Explainer-in-brief: Where the world was the last time inflation was this high May 19, 2022 Yesterday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that UK inflation had hit 9 per cent, reaching the highest level since 1982. This year we have slowly emerged from the pandemic, witnessed the Kremlin’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and we’re facing a dire cost of living crisis. But what was going on last time that [...]
Fintech and the accountancy profession May 19, 2022 The union of finance and technology as fintech has become pervasive, transforming how financial services are delivered and consumed. It’s a thriving sector with many diverse parts such as online-only or neobanks, peer-to-peer lending, payment gateways / application programming interfaces (APIs), investment banking back-end infrastructure, insurtech, wealthtech and regtech. And that’s before considering some frontier [...]
Sajid Javid needs real bravery to even begin to confront NHS inefficiency May 18, 2022 A few years back a No10 aide rang me at The Sun to offer an exclusive: Theresa May’s team had decided to save Frosties’ icon “Tony the Tiger”. It was sold-in as a big victory against nanny state campaigners who wanted cartoon inducements wiped off the face of the earth to tackle childhood obesity. Unfortunately [...]
If Johnson wants a future proof economy, he needs a resilient core in all of his policies May 18, 2022 Last week, we heard plans to strengthen consumer protection, boost innovation and support the transition to net zero. The realignment with the interests of business in the UK was welcome. The government needs to reset its strategic direction and put resilience at the heart of policymaking and focus. We hear the term future proof being [...]
Andrew Bailey is putting the Bank’s independence at risk if he wavers on inflation May 18, 2022 Andrew Bailey’s ability to steer monetary policy through the inflation crisis will determine the Bank’s future strength
Letters: The rise and fall of crypto May 18, 2022 [Re: Bitcoin has no future as a means of payment, warns top crypto boss, yesterday] Following news that the founder of crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried claimed that Bitcoin is not scalable enough to accommodate millions of transactions, the asset’s future as a means of payment has drawn considerable doubt. However, this doubt is valid. [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Another bump in a long road for China’s economy May 17, 2022 China feels the economic bite after more lockdowns
Interview with AEG’s Jim King: The UK’s reignited Festival Fever May 17, 2022 Leah Montebello speaks to AEG’s Jim King as Brits gear up for summer festivals
Ikea was just the beginning – Sweden’s new tech is ready to invest in Britain May 17, 2022 Last week, Boris Johnson visited Stockholm and pledged a mutual security pact with his Swedish counterpart, as tensions with Russia escalated. It was a welcome reassurance of friendship in uncertain times. This is just the latest chapter in a long history of collaboration between our two nations. The Swedish-British “love-in” (a technical term often used [...]