General News

March 12, 2024 @ 8:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Recruitment activity across the UK continued to weaken midway through the opening quarter of the year, according to the latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs survey, compiled by S&P Global. Ongoing economic uncertainty and hesitancy “to commit to new hires amid cost pressures… Read More

March 10, 2024 @ 1:03 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT), a digital bank and Fintech that offers consumers and businesses banking and payment solutions, this week announced the appointment of Melissa Douros as chief product officer. Douros will lead Green Dot’s product design and development team, with a focus on… Read More

March 9, 2024 @ 2:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Corporate venture capital-backed deals and dollars fall to multi-year lows as CVCs shield themselves from the volatile tech market, according to a report from CBInsights. CBInsights noted in its latest update that the corporate venture capital (CVC) market has constricted “amid corporate belt-tightening and subdued… Read More

March 8, 2024 @ 1:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PPRO, the local payments platform, has announced the appointment of three new senior leaders across legal and compliance: Selene Brett as Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer, Marc Kuzak as Legal Director, and Massimiliano Conte as Compliance Director. Through these new appointments, PPRO is bolstering… Read More

March 7, 2024 @ 2:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

As President Joe Biden prepares to deliver the State of the Union Address when he expected to tout the successes of Bidenomics,” the reality may be slightly different according to a recent survey the federal government is failing when it comes to supporting smaller firms…. Read More

March 7, 2024 @ 8:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fuel Ventures SEIS Fund says it was recently recognized as the UK’s best SEIS Investment Manager. Investments in the fund may qualify for 50% tax-relief potential. Fuel Ventures SEIS Fund has raised £187,306 from 59 investors (with 32 days left in the campaign at the… Read More

March 7, 2024 @ 8:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In the latest Spring Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced that, following a highly competitive bidding process, the British Business Bank intends to award “a total of £250m under the Long-Term Investment for Technology and Science initiative.” The Chancellor also announced “the… Read More

March 5, 2024 @ 11:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ESProfiler, the British cybersecurity start-up, announces a £2.8 million Seed round, led by Nauta Capital. This milestone builds on the momentum from angel investments received in 2023. Founded to tackle the inefficiencies in enterprise cybersecurity investments, ESProfiler is emerging as a key player in the… Read More

March 5, 2024 @ 7:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES), a global alternative investment manager, announced that funds managed by its Alternative Credit strategy have launched Ansley Park Capital, a newly-formed lending and specialty finance company “that delivers full spectrum, customized financing solutions for essential-use, large-ticket equipment.” Ansley Park’s management… Read More

March 4, 2024 @ 11:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Home buyers today need to make more than $106,000 to comfortably afford a home, a new Zillow (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) real estate market analysis finds. That is reportedly 80% more than in January 2020, showing how the math has changed in the real estate… Read More

March 4, 2024 @ 7:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Founder of Sibstar, which is a debit card and app for dementia patients and their families to safely manage their funds, has acquired £125,000 from Dragon’s Den investors Sara Davies and Deborah Maiden. The BBC reality series reportedly sees a number of budding entrepreneurs pitch… Read More

March 4, 2024 @ 7:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Businesses continued their positive start to the new year, Lloyds Bank’s latest Business Barometer has found. The Barometer – which measures businesses’ overall confidence “by assessing their trading prospects and optimism for the economy – found that while overall confidence dipped slightly to 42%, businesses… Read More

March 3, 2024 @ 8:34 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Despite the tightening of monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve, the banking sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries experienced sustained growth in lending during the second quarter of 2023, according to a recent report by Kamco Invest. This growth was largely driven… Read More

March 3, 2024 @ 7:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ClearBank, the enabler of secure accounts, real-time clearing and embedded banking for financial institutions, announced that Emma Hagan has been appointed CEO of ClearBank UK, and will take up the role following regulatory approval. Hagan brings a wealth of banking experience “to the role, having… Read More

March 2, 2024 @ 4:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Juniper Square, the provider of partnership enablement to the private funds industry, announced that Brandon Sedloff has been promoted to Chief Real Estate Officer. In this role, Sedloff will oversee “the continued growth of Juniper Square’s real estate vertical as the firm continues to expand… Read More

March 1, 2024 @ 1:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Research conducted by the British Business Bank reports that bank lending dropped in 2023, delivering an amount similar to 2016. At the same time, equity capital in smaller firms cratered to levels near those in 2020. When looking more closely at private equity financing, 2023… Read More

March 1, 2024 @ 9:11 am By JD Alois  |  

  Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) has published a new report that investigates trends in online capital formation under Reg CF (Regulation Crowdfunding). CCA was co-founded by the creators of the JOBS Act – the legislation that legalized investment crowdfunding. While the bill was signed into… Read More

March 1, 2024 @ 8:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is set to launch Qatar’s “first” venture capital (VC) Fund of Funds, a strategic investment program to foster innovation in Qatar. The Fund of Funds program will “invest more than USD 1 billion in international and regional venture capital funds.” The… Read More

February 29, 2024 @ 8:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The British Business Bank is launching its £400 million Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, unlocking additional funding to help smaller businesses in the Midlands prosper and thrive. The fund will drive sustainable economic growth “by supporting new and growing businesses across the whole of the… Read More

February 28, 2024 @ 4:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Recent PitchBook data shows that the journey from a first to a sophomore fund has never been so challenging. Historically, when we examine the period from 2006 to 2018, 63% of first-time managers had been able to secure a second fund, however, the present environment… Read More