COVID-19 Business News

Parties prohibited

It just had to happen: virtual office party coming your way

PUSH, a wellbeing and performance company, has announced an alternative to the traditional office party, with a very 2020 twist. After a year that has...
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...
Rishi Sunak, UK Chancellor

Second helping of aid for the UK’s self-employed

SELF-EMPLOYED people whose income has been hit by coronavirus can apply for a second support grant from the UK government. The first was launched in...
UK Government loan

Covid-19 loan schemes ‘a debt, not a grant’ cautions UK Finance

UK BUSINESSES are pessimistic about their growth potential once the COVID-19 crisis passes. A survey of 1,200 firms has found that the pandemic has negatively...
Lazy office worker

Slackers! Back to work! And switch off that Netflix series!

EIGHT out of 10 Brits are working from home, but it has come to light that not all of them have their noses to...
Zoom conference call on laptop

SMEs head online to counter lockdown — and find surprise benefits

SMALL UK businesses are moving the bulk of their services online as the sector takes tentative steps towards recovery. Small Business Britain and BT Skills...
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...
Spanish property market, €3m plus house

Dream is alive, but the landscape has changed for UK second-home...

The pandemic pain in Spain falls mainly on the lower end of the property market — but, as HAL WILLIAMS discovers, international second-home owners...
SBA Paycheck Protection Program

Covid relief programme ‘looted by fraudsters’

UNITED States prosecutors are investigating “the largest fraud in US history” — billions of taxpayer dollars for coronavirus aid stolen and used to buy...
An empty office

Covid hits workplace relationships — and productivity takes a knock

COVID-19’S impact on employer-employee relationships is hampering productivity, a report claims. MetLife UK found that 72 percent of employers and 62 percent of employees have...