The heating revolution is firing up February 15, 2019 There is a revolution happening. The way in which we own assets and pay for goods – unchanged for centuries – is being turned on its head. Ownership is waning and the heyday of pay-as-you-go services is coming to an end. We now overwhelmingly lease cars instead of buying them, pay for communications as a [...]
Data regulator pushes for a wider remit in tech giant audits February 14, 2019 Future regulation on the world’s biggest tech companies must include the UK’s data watchdog, information commissioner Elizabeth Denham said today. Speaking at the Institute for Government, Denham described MPs’ calls for regulation of tech giants as a “knee-jerk reaction” that, if excessive, could impinge on freedom of expression. Her comments came as platforms such as [...]
Amazon scraps plans for second headquarters in New York February 14, 2019 Amazon has abandoned plans to build its second headquarters in New York City, after facing strict opposition from both state and local politicians. The world's third-most valuable company had announced plans to split its second US headquarters, known as HQ2, across New York and Virginia in November last year. The move was expected to create [...]
UK software firm Micro Focus ‘back on track’ as revenue tops expectations February 14, 2019 London-listed software firm Micro Focus said sales had fallen less than expected last year, causing its share price to jump as much as 15 per cent. It reported a fall of 5.3 per cent revenue for the 18 months to the end of October, compared to earlier expectations of between six and nine per cent. [...]
Apple to resume selling older iPhone models in Germany after Qualcomm dispute February 14, 2019 Apple is to resume sales of its older iPhone models in Germany, but only with chips from Qualcomm as part of a long-running patent dispute. The tech giant had to pull some iPhone models out of the country last year in order to comply with a lawsuit won by Qualcomm, which argued Apple had infringed [...]
Angry Birds maker Rovio predicts bumper 2019 despite halved profits February 14, 2019 The maker of the mobile game Angry Birds said its profit halved over the most recent quarter, but expected a brighter future as the year goes on. Rovio reported adjusted profit of €5.3m (£4.7m) for the three months to the end of December, down from €10.5m in the same quarter a year earlier. This was despite [...]
Chinese fintech giant Ant Financial buys up UK currency exchange Worldfirst February 14, 2019 Ant Financial has agreed a deal to acquire UK currency exchange Worldfirst, solidifying the firm's presence outside of China. The deal comes after an attempt by Ant Financial to buy US remittances firm Moneygram was blocked by US regulators last year, citing national security concerns. Worldfirst was said to be valued at around $700m (£547.9m) and [...]
Bitcoin sceptic Jamie Dimon launches JP Morgan’s own cryptocurrency February 14, 2019 JP Morgan is to launch its own cryptocurrency in an unprecedented step for a major US bank. The bank is to trial its JPM Coin in the coming months, which will handle a tiny fraction of the $6 trillion (£4.7 trillion) in payments it moves around globally every day. Read more: The year crypto went [...]
Canadian tech hub One Eleven opens up first international campus in London February 14, 2019 Scale-up innovation hub One Eleven has made its first leap outside of Canada, landing in Shoreditch with a new space for London's tech firms. The North American hub's first international site is just off the City's Silicon Roundabout, a stone's throw from the former offices of the likes of Monzo and Starling Bank. One Eleven chief [...]
Peltarion, the AI startup used by Nasa, Ocado and Tesla, raises $20m February 14, 2019 Swedish artificial intelligence (AI) startup Peltarion is heading across the Atlantic after closing a $20m (£15.5m) funding round. The series A funding was led by Euclidean Capital, which has also backed the likes of popular DNA ancestry startup 23 And Me. Existing investors FAM, which is owned by Swedish investor family the Wallenbergs, and EQT Ventures also took [...]
