Could a central bank digital currency halt the privatisation of our money?
16 November, 2018November 2018 Over the past few days top policymakers from the IMF, ECB and Bank of England have addressed the prospect of a central bank digital currency. Here’s why it matters. Though Brexit has dominated most of the headlines this week, momentum has been gaining on another question which could have profound consequences for the [...]
“A dishonest Budget”: Positive Money Budget response
29 October, 2018Responding to today's Budget statement, Fran Boait, executive director of Positive Money said: “Today’s Budget is simply a dishonest Budget. Not only has the Chancellor failed to deliver on the end of austerity promised by his government, but he’s also continued to be dishonest about the necessity of austerity in the first place. “Beyond [...]
RBS Q3 results: Positive Money response
26 October, 2018Responding to RBS’ 2018 Q3 results which saw a 14% rise in pre-tax profits, Fran Boait, executive director of Positive Money said: “Another boost in profits is another reminder of the cost of the RBS sell-off. The government selling off its majority stake at a loss soon after the bank turns profitable would be another [...]
Campaigners hand RBS giant card to mark tenth anniversary of bailout
12 October, 2018London, UK, 12 October 2018 - Research and campaign group Positive Money have this morning delivered a ‘birthday’ card to RBS admonishing the bank for its failure to change in the decade since it was bailed out by the UK government. Positive Money campaigners handed the A0 (0.841 x 1.189 m) card to an RBS branch in Angel, [...]
Average UK household lost at least £23,000 in decade since financial crash
13 September, 201810 Years On campaign launches tool allowing public to calculate how much they’ve lost out since 2008 crash Analysis comes ahead of rally outside the Bank of England on 10th anniversary of Lehman Brothers collapse, with speakers including John McDonnell MP London, UK, 13 September 2018 - The 10 Years On campaign has today [...]
10 Years On: why has so little changed since the financial crash?
4 September, 2018As the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers approaches, the Financial Times’ chief economics commentator, Martin Wolf, argues that politicians and policymakers have simply tried to restore things to the past, instead of taking the opportunity to build a better future. As Wolf suggests in his latest piece, the problem isn’t an absence [...]
Polling: 10 years after the financial crisis, the British public still don’t trust banks
16 August, 201866% of Britons don’t trust banks to work in the best interests of UK society 72% believe banks should have faced more severe penalties for their role in the financial crisis 63% are worried that banks may cause another financial crisis London, UK, 16 August 2018 - New polling from research and campaign group [...]
Bank of England raises interest rates: Positive Money response
2 August, 2018Responding to the Bank of England's decision to raise interest rates to 0.75%, Fran Boait, executive director of Positive Money said: “With little evidence of domestic inflationary pressure, the Bank of England has today taken an unnecessary risk in raising interest rates while the economy remains weak. “Though the Bank of England does need to [...]
Bank of England household debt fears: Positive Money response
28 June, 2018Responding to Bank of England deputy governor Jon Cunliffe's warnings about household debt this morning, Fran Boait, executive director of Positive Money said: “After a decade of stagnant wage growth, families have been forced to keep up with rising costs with borrowing. This mountain of debt makes the economy extremely vulnerable to rising interest rates, [...]