City fintech Yapily scores $5.4m from Transferwise founders and Localglobe May 30, 2019 London fintech startup Yapily has closed $5.4m (£4.3m) in seed funding from King’s Cross-based venture capital firm Localglobe and HZ Holtzbrinck Ventures. Other investors included Transferwise co-founders Taavet Hinrikus and Ott Kaukver, and C-suite executives from Twilio and Unicredit. Read more: Transferwise is Europe's most valuable fintech at $3.5bn Yapily will use the funding to [...]
Uber partners with insurtech startup to offer digital insurance May 30, 2019 Ride sharing giant Uber has struck a deal with a US insurtech startup to offer digital insurance for its drivers. Inshur uses information about average trips, locations and driver ratings in near real-time to calculate the price of the driver’s policy. Read more: Uber facing £1bn VAT tax bill after HMRC opens investigation The startup [...]
Microsoft to open first UK store in London, one minute away from Apple’s Oxford Circus store May 30, 2019 Microsoft has announced it will open a UK flagship store in London this summer. The tech giant’s first physical UK store will open in Regent Street on 11 July, just a one minute walk away from Apple’s London flagship branch. Read more: Stockwatch: When you should buy Amazon and Microsoft The branch near Oxford Circus [...]
Online harms proposals will damage UK tech sector, tech giants warn May 30, 2019 Government plans to crack down on social media firms over the growing problem of online harms are unclear and will damage the UK’s digital sector, tech giants have warned. A scathing new report, seen exclusively by Morning Wire and authored by the Internet Association (IA), which represents online firms including Google, Facebook and Twitter, has outlined a string [...]
Huawei is an ‘instrument of the Chinese government’, Pompeo warns May 29, 2019 US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has launched a fresh attack on Huawei, accusing the Chinese firm of taking orders from Beijing. “Huawei is an instrument of the Chinese government,” Pompeo told Fox Business Network. “They’re deeply connected. It’s something that’s hard for Americans to understand.” Read more: Softbank names Nokia as 5G supplier in [...]
Softbank names Nokia as 5G supplier after shunning long-term partner Huawei May 29, 2019 Softbank has chosen Nokia to supply equipment for its 5G network, in the latest blow for Chinese telecoms firm Huawei. Softbank, which operates a mobile network in its home country of Japan, today said it will use Nokia technology in non-core parts of its 5G network, which is set to launch next year. Read more: [...]
Trainline IPO: Rail app seeks to raise £75m from June float May 29, 2019 Trainline hopes to raise at least £75m when it floats on the London Stock Exchange next month, it said today. Read more: Trainline confirms intention to float in London IPO The ticket-booking app expects to launch its initial public offering (IPO) next month, when it is confident of raising enough capital for a listing on [...]
Majority of UK’s tech workforce ‘prepared to leave the UK’, study finds May 29, 2019 Three-quarters of British tech workers would be willing to leave the UK to work abroad, despite London ranking as the world’s best city for tech, according to a new survey. Research by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Totaljobs found the majority of employees in the UK’s tech industry were the prepared to relocate, while just [...]
Chief executives targeted by phishing attacks as email threats grow May 29, 2019 Almost two-fifths of global executives have fallen victim to an email-based cyber attack over the last year as hackers target top brasses, new data has revealed. Read more: Less than one per cent of cyber crimes lead to prosecution Research by cybersecurity firm Mimecast revealed 38 per cent of company bosses and other executives have [...]
Netflix speaks out against Georgia’s anti-abortion law May 28, 2019 Netflix has pledged to work with activist organisations and politicians to fight the US state of Georgia’s recent anti-abortion legislation. The streaming giant’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos said the firm has many female employees in Georgia, which is a major hub for television and film production. “It’s why we will work with the American Civil [...]