Salesforce’s venture capital arm raises second European tech fund at $125m May 23, 2019 The venture capital arm of Salesforce has closed its second fund for European tech startups at $125m (£98.7m), with a renewed focus on enterprise cloud. Salesforce Ventures said it was the most active corporate VC in Europe last year, making investments across the spectrum in digital payments, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. It follows the software giant's [...]
Irish data privacy watchdog launches probe into Google Ad Exchange May 22, 2019 The Irish data privacy watchdog has launched an inquiry into Google over the way it collects data for online advertising. Read more: Huawei accuses US of bullying as it fights back against Google ban The Data Protection Commission (DPC) said it has set up the probe to establish whether Google’s use of personal data is [...]
IoT cyberattacks could cost UK economy £1bn per year May 22, 2019 Cyberattacks targeted at Internet of Things (IoT) devices could cost the UK more than £1bn per year, a new report has warned. Research from Dutch software firm Irdeto revealed IoT devices are often considered “low-hanging fruit” by cyber criminals, who are taking advantage of lax security measures to disrupt or extort businesses. Read more: Firms [...]
Health groups urge social media firms to end tobacco influencer marketing May 22, 2019 More than 125 public health groups have called on social media giants to end the promotion of tobacco products on their platforms, including through the use of influencers. In an open letter to the bosses of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, the organisations called for an end to the “aggressive” advertising of all tobacco products [...]
Wealthsimple grabs $100m in new funding round from Allianz May 22, 2019 Digital wealth giant Wealthsimple has raised a CA$100m (£58.8m) investment round, led by the investment unit of insurance firm and asset manager Allianz. The Canadian fintech, which operates in the UK and US alongside its home country, manages an online investing service and a commission-free stock trading app, with over $4.5bn of assets under management. Read more: [...]
Trainline will float 25 per cent of share capital in ‘£1.5bn’ London IPO May 22, 2019 Trainline has announced its intention to file for an initial public offering (IPO) today with plans to float at least 25 per cent of its issued share capital on the London Stock Exchange. Read more: Trainline mulls £1bn sale as IPO plans build up head of steam The UK rail bookings app's owner, Victoria Investments, could also [...]
RBS-backed digital banking startup Loot enters administration May 22, 2019 Loot, the digital current account for students, has called in administrators after it was unable to secure funding following the collapse of a potential sale to the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). RBS owned a 25 per cent stake in the fintech firm through Natwest’s digital bank Bo, which is currently under development and invested [...]
Banking unicorn N26 rapped by German regulator in money laundering probe May 22, 2019 Digital banking startup N26 has been ordered by the German banking regulator to step up its anti-money laundering policies, after a probe found the fintech firm was deficient in several areas. Bafin said today it has issued an order against N26 to "take appropriate internal safety measures" in order to comply with rules on customer due [...]
EE and Vodafone ditch Huawei devices from summer 5G rollout May 22, 2019 EE and Vodafone have both blocked Huawei handsets from their 5G launches this summer, the telcos confirmed today, as the fallout from US accusations of spying turned radioactive. Read more: EE will be the first UK provider to offer 5G later this month They had announced the launch of Huawei’s Mate 20 X 5G smartphone when [...]
Apple vows to be more open about iPhone performance after consumer law concerns May 22, 2019 Apple has pledged to be more transparent about the battery health and performance of its iPhones, the competition watchdog said today. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the US tech firm has vowed to be “clearer and more upfront” with iPhone users following concerns it might be breaching consumer law. Read more: Former Apple [...]
