Brexit

I’ve avoided any commentary on Brexit in recent times, as it seemed to be going nowhere. Finally, just ten days before deadline, the House of Commons voted that a deal could be done … just not in the deadline given. So, it now looks like 31st January, 2020. Maybe. The whole thing is a mess,…

I just chaired a nice session at the Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS) focused upon the future of UK FinTech. For some reason, the question they asked us to focus upon was: What is holding the UK back in the global investment landscape? I didn’t really understand why we would debate that topic, as the…

Another key theme of the weekend conference was Brexit, best summed up by one panellist as a decision made by a confused population about an issue their politicians can’t agree with, don’t want to implement and has no support. As a result, Theresa May is trying to keep the Conservative Party together; please the European Union;…

Watching the debacle of the #Brexit debate in Britain, you might think that the UK is in a national meltdown. According to a survey on the front of Metro this week, 9 out of 10 Brits think that the political handling of Brexit is a national humiliation. I must admit that, watching this from the…

Being British with a British accent, everyone asks me about what life will be like with Brexit … and my answer is that I have no idea. I can see that the country is divided, and we have real issues, but then don’t most countries? I can also see that the government is completely divided…

I was wracking my brains trying to write something interesting about the Brexit farce, when I noticed that my good friend Bob Lyddon had done it for me. Enjoy! UK headmistress threatens to close tuck shop The UK’s headmistress, Theresa May, has issued a chilling warning to the 650 members of her House of Prefects…

There’s more and more dialogue about a no-deal Brexit these days, even though Jean-Claude Junker and Michel Barnier are clearly trying to avoid it as they have said a deal is now 85% agreed. It’s just not the Chequers deal. Whether a deal is agreed or not with the EU, the challenge is then to…

There was a big hoo-haa last week when UK Gov released their analysis of a no-deal Brexit. A no-deal Brexit is if we reach 29th March 2019, two years after triggering the exit process and an effective D-Day, without agreeing terms between UK Gov and the European Union. The research released was in the form…

I cannot post a 222-page PDF from the US Government on FinTech and competition without also posting a 136-page PDF from the European Parliament on FinTech and competition. Also released last week, this is a report prepared by the policy department of the European Parliament at the request of the ECON Committee. The EU document has a…

It was interesting reading as the UK issued its Brexit plan last Thursday. A 98-page white paper outlines the details of what Britain is asking for in leaving the European Union. Most of it is unworkable, but then Brexit itself is likely unworkable. After all, no MPs can agree what they want out of Brexit;…