We need to defuse our pensions timebomb – The City View September 24, 2015 The current debate over Europe’s migration crisis centres on how many refugees each country “can afford to absorb”. The implication is that each person who migrates into an area brings an economic cost, and that allowing them in is an act of charity. But there are many economists who argue that this just [...]
Alliance Trust appoints fund management veterans Chris Samuel and Karl Sternberg as it continues to reassure shareholders September 24, 2015 Alliance Trust has appointed two veteran managers to its board as it seeks to reassure investors yet again. Ignis Asset Management's former chief executive Chris Samuel and Oxford Investment Partners' co-founder Karl Sternberg are joining the board of the investment trust with immediate effect. "Both appointments have been made following consultation with our largest shareholders", [...]
The shared economy and peer-to-peer payments are transforming business lending and P2P is here to stay September 22, 2015 Anyone who has kept an eye on the financial services landscape over the past decade will have noticed that digital technology is transforming and disrupting many traditional product markets. The latest innovation is from PayPal, an early pioneer in online payments, who are offering a smartphone app to help get your money back if you've [...]
Crowdfunding and the third age of finance: Why banks are now seriously taking note September 17, 2015 Crowdfunding has titillated a lot of people. Armchair investors can pile into funding rounds alongside VCs, lending to or taking stakes in promising businesses. People can raise money for unwell relatives and community projects nearby – or across the globe. And SMEs turned away by banks can borrow from the crowd, issue equity, or [...]
UK pensions advice: Improve awareness, know what you’re saving and whether it’s enough September 16, 2015 Pensions awareness is a real concern for the UK and the statistics are worrying. Only 27 per cent of people say they feel “very informed” about pensions, for example, according to new research by Towers Watson. And last year, a government report discovered that 11.9m people in the UK are “saving too little”. [...]
Crowdsourcing doesn’t need to be risky: Here’s how to manage it September 15, 2015 In his article Wisdom of the crowd? Here are six reasons crowdsourcing is riskier than you think, Ian Fergusson points out the risks brands face when they think about involving the crowd in an initiative. It was an interesting read, but actually, what he describes is not “because of crowdsourcing”, but symptomatic of bad planning [...]
Crowdfunding 101: Six points each startup should consider before launching their next round of fundraising September 10, 2015 Crowdfunding is revolutionising startup investment in the UK, but don't expect an easy ride Crowdfunding is in vogue. In the UK alone, about £1.5bn is raised through it each year. It’s been used to raise equity for everything from drones to smartwatches and even giant Ferris wheels. But just because it’s hip don’t for [...]
The rise of reward crowdfunding in Europe September 10, 2015 Harriet Green asks Indiegogo’s Anastasia Emmanuel about the platform’s experience in new markets WHAT does the rewards and donation-based crowdfunding sector look like today? Despite having a longer history than equity and debt crowdfunding, the fast-growth of platforms which offer perks and non-monetary rewards in return for investment doesn’t get so much media time. Indiegogo, [...]
Alternative lending boom: Credit experts warn banks that P2P poses a threat to traditional banking September 9, 2015 Is peer-to-peer (P2P) lending a threat to traditional banking? Some 75 per cent of credit analysts say yes, as alternative lenders continue to shake up the finance world. Experts are now warning traditional banks of the challenges new lenders like Zopa will pose, with three in four calling alternative lending a “threat” to banks, a [...]
Property firm LMSL teams up with crowdfunding platform to launch £9m east London bond September 8, 2015 A property investor is offering small retail investors the chance to buy a slice of east London property after launching a £9m mini-bond via crowdfunding platform CrowdBnk. LMSL Group, which owns 160 rental properties in east London worth around £52m, said it aims to raise at least £9m to plough back into the ongoing regeneration [...]
