes the bank’s total lending for the agriculture sector to more than £6.7bn. The capital will be deployed through loans, asset finance, and higher overdraft limits, and will also help farmers transition to more sustainable practices [...]
Exclusive: Pensions minister launches taskforce to scrutinise ‘social’ ESG investment July 16, 2022 Ministers have launched a new taskforce to scrutinise environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing by pension schemes today, amid concerns that the 'social’ factor of investment has been neglected by fund managers in recent years.
Calls grow to pause benefits sanctions until merciless cost-of-living crisis has calmed down July 14, 2022 Benefits sanctions should be paused by the UK government until the cost-of-living crisis has been resolved, Citizens Advice Scotland has said. Advice from the charity on sanctions to Universal Credit rose by 5 per cent in 2021-22, research published today indicated. With inflation rising and impacting on the cost of goods, Citizens Advice said a [...]
Exclusive: Nearly a quarter don’t think their employer can survive a recession July 12, 2022 Nearly a quarter of people polled recently don’t think their employer will survive an anticipated recession. The figures, exclusively shared by MHR with Morning Wire, highlighted that 78 per cent of 1,840 people surveyed think there will be a recession, and 23 per cent don’t think their employer will survive. With inflation above nine per [...]
Money matters – Financial literacy: A vaccine for life July 12, 2022 | City Talk Could a double dose of financial literacy combined with experience help households make more rational financial decisions? What can be done to enable households to make more rational financial decisions? In the wise words of Warren Buffet, one of the greatest investors of all time, invest in yourself by accessing the latest financial education for [...]
Climate reporting a ‘burden’ for pension funds but the only way forward, says Opperman July 11, 2022 Newly reappointed pensions minister Guy Opperman said today that new climate reporting measures for pension funds were a “challenge” and “burden” for fund managers but it was clear it was now the only way to clean up investment. Opperman, who resigned and was reappointed to his role last week, said that becoming the first country [...]
One in six UK households face ‘serious financial difficulties’ amidst worsening cost of living crisis July 11, 2022 One in six households in the UK, about 4.4m, face “serious financial difficulties” as the cost of living crisis worsens with inflation at 40 year highs. This is an increase of 1.6m households from October last year, with over half of all UK households considering their financial situation to be worse now than during the [...]
80 per cent of all Brits have less than £500 in their account as hordes of people are slipping into debt July 9, 2022 The number of customers with persistent debt problems has jumped by almost a third as the cost-of-living crisis bites further, the boss of Lloyds said this morning. Charlie Nunn, who took over at the finance giant, said customers are “concerned” about the economy but said he believes many are talking “too negatively” about the financial [...]