Category: Articles

Carl Hasty, Director of international payment specialist SmartCurrencyBusiness.com, comments on finacial implications of UK elections.

Following a decision by the Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank (EIB), small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) across Europe should be able to benefit from the first funds from the new European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) before the summer.

Latest research from Bacs Payment Schemes Limited (Bacs) reveals that more than three quarters (76 per cent) of UK businesses are being forced to wait at least a month beyond their agreed contract terms before getting paid.

Nokia Labs Head of Operations Jarkko Pellikka, Ph.D says the Nordic region boasts some of the finest examples of process and operational excellence in the world today. He went on to say that while some industries might be lagging behind, it seems that the Nordic Region is toe-to-toe with the US and the rest of Europe when it comes to process excellence.

The CBI commented in advance of a speech due to be given today by Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband.

eDreams, the largest distributor of online flights in the world, has chosen Japan to continue its process of international expansion. Starting this January, the company, which is the largest online travel agency in Europe and the fifth-largest worldwide (as well as being Europe's largest e-commerce company) will offer flights from more than 440 aircraft operators, with over 150,000 different combinations and over 550,000 hotels in 40,000 destinations, plus car rentals, for Japanese travellers.

Thousands of people have started new businesses already this year. For anyone thinking of starting a new business, there are some questions you need to know the answer for before you get going.

According to data released today by Eurostat, GDP in the Eurozone grew by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter during Q4 2014, faster than expected. This means annual growth over 2014 was 0.9%.

The CBI has upgraded its growth prediction for 2015 in its latest economic forecast against a backdrop of lower oil prices and inflation.

With new Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM 2015) about to come into force, EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, is reminding manufacturers not to get caught out by thinking that 'construction' means just that.

Schroders Chief Economist, Keith Wade gives his view on the outlook for the US economy ahead of the release of retail sales and consumer confidence data later this week.

Mesirow Financial’s Chief Economist says a profound shift has occurred in American consumer confidence, as well as the ability to spend. After seeking shelter for years following the storm of the Great Recession, consumers of all income levels are finally equipped to step out into the sunshine.

Barclays and Techstars plan to launch their flagship Accelerator program in New York, following its resounding success in London; ten companies will have the chance to shape the future of financial services.

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group is pleased to announce that Philip Aiken will join the Board as non-executive Chairman with effect from 26 March 2015.

Lightning-fast growth in China's solar power industry is set to provide opportunities to UK businesses over the next five years, according to China market research firm CCM.

A new report from the BBA and KPMG looks at how to unlock more private finance to help fund the UK's infrastructure needs.

Six months after the SEC voted on reforms, money fund managers are beginning to take steps to comply with the new rules and position themselves to retain and attract clients. While clients continue to be patient and industry assets remain stable, fund managers are launching, closing, and merging funds, updating investment guidelines, and working through the operational aspects of reform.

Major power outages caused by extreme weather, along with the spread of distributed, renewable energy resources, have set the stage for regulatory reforms that are likely to enable both customer-owned microgrids and utility distribution microgrids (UDMs) to expand strongly in the next decade. According to Navigant Research, worldwide revenue from UDMs is expected to grow from $1.4 billion annually in 2014 to more than $3 billion in 2023.

Predictive modeling has notably increased in value across several areas of property & casualty (P&C) insurers’ business over the past six years, according to global professional services company Towers Watson’s annual Predictive Modeling Survey.

Barclays' Fast Growth Tech survey, which questioned owners and CEOs of UK tech firms, has revealed that many of the industry's bright lights are feeling confident about delivering a stellar year of growth in 2015.

Experian, the global information services group, published the findings of its “Dawn of the Chief Data Officer (CDO)” survey, confirming that an increasing number of organisations are waking up to the strategic value of data.

The UK trade deficit widened in December 2014 to £2.9 billion, up from the £1.8 billion recorded in November. These figures released by the ONS today show that the trade deficit for 2014 as a whole was the largest since 2010, as any sign of a trade-led recovery remains elusive for now.

Commenting on the Public Accounts Committee's forthcoming report on the role of large accountancy firms in tax avoidance, Mark Littlewood, Director-General at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

As we approach the 2015 UK General Election, issue no. 231 of the National Institute Economic Review is a Special Issue assessing “the Economic Record of the Coalition Government”.

Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield's catastrophe model development team, launches latest edition of its monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which evaluates the impact of the natural disaster events that occurred worldwide during January 2015.

The British Bankers Association has submitted its response to the Bank of England and HMT consultation on the Fair and Effective Markets Review on behalf of the banking industry in the UK.

Clifford Chance announced today the recruitment of partner Gianluca Bacchiocchi to its banking and finance practice in the Americas. One of the most respected legal advisers for project finance matters in Latin America, Bacchiocchi's arrival bolsters Clifford Chance's market-leading projects and infrastructure practice and enables the Firm to provide even greater support to clients in the region.

Carl Hasty, Director of SmartCurrencyBusiness.com, gives his advice for UK businesses.

Now Pensions give their advice for small businesses.

Britain's biggest union, Unite is urging MSPs to help end the scandal of umbrella companies in the construction industry by backing MSP Neil Findlay's motion in a debate in the Scottish parliament on Wednesday 4 February.

Vietnamese GDP rose from VND1.3 quadrillion (US$73.6 billion) in 2009 to VND1.9 quadrillion (US$92.3 billion) in 2013, at a review-period (2009-2013) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%, placing it as one of the fastest-growing economies in the South East Asian region.

Skanska UK has in a joint venture with Balfour Beatty and MWH Treatment been awarded a contract as part of Thames Water’s eight20 alliance to deliver essential improvements to the company’s network over the next five years.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW saw the most significant spikes in traffic on Edmunds.com after their ads ran during Super Bowl XLIX, according to a real-time analysis by the car shopping website.

Oil & Gas UK's Business Sentiment Index reveals that in the fourth quarter of 2014 optimism in the oil and gas industry fell dramatically, dropping 16 points to -23 points on a -50/+50 scale.

The 10 year gilt rate has fallen to a historic low of 1.4%, meaning that if you want to lend money to the UK government for 10 years, you can now get a return of 1.4% a year.

Global growth consulting firm recognizes Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) with the 2014 EMEA Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award.