Category: Articles

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Business Plan published today outlines seven priority themes which will guide how the they will use its flexible resources and provide additional focus for the core activities of the organisation.

Leading P2P investment platform Abundance (www.AbundanceInvestment.com) confirms that its ‘Innovative Finance ISA’ (IFISA) will be open for investment from April 6th - the first date that this new kind of ISA can be offered to the public.

Managed Funds Association and the Alternative Investment Management Association today submitted a joint comment letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the Commission’s proposed rule on the use of derivatives by mutual funds and other registered investment companies.

Companies in the financial services sector are increasingly investing in specialists to help them drive cultural change in their organisations. Leading talent mapping and pipelining specialist Armstrong Craven is working with a number of clients in the sector which are keen to widen their focus beyond gender diversity targets.

Scottish laws on insolvency have been brought together into one piece of legislation for the first time in a generation yesterday as the new Bankruptcy (Scotland) Bill 2016 was passed by the Scottish Parliament.

Investor confidence in private equity investment is high, with 63% intending to invest in SMEs in the next five years and over half of UK investors looking to EIS for 2016.

Leading online estate agent, eMoov.co.uk, has released research into the Waitrose effect on house prices surrounding each of the supermarket’s 300+ UK stores. eMoov’s research found property surrounding Waitrose stores costs £456,000 on average, more than double that of the UK overall (£221,254), having increased 7% over the last year.

WisdomTree Europe, an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) and exchange-traded product (“ETP”) sponsor announces that it has listed three new ETPs on Borsa Italiana.

As has been well reported, yesterday’s annual Budget established that all corporate investors and individual buy to let landlords will now face a 3% Stamp Duty increase on additional properties purchased from April.

John Spiers, Chief Executive Officer of EQ Investors, the boutique wealth manager, provides his thoughts in response to the Chancellor’s Budget announced today.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is boosting support to private entrepreneurs in Serbia by increasing access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Scottish Friendly, the savings and ISA provider, has called for the Help to Save Scheme, announced today by the Government, to include access to stocks and shares investments and not just cash.

Defaqto, a provider of independent financial products and fund information and ratings, today published its latest case study ’The case for hybrid‘ which examines the role of hybrid solutions in planning for retirement.

Nigel Keohane, Research Director, Social Market Foundation co-author of the report, Locked Out: How property crowdfunding explains how this could help the next generation of homeowners.

Aioi Nissay Dowa Europe is the automotive arm of MS&AD Group (Mitsui Sumitomo Aioi Dowa - Japans largest insurance group) and operates Toyota Insurance Management Ltd. We got in touch with their COO, Michael Kainzbauer, to find out more about the company and how they continue to succeed in the highly competitive automotive market.

A new report by the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK) supported by Age UK, calls on the Government to avoid damaging confidence in our pensions system at the forthcoming Budget, and to act to foster a ‘savings culture’.

Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. (KT or the Company) is a world renowned multinational management consulting and capability development company. Founded in 1958, the Company is a leader in helping organizations improve and leverage the critical thinking skills of their people to drive operational improvement. We spoke to William B. Baldwin, CFO of KT, to learn more about the financial aspects of their company and how they have adapted to the many challenges faced by their business.

Founded in 2005, Deutsche Finance Group is based in Munich with offices in Zurich and Paris.We spoke to Symon Hardy Godl, Manging Director of the firm, to find out more about their practice and how their fund of funds consistently achieves results.

Investing exclusively in apartment properties in the U.S. with laser focus, American Private Equity Group has consistently outperformed with its risk-adjusted returns. American’s Senior Principals are nationally recognized as the ‘father of the apartment industry in the U.S.’ with innovations vastly increasing the quality of life for residents throughout the U.S. We had a chance to speak with the firm and hear more what makes their strategy and focus cutting-edge.

MagneGas Corporation is a highly innovative technology company that counts among its inventions, a patented process that converts liquid waste into hydrogen based fuels. We spoke to Ermanno Santilli, CEO of MagneGas, to find out more about his company and learn more about the truly game-changing technology they have created.

UK Economic Secretary Harriett Baldwin labels HSBC’s landmark decision to move its retail banking operation from London to Birmingham 'a major boost to jobs and growth in the Midlands'.

The City of Bellevue is a city of the First Class located in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. We invited Larry Burks, Bellevue’s Assistant City Administrator and economic development point of contact, to provide us with an insight into this growing city and the developments which are making it an increasingly attractive investment opportunity.

Alkimis SGR was established in 2008 by Massimo Morchio, backed by several well-known Italian family offices. The firm is regulated by the Italian/European law and supervised by Bank of Italy/Consob.

The largest investment banks notched a 20% gain in market share of the US M&A advisory market during last-year’s record-breaking technology M&A spree, according to a new report by 451 Research.

In response to the introduction of the new State Pension in April 2016, the government will continue to price protect the Guaranteed Minimum Pension of public sector workers.

Over 780,000 homebuyers saved an estimated £657 million on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) in the year since the tax was reformed, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced today.

The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) and The Occupational Pensions Defence Union (OPDU) today announced an alliance to promote good governance in UK pension schemes.

Addressing an audience at the David Hume Institute on Tuesday evening, Scotland’s First Minister argued that tax powers must be used for Scotland’s long-term social and economic benefit.

Finance Minister Mervyn Storey MLA today announced a continuation of the real terms regional rate freeze for 2016-17.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today published a discussion paper encouraging firms to do more to support the UK’s ageing population and ensure that consumers can access the financial products and services they need at every stage during their life.

With an EU referendum in the UK still looking probable despite Prime Minister David Cameron’s best efforts this week, leading online estate agent eMoov.co.uk, has predicted an EU exit could see UK house prices drop by 5%.

The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) announced the appointment of Gareth Tancred as its new Chief Executive Officer, to replace Vince Linnane who last year announced his intention to leave after 32 years’ service with the PMI.

Finance Minister Mervyn Storey MLA welcomed an encouraging period in Northern Ireland’s housing market with steady price growth combined with continuing affordability.

Investor confidence in the commercial aviation industry has rebounded in recent months, following a tumultuous period in which the industry suffered from high oil prices, the global financial crisis and increasing market competition. Bhanu Choudhrie, Executive Director of C&C Alpha Group of explores this in an exclusive article.

Revenue Scotland has received its 100,000th tax return, ten months on from the creation of the first Scottish taxes in more than 300 years.

Do you know the single biggest expense in your business? (hint: It’s not what you think.) Most managers are not conscientiously aware that the single biggest expense to their business each year is rework. Rework is defined as anything, which is not done correctly the first time and must be redone or adjusted to get the work to acceptable levels.