Wise, the fintech company previously known as TransferWise, has announced its intention to go public in London through a landmark direct listing. Kristo Käärmann, co-founder and chief executive, said a direct listing “allows us a cheaper and more transparent way to broaden Wise’s ownership” than a traditional stock market launch. It does not involve raising…
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In previous parts of this series, increased usage of algorithmic underwriting in complex risks and prevalence of integrated workbenches in life insurance were discussed, as ways in which traditional underwriting was modernizing. In this final part, the use of third party, alternative data in auto insurance underwriting is the focus. A recent Deloitte study found,…
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David Hall and Brad Culkin are inventors, longtime colleagues and brothers-in-law. But after a Spac deal and a boardroom bust-up at their company, Velodyne Lidar, they are now, in the words of Hall, locked in a “fight to the death”. Hall, who founded the 3D sensor business, was ousted as chair earlier this year but…
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The writer is senior adviser to the chief executive of UBS and was previously a senior adviser to former Bank of England governor Mark Carney The world’s central banks are going green. At a recent “Green Swan” conference for regulators, the world’s top central bankers agreed they had a clear role to play in tackling…
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Algorithmic advances have spurred quantum leaps in myriad human endeavours — including medical devices, models for climate change, financial trading systems, GPS mapping, even online dating. But while these algorithmic forces impact our daily lives in beneficial ways, they are often inaccessible and mysterious to the average citizen. In driving our social media platforms, feeding…
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With their need for both technical expertise and legal skills, patent law firms understand the challenges of securing the right talent. Pandemic-induced remote working, as well as the emergence of new fields of innovation such as artificial intelligence, have increased the difficulties in acquiring and developing the most able patent attorneys. “There is only a…
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Since 1474, when Venice granted what is thought to be the first modern patent — for glass-blowing — intellectual property lawyers have been at the forefront of commercial innovation. But, despite advising companies on how to safeguard their IP, patent law firms themselves lag behind in use of new technologies. Ryan O’Leary, a legal technology…
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When Huawei lost a legal challenge at the UK’s highest court last year, over the licensing of patented technology, lawyers predicted that the landmark ruling would cement London’s place as a global centre for such disputes. The UK’s Supreme Court ruled against the Chinese telecoms group and concluded that English courts were an appropriate forum…
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Europe’s more liberal approach to biosimilar drug patents is continuing to give it an edge over the US in producing lower cost medicines — despite moves by Washington to ease market access for generic manufacturers. US healthcare costs are significantly higher than Europe’s — the $11,000 spent per American in 2019 is more than double…
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The German pharmaceutical company CureVac revealed disappointing results from trials of its mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, damping hopes that the jab could help meet the global need for effective inoculations. CureVac on Wednesday said its jab was 47 per cent effective at protecting against coronavirus in an interim analysis of its late-stage trials, making it one…
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