COVID-19 Business News

Tablet showing graphs, technology, fintech

Fintech funding key to keeping SMEs strong after end of loans

ONE OF Europe’s largest business lenders says the fintech industry must be strengthened to support SMEs after the Bounce Back Loan scheme closes at...
shop door, open sign

A nation of shopkeepers? Entrepreneurs, more like!

ENTREPRENEURIAL Britain is a two-day initiative planned for 2021 and designed “to reignite the entrepreneurial spirit” of UK towns and cities. The outbreak of Covid-19...
Thomas Cook shop

Firm that snapped-up troubled Thomas Cook is facing job cuts

THE COMPANY that bought-up 2,000 defunct Thomas Cook shops last October has warned that almost 900 of its staff may lose their jobs. Hays Travel...
Treasure Chest

Fundraising innovation for charity shops during pandemic

BRITAIN’S charity shops are facing revenue losses of up to £28m for each month of lockdown, according to the Charity Retail Association. Vintage Cash Cow...
UN SDG9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG9: What a difference a president makes: Biden clears way for...

BV’s JASON AGNEW continues his series examining the background, implementation and ambitions of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals with SDG9 — Industry, Innovation and...
People meeting around table in office with biophilic design

Boutique offices are the new trend

By JOHN DROVER THE JLL Future of Work survey found that 75 percent of commercial real estate leaders believe that flexible working patterns are critical...
Stock Market Charts Coronavirus

Markets catch a cold as virus fears infect stock exchanges

THE Nikkei Index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange has taken a tumble over fears at the spread of coronavirus. The 4.5 percent slump — which...
Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, by Viktor Vasnetsov

A menace by any other name: the ‘equaliser’ that just isn’t

By William Roman COVID-19 and coronavirus are the most common names for it, but some sociologists and economists are tentatively hailing the virus as the...
coronavirus, masks

World Bank commits £9.4bn aid to help poor countries fight virus

THE WORLD Bank has committed $12bn (£9.4bn) to help developing countries cope with the spread of coronavirus. The aid package includes technical assistance as well...
US Federal Reserve building

Holdun Family Office finds serenity and growth amid pandemic chaos —...

Holdun’s uncorrelated Alternative Investment Funds provide shelter from the oscillations of the volatile equity market. MICHAEL O’CONNOR reports. THE FIRST half of 2020 has been...