Share Sounds

It seems the Square Mile is being hit by more so-called ransomware attacks than anywhere else in the UK. Ransomware is the digital equivalent of highway robbery. Precious company data is stolen or encrypted, and will not be returned in a readable form unless a ransom is paid. Data from specialists, Malwarebytes, found the City suffered 670% more such attacks than the next nearest area - Manchester. Chris Boyd, Malwarebytes’ intelligence analyst, told Share Radio’s Nigel Cassidy that ransomware attacks are nothing less than a modern day protection racket.

With six months to go to the French presidential election, an increasingly acrimonious campaign has become divided over the topic of Brexit. While the mainstream candidates bicker over how kindly the EU should treat the UK in the negotiations, the Front National leader Marine Le Pen continues to rise in the polls. Share Radio's Robert Van Egghen reports.

Consumer confidence has grown in parts of the UK, hitting five year highs post-Brexit. But the figures aren't clear cut as consumer sentiment is being weighed on by the mostly "remain voting" London staying pessimistic. Has Brexit negatively affected some areas of the country economically whilst favouring others? Share Radio's Matt Cox has been speaking to Julian Jessop, Chief Global Economist at Capital Economics.

New data indicates the UK's fashion sector has suffered its sharpest decline this year since the financial crisis. The report from research group Kantar Worldpanel shows sales in the market encompassing clothing, footwear and accessories has fallen for four consecutive months. So why the steep decline, and will the situation improve as we move into the Christmas period? Matt Cox has been speaking to Glen Tooke, Consumer Insight Director at Kantar Worldpanel, to find out.

Gadgets and Gizmos with Share Radio's technology editor Steve Caplin.

Crowdfunders is our weekly look at what's hot and what's not in the crowdfunding and peer-to-peer space, examining the latest news and developments in the fast growing world of alternative finance. Your host is Ed Bowsher, and on today's show he'll be focusing on peer-to-peer lending: LendingWorks has gotten the thumbs up for the Innovative Finance ISA, Ed gets the latest from Ratesetter, and James Hurley of The Times discusses former FSA boss Adair Turner's change of mind. Want more alternative finance? Find past episodes at the Crowdfunders audioBoom page: https://audioboom.com/channel/shareradio-crowdfunders Enjoyed Crowdfunders? You might also like the Investment Trust Show, Share Radio’s examination of the world of investment trusts: https://audioboom.com/channel/shareradio-investmenttrustshow

Ed Bowsher is joined by Hannah Maundrell, editor of money.co.uk. Today they discuss the latest figures for retail spending as well as looking at a new government scheme to safeguard members of failed pension funds. Plus why parents are increasingly struggling to put aside savings for their children. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Social media app Snapchat could soon be publicly owned, with the initial public offering set to value the company at £20.5 billion. It comes after its owner Snap Inc. reportedly settled on Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to underwrite the IPO, which is being referred to as a 'mega-unicorn', a term reserved for any companies valued at over $10 billion. Share Radio's Joe Aldridge spoke to Tech Consultant Chris Green about the company's plan.

A new research from Palo Alto Networks highlighted that 51% of IT security professionals find it difficult to communicate with senior management around security incidents. Greg Day, VP & Chief Security Officer at EMEA, Palo Alto Networks, discusses this issue.

The joined $100 billion technology investment fund between Saudi Arabia's top sovereign wealth fund and Japan's SoftBank Group has the potential to change the investment landscape. The new London-based fund could at current levels account for roughly a fifth of all such global venture capital investment. Seijiro Takeshita, Professor of Management and Information at University of Shizuoka, Japan, discusses the plan.