Financial services

Will it be a hard or soft GDPR?

The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force in May 2018 and will bring with it onerous fines of 4% of the previous year’s turnover or €20 million, whichever is the greater, for non-compliance.

Changing Places: The growing opportunities for financial centres in Europe

How are globalisation and breath-taking advances in technology determining what happens to the EU’s highly attractive market?

Assets that offer real opportunities for investors (and PRs)

As much as Donald Trump’s public relations faux pas regarding Gold Star parents has dominated the headlines, we must hope that the real focus will be on the more serious issues…

This is (becoming) a woman’s world

In 1966 James Brown sang that this is a man’s world, but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl. Fast forward 50 years and we have 21 female leaders in charge across the world, either as President or Prime Minister of their countries, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, Erna Solberg of Norway…

Is cash still king in the capital?

After spending a few years living and working in financial services PR in the Middle East, several things have struck me upon my recent return to London.

‘Consolidation’ climbs up the corporate agenda

Evidence of consolidation in the UK financial services sector, as well as more broadly across Europe, has been on the rise steadily for the last 12 months, and according to a note from Numis on 10th June it’s set to move up the corporate agenda.

Solvency II-ish

  Did you hear it? The deafening boom of Solvency II being implemented on January 1 2016. Given the near 15-year-long build up and the various aborted implementation dates – not to mention the billions spent on compliance – the fact that Europe’s re/insurance industry finally got over the Solvency II line should have resulted…

Looking to the year ahead

  As the trains, tubes and buses start to fill up with returning workers; diets and ‘dry Januarys’ commence, once again our thoughts return to the world of work. Getting your brain back in to gear after a few day’s break always takes a day or two, (ahem…. ) Now that the series of team…

FCA Guidance – key pointers for social media & customer communications

UK companies in the financial services sector may have to take a step back and review their social media activity following the announcement of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules that regulate financial promotions on social media. The focus of the FCA is primarily to regulate the conduct of both retail and wholesale financial services…