Articles

While the four local Northern Ireland banks have printed money in an array of colours since 1929, the colour of money is now changing, not literally, but with the move towards green or sustainable finance. As Chancellor Rishi Sunak said recently, “the global financial system will be rewired for net zero”.

The past 18-months have seen business leaders dealing with challenges well beyond their usual remit. Handling remote teams, new working practices, employee anxiety and ever-evolving regulations have forced business leaders to consider and reassess their organisation’s culture and priorities, and how to achieve the best from, and for, their staff while emerging from a global pandemic.

Since the onset of COVID-19 we have all seen the shift in working patterns towards a hybrid model, forcing organisations worldwide to now advance their work from home revolution. The pandemic has brought in new working dynamics, forcing a global reconsideration of what it means to work, as well as when, and where, we do that work.

Under the EU’s fourth money laundering directive, the UK has committed to ensuring that there is a robust anti-money laundering and counter terrorist-financing regime. As part of that commitment the UK Government has pledged improved transparency about ownership of assets held in trusts.

It is vital that business owners have a good understanding of the M&A process when contemplating or negotiating a transaction to acquire or dispose of a business.

Businesses had to learn to react quickly to change during the pandemic, with many having to rethink how they worked, and move towards a digital world.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of the hybrid working model has had a tremendous impact on corporate culture, and has created a perfect opportunity for organisations to revisit their culture and ways of working.

With a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars planned in the UK from 2030, the rise in popularity of electric vehicles (EV) seems certain.

I noted with interest the report from Belfast Chamber over the past week that addresses the question of who is best placed to make the decisions that deliver the growth that will see the city become an even better place to live, work, visit and invest in.

Like me you may have heard of the term the ‘Great Resignation’ over the last few months. The phrase was coined in the US and describes the current mass exodus of employees from the workforce.

The world is facing a grave environmental challenge. Global carbon emissions reduced by only 8% in 2020 as a result of the global pandemic and we run the risk of more than reversing these gains as the world economy rebounds from the crisis in 2021/22.

It has been said that the failure of businesses over the course of the pandemic has largely been due to the fact that their business models were out of date, and that the pandemic has merely hastened their demise.

Andrew Webb: Appropriate skills essential to unlocking IT sector potential

When it comes to tax relief on capital expenditure, the devil is in the detail – not all types of expenditure are going to be eligible for tax relief in the same way. If your company is planning to make a capital investment, you may be considering whether to invest in brand new or second hand machinery, as well as asking the crucial question: how can I maximise tax relief?

It is safe to say that Covid-19 has changed the way in which we all live and work, but what the pandemic has also highlighted is the role that a Whistleblower may play in many of our lives, both in everyday business and personal matters.

The Finance Bill 2021 received early Royal Assent earlier this summer, bringing into force; the extended loss carry back legislation, the ‘super-deduction’ for capital allowances, the increased rate of Corporation Tax from April 2023 and other measures first announced in the March Budget.