A leading Scottish agency has scrapped its finance graduate scheme, prompting outrage among industry leaders.The Scottish Enterprise has cancelled its Graduate for Business (GfB) internship scheme, reports the Herald, which catered to around 250 graduates a year.About two-thirds of those graduates finished up being employed by the firms involved, and most of the remaining interns [...]

Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), has made a strong suggestion that interest rates could soon rise.In an interview with the Guardian today (January 13th), he said that it would be wrong to assume interest rates will stay at their historically low level of 0.5 per cent.The key [...]

Global recruitment firm Hays has reported a "modest" expansion in private sector recruitment, which is good news for those looking for places on finance graduate schemes.During the three months to December 31st 2009, private sector recruitment saw the employment landscape stabilise.Chief executive of Hays, Alistair Cox told the news provider: "Although specialist recruitment markets continue [...]

Global recruitment firm Hays has reported a "modest" expansion in private sector recruitment, which is good news for those looking for places on finance graduate schemes.During the three months to December 31st 2009, private sector recruitment saw the employment landscape stabilise.Chief executive of Hays, Alistair Cox told the news provider: "Although specialist recruitment markets continue [...]

The banking and financial services sector has helped lift London’s leading share index, the Times reports today (December 21st).Leading retail banks saw their shares rise, with both Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group up by more than 2 per cent, while Barclays shares rose by 1.7 per cent to 268.75p.Lloyds shares saw the [...]

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has described Britain as the "big losers" of the recent round of EU appointments as Frenchman Michel Barnier was given the finance brief.This could signal new tighter EU regulation of the banking and finance sector, which many fear could damage London’s status as a major financial centre.French ministers have pushed for [...]

Problems regarding the financial security of Dubai may have a negative impact on Banks in the UK and could affect finance graduate schemes.European bank shares took a hit today over these fears, with concern that banks may be exposed to debt problems in the Middle East.Today an investment company owned by the government of the [...]

The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) has written to the government requesting it to help solve a financial dispute in Saudi Arabia which is threatening the profits of UK banks.Two Saudi firms, Saad Group and Algosaibi are embroiled in a complex legal dispute and owe more than $20 billion (£12 billion) to more than a hundred [...]

The number of mortgages which were approved in October was up on the previous month, according to statistics from the British Bankers’ Association.Although only rising by a total of 165 from September, last month’s figure of 42,238 is almost double what it was a year ago in October 2008.The value of loans for house purchases [...]

New rules affecting bankers’ bonuses were announced in the Queen’s Speech as expected earlier today (November 18th).Ministers have pledged to introduce a Financial Services Bill which would enable the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to tear up bonus contracts deemed to encourage risk-taking.The regulator has also been given powers to seize assets of foreign banks to [...]