How London became the dirty money capital of the world

Russian oligarchs and companies have been investing in London for two decades, encouraged by British politicians of all stripes, but critics say the 'London laundromat' cleans dirty money from Russia and across the globe. 

The FT examines why it took Russia's invasion of Ukraine to put the issue in the spotlight and whether new sanctions and measures to tackle the problem go far enough.

The IPO is dead! Here comes the SPAC!

Are SPACs a useful innovation, a mania, or both? The SPAC boom in part reflects a rebellion by Silicon Valley types, who have long grumbled about having to go through an IPO.

Silicon Valley has thrived by inventing new ways of doing things, from searching for information to contacting friends. So it may come as no surprise that the Valley is eagerly embracing another sort of disruption: special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), as an alternative to the conventional initial public offering (IPO) for startups.

Here is a selection of articles from The Economist on the SPAC.

• The Spectacular boom on Wall Street
• Why SPACs are Wall Street’s latest craze
• What the SPAC craze means for tech investing
• Amsterdam’s financial center gains an edge over continental rivals

Brexit and the City - How Brexit is affecting London’ position and status

The fortunes of financial centers may swing less wildly than the markets they host, but swing they do. Brexit has robbed the City of London, the capital’s financial district, of much of its swagger. World-conquering ambition has given way to anxious defensiveness.

When the post-Brexit transition period ends and Britain leaves the single market on December 31st, British-registered financial firms will lose the “passporting” rights that have long allowed them to sell funds, debt, advice or insurance to clients across the EU unimpeded, as if they were domestic.

Read the full article HERE

Thriving in a hyper-connected world

Chris Jameson, Head of FI Sales, EMEA, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, speaks about the top topics set for this year's Sibos in London, EBADay and the topic of virtual account management, whether FIs are delivering benefits to their clients with this technology and how banks can unlock data to drive value to their clients.

Finextra & IBM: The social impact of AI

Michael Conway, IBM, speaks at NextGen Banking London about how the industry is responding to the application of AI, whether there are any ethical concerns we need to consider going forward, where the greatest need to use AI is and what social impact it will have in the future.

 

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) training

Discover how to design and implement an effective Enterprise Risk Management system. Join Ethan Hathaway for either the On-line Distance learning session OR the In-Person courses – details and dates below.

Online, Distance Learning Blended Sessions for this course are being held between the following dates -

9 January - 28 February 2017
3 April - 31 May 2017
3 July - 31 August 2017

In Person 2-day Training Course

22/23 May 2017 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
13/14 July 2017 - London

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS>>