Latest London Headlines

All the headlines from our London Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Metals Financing Fraud Lawsuits Reveal Risks of Relying on Paper Receipts

Jan 28 2019 // When the man running one of London’s biggest metals brokerages found a new client who wanted to finance large volumes of nickel held in warehouses in Asia, he thought the deal promised major rewards. Less than a year...

BHSI Expands into UK-Ireland Property Construction, Taps Scor’s Seamer to Lead Team

Jan 18 2019 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced it is expanding into the property construction insurance market in the UK and Ireland and has appointed Simeon Seamer to lead the effort as head of Property...

Guy Carpenter Forms New Division, Makes Post-JLT Merger Leadership Appointments

Jan 17 2019 // Reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter & Co. announced the formation of a new Global Capital Solutions Group as well as a series of leadership appointments that will become effective upon the closing of the acquisition of...

Brexit Update: City of London Prepares for Worst, Hopes for Best

Jan 17 2019 // Dismay, confusion, relief — and hope.The City of London had a range of reactions to the U.K. Parliament’s overwhelming rejection Tuesday night of Prime Minister Theresa May’s blueprint for quitting the...

Marsh Places 10,000-Plus Risks During 2018 via London’s Placing Platform (PPL)

Jan 14 2019 // Marsh announced it placed more than 10,000 risks in 2018 through Placing Platform Ltd. (PPL), the electronic insurance placement platform used by Lloyd’s, London market insurers, and brokers. Marsh has now bound more...

London’s Heathrow Briefly Halts Flights After Drone Sighting

Jan 8 2019 // The Heathrow airport was partially shut for more than an hour after drone sightings near runways raised safety concerns, the second time in a month a London airport had to suspend flights because of dangers from modern-day...

Dubai International Financial Centre Plans Massive Expansion Project

Jan 8 2019 // Dubai plans to triple the size of its financial district, adding an area almost the size of London’s Canary Wharf, even as the emirate faces slower growth and rising competition from neighboring banking hubs.The...

Brit Makes ‘Significant’ Investment in Toronto-Based MGU Sutton Special Risk

Jan 8 2019 // Brit Ltd., the London-based specialty insurer and reinsurer, announced it has made a significant strategic investment in Sutton Special Risk Inc. Financial details of the deal were not released.Toronto-based Sutton is a...

Ineffective Anti-Drone Systems Leave U.S. Airports Facing Risks Like London’s

Dec 27 2018 // U.S. airports may be just as vulnerable as London’s Gatwick airport to the kind of illegal drone incursions that shut down the U.K.’s second-busiest hub this week.Counter- drone technology performed so poorly...

Miller Completes Acquisition of London Re/Insurance Broker Alston Gayle

Dec 21 2018 // Insurance broker Miller Insurance Services LLP announced that following receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, it has completed its acquisition of Alston Gayler and Co. (AG).The transaction strengthens...

London’s Gatwick Airport Reopens After Drones Cause 36 Hours of Travel Chaos

Dec 21 2018 // London’s Gatwick Airport reopened on Friday after a saboteur wrought 36 hours of travel chaos for over a hundred thousand Christmas travelers by using drones to play cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the...

London’s Gatwick Airport Suspends Flights on Multiple Drone Sightings

Dec 20 2018 // London’s Gatwick airport is closed to aircraft following multiple sightings of illegal drones, disrupting flights for as many as 115,000 people on one of the busiest travel days of the year.Lines of passengers...

UK Fintech Startup Revolut Gets EU Banking License in Lithuania

Dec 13 2018 // Revolut, the London-based financial technology startup, has obtained a European banking license as Brexit looms, with plans to launch checking and savings accounts as well as retail and business lending.The Bank of...

Florida-Based Broker Coin Re Taps Barbican’s Crichton as EVP in London

Dec 12 2018 // Florida-based catastrophe reinsurance broker COIN Re has appointed global property reinsurance professional Andy Crichton as executive vice president, effective Dec. 7, 2018.Crichton will be based in London, England, where...

Brexit to Cause Irreversible Damage to UK Financial Services, Say Industry Leaders

Dec 12 2018 // Life in London’s financial district will appear little changed when Britain leaves the European Union on March 29, defying predictions of an exodus of high-flyers to rival centers like Paris, Frankfurt and Dublin.But...

WTW Taps Rowley from Brit, Harvey from Aon to Boost London P/C Arm

Dec 11 2018 // Willis Towers Watson has appointed Tom Rowley as senior vice president, North American Property, and named Matt Harvey as senior vice president, International Property. Both will sit within the Property & Casualty...

Draycott Named CEO of Ed Broking in Preparation for BGC Partners’ Purchase

Dec 10 2018 // Ed, the global reinsurance, wholesale and specialty broker, today announced the appointment of Andrew Draycott as CEO-designate of Ed Broking in London. His appointment is subject to regulatory approvals and he will take...

U.K. Food Delivery Service Riders Lose Employment Rights Bid

Dec 5 2018 // A trade union lost a U.K. court bid for the right to lobby Deliveroo over pay and conditions on behalf of the food-delivery service’s riders, in a rare setback for workers in the so-called gig economy.The Independent...

Verisk to Acquire London Market Pricing Software Firm Rulebook

Dec 3 2018 // U.S.-based data analytics firm Verisk has agreed to acquire Rulebook, a provider of business intelligence and software for the London Insurance Market.The purchase price is $87 million in cash, which Verisk said will be...

Brexit Deal Could Reduce UK Economy by 4% by 2030: Think Tank

Nov 27 2018 // The British government’s Brexit deal with Brussels is likely to mean Britain’s economy will be 3.9 percent smaller by 2030 than if it were to stay in the European Union, a leading think tank said on Monday.The...