As the world's dependence on technology escalates, so too do the twin threats of fraud and cybercrime. And Brits, in particular, seem to be affected, especially so by the latter.

A study released this week by cybersecurity firm Norton revealed that cybercrime – including phishing, ransomware, online fraud and hacking - accounted for over £130bn in losses for consumers in 2017; with Britain's share amounting to a staggering £4.6bn, and around 17 million of the victims hailing from these shores.

It all started one rainy Sunday morning in a small Farringdon office back in January 2014. After nearly 18 months of blood, sweat and tears on the part of our CEO and CFO, the Lending Works dream became a reality. A back-of-the-envelope idea had evolved, and now officially launched as a living, breathing company.

The concept of retirement is one which many people believe is as old as the hills. Yet while there are glimmering traces of pensions being paid in the BC era (Augustus offered later-life funding to Roman soldiers), it is widely accepted that the pioneer of the pension was Otto von Bismarck. Better renowned for his military acumen, as German Chancellor he came up with the revolutionary idea of paying government pensions to disabled workers and older members of society back in 1881. The reason it was considered revolutionary was that, at the time, people simply did not retire.

The so-called ‘magic money tree’ was a hot topic of discussion in the build-up to June’s General Election. If politics isn’t for you, then the expression ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ may have more resonance. Either way, it implies that money cannot simply be created from thin air. 

Yet while this may be true at individual or household level, in reality money is created every day. And lots of it, too.

The keys to Number 11 Downing Street are much coveted in British politics, and the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer is one which grants the chosen individual a great deal of power in shaping the future of the UK economy. But, as the countdown to this year's Autumn Budget intensifies, one has to wonder: who on earth would want to be Philip Hammond right now?