Regulator grants challenger lender Cashplus a full banking licence February 3, 2021 Digital challenger bank Cashplus has become the latest London-based fintech to secure a full UK banking licence. Following the Prudential Regulation Authority’s approval, Cashplus is the UK’s newest licensed bank despite being founded in 2005 and serving more than 1.6m small business customers. Like its digital peers, Cashplus offers current accounts for UK SMEs, currently [...]
Paykey launches trading functionality to compete with ‘wild west’ app market February 2, 2021 The Gamestop frenzy last week not only showed the power of retail investors but the popularity and risks associated with free trading apps. Robinhood, which promises no user fees, faced backlash from investors after sharp swings in the value of stocks meant it was forced to restrict trading. It has sparked debate over whether these [...]
The rise of TikTok ‘finfluencers’ offers lessons for the investment industry February 2, 2021 No longer just a platform for teenage dance challenges, TikTok is becoming the number one spot for financial advice.
Woolard review: FCA cracks down on £2.7bn buy-now-pay-later market February 2, 2021 Interest-free buy-now-pay-later credit agreements will be regulated by the City watchdog after the market swelled to £2.7bn last year. The plans, drawn up by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), have been designed to protect consumers, after the use of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) transactions tripled in 2020, as shoppers looked for ways to spread their money further [...]
The truthiness of ESG criticism February 2, 2021 | City Talk There are two often-repeated critiques of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing that I really can’t stand. They have the quality of truthiness about them and are what academics sometimes call “as if” arguments. For my younger readers, the term truthiness is defined by Wikipedia as follows: “Truthiness is the belief or assertion that a particular statement [...]
First-time investors push profits higher at Hargreaves Lansdown February 1, 2021 A surge in younger investors investing for the first time have helped push up profits at the UK’s largest investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown. Hargreaves Lansdown reported a 10 per cent increase in pre-tax profit in the six months to December, to £188.4m, compared with the same period a year earlier. Net new business was up [...]
Hedge fund Melvin Capital bags billions from investors following GameStop debacle February 1, 2021 After losing more than 53 per cent in January, Melvin Capital, the hedge fund at the centre of the GameStop drama, enjoyed a cash injection from investors in the last days of the month. The firm started the year with roughly $12.5bn, according to reports, but that dramatically dipped after it was at the centre [...]
The changing face of markets February 1, 2021 | Sponsored I see myself as a ‘global’ citizen that, through my work over the last 20+ years, has developed a deep experience of capital markets and exchanges. At the beginning of this century I was part of the creation of Euronext that resulted a few years later in leading its European cash market from Paris before [...]
City watchdog to crack down on ‘buy now pay later’ firms February 1, 2021 The City watchdog is preparing to move in on so-called buy now pay later firms such as Klarna following a review of the unsecured credit market. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will this morning publish a report by interim chief executive Chris Woolard recommending that the sector be brought under the regulator’s remit, Sky News [...]
What next for Biden’s climate and social agenda? January 29, 2021 | City Talk Joe Biden ran on one of the most progressive platforms the US has ever seen, with climate ambition at its heart. His victory will result in a sea-change in US climate ambition. That said, the narrow margin of victory will pose challenges for the more ambitious elements of his agenda. Below we assess the policy [...]
