Tag: #finance

Ursula von der Leyen confirmed to attend 48th annual Business & Finance Awards

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has, this afternoon, been announced as the special guest for the 48th annual Business & Finance Awards. The event will take place at the Convention Centre in Dublin on Thursday, December 1st, and is expected to see more than 1,000 business, political and social leaders attend.

President Von Der Leyen, who has served as the Commission President since 2019, will travel to Ireland to accept the Sutherland Leadership Award. The accolade marks the 50th anniversary of Ireland joining the European Union, and recognises the EU’s contribution to the country across the last five decades.

Since its inception in 1974, the Business & Finance Awards Programme has honoured and hosted some of the most outstanding political and social leaders. This year, notable guests include:

  • An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin

  • Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness

  • Former Irish President, Mary Robinson

  • Former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny

  • Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko

The Sutherland Leadership Award was established in 2018 with the support of the Sutherland Family to recognise outstanding international leaders who have embodied the values of one of Ireland’s and Europe’s finest leaders, Peter Sutherland. Since its inception, The Sutherland Leadership Award has recognised Henry (Hank) Paulson, 74th US Secretary of the Treasury & Founder of the Paulson Institute; José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission; and Mario Draghi ,former President of the European Central Bank and Prime Minister of Italy.

Established in 1974, the Business & Finance Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious business awards programme in Ireland and is an important recognition platform for the Irish business community. The event serves to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in innovation, growth and scale of individual business leaders and their teams.

Now in its 48th year, the prestigious event will also see the winners announced across six categories – Company of the Year; Business Person of the Year; Diversity, Equality & Inclusion; ESG; Elevation; and FDI of the Year.

Revolut tops 25 million retail customers as global expansion continues

Revolut, the global financial super app, has surpassed 25 million retail customers worldwide, and is now processing over 330 million transactions a month. The company celebrates the milestone as it continues its global expansion into several new markets.

Launched in the UK in 2015, Revolut offers money transfer and exchange. Today, over 25 million of its retail customers around the world use dozens of innovative Revolut products including peer-to-peer payments, Saving Vaults, <18 accounts, Stays for holiday booking, and Trading.

Revolut has expanded its presence further in the US this year, where it has over half a million retail users and now employs over 150 people in North America. On top of that, Revolut is expanding into several new markets across LATAM, Asia and the Middle East. In the last year, Revolut has achieved the following:

  1. India – Appointment of Paroma Chatterjee as CEO, Arjun Mehta as CFO and Saleem Arshad as CTO. We have built a team of 400+ employees in India and intend to launch the Revolut app in India soon.

  2. Mexico – Appointment of Juan Miguel Guerra as CEO. Expanding our workforce in the country, with plans to employ more than 250 new positions by 2025 between Mexico and Brazil

  3. Brazil – Appointment of Glauber Mota as CEO of Brazil and Felipe Lachowski, Brazil Head of Strategy & Operations

  4. New Zealand – The company is set to launch in New Zealand in the next few months, to complement its existing operations in Australia

Revolut is also launching a streamlined version of its app, ‘Revolut Lite’ in several countries across Latin America, South East Asia and the Middle East in coming months. Lite users will be able to transfer money cross-border instantly and for free.

Customer growth is also accelerating for Revolut Business. More than 2,000 new active businesses are now joining Revolut Business every week, the fastest ever rate.

Launched in 2017, Revolut Business has developed more than 20 products designed to empower businesses looking to more effectively manage finances and has processed more than £110bn in transactions for its business customers to date.

Nikolay Storonsky, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Revolut’s growth continues at pace. We have continued to build out our unique product offering across the globe, expanding into new markets with new customers. Topping 25 million customers in just over seven years is a fantastic achievement for the company. We can’t wait to bring our product to many more in the weeks and months ahead.”

 

André Silva, Head of International Expansion, commented: “Our mission is to unlock the power of a borderless economy, for everyone, by bringing the world’s first financial super app to all corners of the globe. This year we have made important steps in achieving this, building our teams on the ground in India, Mexico and Brazil.

 

We are planning our next exciting launch, New Zealand, a country we have been hoping to bring Revolut to for some time, and we look forward to announcing more in the near future.”

Revolut challenger Atlantic Money launches in Ireland

New international money transfer provider, Atlantic Money, today announces its official launch in Ireland, continuing its expansion in Europe after Belgium and Germany. For the first time, consumers in Ireland can make international money transfers for a fixed fee of €3 at the current exchange rate for transfers up to €100,000. The low-cost transfers can be made via the Atlantic Money iOS App.

The firm, co-founded by Patrick Kavanagh and Neeraj Baid, early employees at trading giant Robinhood, drastically undercuts established providers, such as PayPal, Revolut and Wise. For example, someone sending €3,500 to GBP would see at least 75% savings, with larger transfers up to 99% cheaper. Despite the cost of sending money internationally being largely fixed per transaction, these providers have a variable pricing model meaning the more you send, the more you pay.

Atlantic Money is particularly cost-effective for people that regularly transfer large amounts abroad such as Ireland’s estimated 30,000 cross-border workers, its growing immigrant population and residents with overseas commitments such as tuition fees, holiday homes and credit cards.

Atlantic Money’s app is the most simple, slick and cost-effective way of moving money across borders. Users simply download the app, go through a one-minute verification process, and can immediately begin transferring money. They can select standard delivery or opt for express delivery for a small additional fee of 0.05% – a €1,000 express transfer costs just €3.05.

Customers can send money from Ireland in EUR into eight currencies including USD, GDP, AUD, CAD, SEK, NOK, DKK, and PLN, with new currency corridors and advanced product features being added continuously post-launch.

Patrick Kavanagh, co-founder of Atlantic Money, said:

“The first generation of cross-border payment fintechs did a great job initially, but their flexible pricing models penalise people that have to send significant amounts of money abroad regularly and they’ve lost focus in their quest to build the next superapp. We are disassembling this approach by being laser-focused on doing one thing better than anyone else – getting people’s money from one currency and country to another, as efficiently as possible. We are grateful to our current and new investors for their continued support and excited to provide consumers in Ireland with a best-in-class customer experience and unmatched cost savings.”

Neeraj Baid, co-founder of Atlantic Money, said:

“We are already seeing some fascinating use cases and delivering substantial cost savings for our customers. For example, one of our customers transferred €100,000 to GBP which arrived in minutes for the price of €3.05, a 99% saving compared to Wise or Revolut.”

Atlantic Money was founded in 2021 and has been operating in the UK since March 2022, where it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In June, the company received its official EU licence from the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), the first company to do so in a year, and will soon launch in other European countries besides Germany and Belgium.

Atlantic Money is backed by investors Amplo, Ribbit, Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Elefund, 20VC, Day One Ventures and the founders of Robinhood, who invested a total of USD 7.5 million in the seed funding round.

Atlantic Money is currently available as an iOS app. Android will follow in the coming weeks.

Trade Republic – Europe’s largest savings platform launches in Ireland

Trade Republic, the largest savings platform in Europe, today launches its services in the Republic of Ireland. Residents of Ireland can now use the Trade Republic app or website to jump-start their wealth creation journeys with secure, easy and commission-free access to capital markets. Trade Republic’s core product, ETFs and stock savings plans, will help the Irish to save up for retirement and with lower risk.

In Ireland, the average household currently saves 20 percent of their income, most of which sits idly in bank accounts. On top of that, residents of Ireland are still facing high brokerage fees or are getting offered difficult to understand investment products. Trade Republic has set out to change that.

Since 2015, the company has built a financial offering from scratch with an easy-to-use product everybody can afford, so everyone can start putting their money to work. Trade Republic does not charge its customers any order commission, there is just one euro of external fees to cover clearing and settlement, regardless of the size of the order. Savings plans for stocks and ETFs are offered completely free of charge.

Irish customers have access to a total of over 8,000 Irish, European, Asian and US stocks and 1,100 ETFs, real-time data, price alerts, a wide range of different order types and extended trading hours, from 7:30am to 11:00pm. Savings plans, with which users can automate investing in the stock markets, are available for over 3,600 stocks and ETFs.

“Inflation in the eurozone has risen sharply – this should be a wake-up call for all Europeans,” says Christian Hecker, Co-Founder of Trade Republic. “All Europeans need to have access to capital markets to start fueling long-term investing, participate in economic growth and ultimately save-up for retirement. We built Trade Republic to enable them to do exactly that, and have now opened our doors to a total of seventeen markets, so Europeans everywhere can finally take their personal finances into their own hands.”

With inflation being at almost nine percent in Ireland, there really is no alternative to investing,” says Hugo Suidgeest, Country Manager of Trade Republic in Ireland. “Everyone who leaves their money just sitting in their bank account will lose purchasing power year over year, and the state pension – even if you work until 70 years of age – will probably not be enough to keep up your lifestyle.”

The Trade Republic account can be opened in the app as well as on the desktop in just a few minutes and is possible for adult users who are both fiscally and physically resident in Ireland with a smartphone (with iOS or Android operating system), a European telephone number and a SEPA bank account.

To change the financial system, Trade Republic has built a financial offering from scratch since 2015, with an easy-to-use product everybody can afford. With more than €1.3bn in venture capital investments by Sequoia, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund or most recently Ontario Teachers’, Trade Republic will continue to strongly invest into further growth, to expand its offering and launch new products to empower all Europeans to create wealth. Trade Republic is combining the security needs of a highly regulated environment such as the financial industry with the flexibility and customer centricity of a high-tech platform. Besides Ireland, Trade Republic is today also expanding its services to Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia. The company is now present in a total of 17 European countries, reaching 340 million people.

Revolut launches a savvier way to shop with 3% cashback for customers in Ireland

Revolut, the global financial superapp with more than 20 million customers worldwide, and more than two million in Ireland, launches a savvier way to shop where customers earn cashback from their favourite retailers.

The new service, ‘Shops’, lets users search and browse products from more than one thousand leading brands. These include local favourites ranging from Smyths Toys and Woodies to Arnotts and Brown Thomas; international retailers like Ikea, Amazon, JD Sports, Harvey Norman and TK Maxx; and big brands’ online stores, including Nike, Adidas and a range of luxury fashion houses. The full list of more than 1,000 brands is available in the app.

Regardless of the Revolut plan a customer is on, Revolut Shops rewards users with 3% instant cashback for every purchase, as long as they start their shopping journey from the Revolut app and pay with their Revolut card in full.

Cashback is automatically applied at checkout, so customers will never miss the opportunity to save money again. Unlike other products which can take up to 90 days to give cashback to customers, Revolut Shops sends the cashback instantly. Whether it’s your Christmas shopping, a new fridge, trainers, or a birthday gift, customers can see hundreds of retailers they can shop with and get universal 3% cashback on all purchases with these retailers.

There are no restrictions on getting cashback from purchasing products in a sale, meaning Revolut Shops offers cashback on top of any other savings – including promo codes and sale discounts.

Christopher Guttridge, General Manager of Lifestyle Products at Revolut, said: “We’re delighted to add Shops to our superapp, giving over two million Revolut customers in Ireland the opportunity to get more of what they love.

We’re proud to offer instant cashback, unlike other providers which can take up to three months. As the cost of living rises, we are delivering ongoing product innovations aimed at meeting our customers’ everyday financial needs and aspirations, whilst giving them more financial control. Shops helps our customers get the most out of every penny with cashback rewards, or helps them spread the cost of purchases for more expensive periods of the year, such as the Christmas holidays.”

In Shops, users also have an option to split their payment using ‘Pay Later’, the first pay later product in Ireland that uses an approved credit limit, designed to focus on affordability. Pay Later is a way to purchase product(s) in which the customer takes possession of the merchandise on payment of a first instalment and completes the payment by paying two further instalments. Qualified customers can use Pay Later for purchases up to a maximum of €499, with any of their Revolut cards, including when paying with a Revolut Disposable Virtual Card, which provides an extra layer of security for online transactions.

Customers making a purchase on Revolut Shops using Pay Later can use the payment method, but will not get 3% cashback. If a customer would like to repay the instalments early, there are no additional fees to do so.

To start shopping, existing customers can open Shops in the Revolut app. New customers can first download the Revolut app on their smartphones on Google Play or Apple Store and sign up to immediately access Revolut Shops.

Digital money management service Mi 365 rolled out to Bank of Ireland customers

Bank of Ireland has introduced a new digital money management service – Money Insights 365 (Mi 365) – for all personal customers. Available on the Bank of Ireland mobile app, Mi 365 helps customers take more control of their money by providing them with over 40 insights into their spending.

Mi 365 allows Bank of Ireland personal customers to:

  • Access personalised insights on their spending, including average monthly spend with particular retailers
  • Easily track money in and out, including unexpected payments or refunds
  • Review cash flow spend data on their account for up to six months
  • Spot changes in spending they might need to keep an eye on, for example on groceries, clothing or entertainment

Mi 365 will also show where customers may have duplicate transactions leaving their account – such as similar online subscriptions – highlighting where a saving could be made. The introduction of Mi 365 is one of a range of measures the Bank has taken to help customers understand and manage day-to-day spending, as part of the Bank’s commitment to support and enhance customer financial wellbeing.

Susan Russell, Director of Retail Ireland, Bank of Ireland said: “Research shows that almost 70% of adults need help with tracking spending. Mi 365 responds to this by providing insights, alerts and interventions so that we can manage our money better.

 “It can be hard to find the time to track your spending day-in day-out. Mi 365 does a lot of the heavy lifting by presenting customers with a range of individual spending insights. The service is a core part of our mobile banking app which has more than 800,000 log-ins every day, making it the most popular way for our customers to manage their money. 

 “This is another practical addition to the financial wellbeing supports we offer over 2 million customers in Ireland. We look forward to continuing to expand these supports into the future.”

Mi 365 Insights appears automatically under the customer account information on the home page of the Bank of Ireland app.  A carousel is presented with the three latest insights and an insight inbox retains all previously shown insights for 35 days.  Personal customers can view insights drawn from their current account, joint current account, and credit card account activity.

For information on Bank of Ireland’s financial wellbeing resources: Bank of Ireland Financial Wellbeing

Getting paid in Cryptos? How it will be taxed and how to manage risks

Companies in the US are becoming more alert about increasing the headcount in their firm. It is due to the illusion of recession taking shape. Yet as the work is still required to get completed, over 75 % of businesses in the US are interested in hiring freelancers during this economic uncertainty. As per a recent survey, almost one-third of freelancers prefer to be paid in crypto. Some want their entire salary package, and some a part of their package. If you are into Bitcoin, here are the Ways to reduce the risk. 

Get all ideas about the current situation.

It’s devastating how vulnerable these individuals are to being conned out of their money because they are unaware of the risks associated with not validating the payer’s wallet.

Therefore, if you are looking for freelance work in international businesses, you might also get paid in cryptocurrencies, but you would also have to deal with the risks.

The massive growth of “dirty” crypto creates a dilemma for freelancers, despite cryptocurrencies being fast and hassle-free international payments that, among other benefits, do not require you to worry about currency exchange rates.

Approximately 40% of BTC transactions are illegal. Demchuk stated, “Receiving dirty cryptocurrency can put you in danger and result in the ban of your account if you are a freelancer.”

Therefore, to safeguard your fund, you must manage crypto risks and deal with fluctuations in the value of cryptocurrencies on trading platforms.

“Anyone can, without even realizing it, get illegal funds, like drug money, into their account. Until their accounts get frozen or banned without an explanation, everything appears to be going well at first. Therefore, even if you have complete faith in the person paying you, they might unintentionally put you in danger. Using a dedicated service to validate each wallet or transaction is the only way to protect yourself, which is basic crypto hygiene.

How will taxation work?

The taxation rules are the same, as there is no clear status for cryptocurrencies in India. So, for tax purposes, will a person’s cryptocurrency work be considered income or investment if paid for it? How will it be taxed, too?

Depending on the nation, cryptocurrency-related tax laws may differ. For instance, Demchuk stated, “Taxpayers in the United States are required to report all crypto sales, conversions, payments, and income to both the IRS and state tax authorities.” But , the implications of tax on every action vary.

Taxable income includes earning rewards from mining cryptocurrency, receiving payment in cryptocurrency, and exchanging goods or services for crypto. These are subject to federal and state taxes because they are regarded as “earned” income. As a result, when you receive the cryptocurrency, you must record its value in US dollars and include it in your gross income on your tax return.

Demchuk said that selling cryptos for cash, converting a crypto to another, and spending crypto on goods or services are all capital gains. He said it about the regulations of the tax system of the US. They are taxed at zero percent, fifteen percent, or twenty percent, depending on your tax bracket.

He said that yet, there are also non-taxable events. These are buying cryptocurrency with cash and holding it. Also, donating crypto to a charity or non-profit. Apart from these, receiving or making a gift. It is also moving your cryptocurrency from one wallet or account to another that you own.

Many nations have similar regulations, but a few do not tax crypto profits or only a part of them. Demchuk continued that these include, for example, Singapore, Switzerland, and Germany. Here capital gains tax is not imposed on assets held for more than a year.”

Conclusion

In India, the RBI is not ready to give cryptocurrency any recognition. So any payment you get in crypto would not get treated as income. Yet you need to pay tax when you redeem the currency to convert it into a rupee for all expenses. Then a question may get raised on the sources of your crypto. The instances of payments for freelancing in crypto will increase. Then the government will never allow it to go untaxed. They may bring a few regulations for taxing the income too. 

 

U.S treasury seeks comment on Cryptos Illicit Finance risks

The US Treasury Department is seeking comments from the public on the possible illegal finance and risks of national security posed by digital assets’ use. It is part of the agency’s mandate under the March executive order of President Biden. It is for studying crypto development. This request for comment was issued on Monday. It asks the public for any suggestions for mitigating such risks by the 3rd November deadline. IF you want to start your trading journey, you can always choose a reliable platform like the BitQT app. 

The current scenario

The department has invited the public to comment on any regulatory obligation the US government imposed. Those were no longer suitable for purpose because they related to digital assets. As per the document, many federal officials will develop one coordinated action plan. It will address the potential risks to national security that digital assets pose. The National Intelligence Director, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Homeland Security Secretary, and Treasury Secretary are among them.

Crypto has been used in sophisticated financial networks and activities related to cybercrime, including ransomware, according to the Treasury in a version of the request for comments available on the Federal Register website. According to the document, the increasing use of digital assets has raised the risk of crimes like money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, theft, and corruption.

This notice is in response to the 9th March executive order issued by US President Joe Biden. The order required research on crypto assets from many agencies, including the Treasury. In response to the executive order, the Treasury issued several reports. It was earlier this week. They urged financial regulators to maintain strict oversight of digital assets. Also on robust consumer protection. The use of digital assets made it easier for criminals to commit financial crimes. These were money laundering, terrorism, fraud, and theft, according to the executive order.

An overview of the activities

Brian Nelson stated that public input would assist the agency in establishing controls. It will hold criminals accountable and identify potential enforcement gaps.

According to Alex Zerden various stakeholders get anticipated to provide comments. It includes crypto industry’s advocates, civil society, traditional financial institutions, and crypto firms,

Mr. Zerden, a former Treasury official in the Trump administration, stated a few things. He said that it shows the Treasury is taking public engagement in a serious way. He also said that the Treasury would have to decide many things. It includes how to incorporate the comments it receives into its policy-making process.

The crypto industry may object to any Treasury rulemaking that considers public input. Regulations were proposed. It was by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board. It involved crypto firms and financial institutions. It was to collect and send sender and recipient information for crypto transactions. It was those exceeding $3,000 in value. The public submitted thousands of comments on the plan. Many of which criticized the proposed new rules. The controversial idea was on hold in January 2021. It was partly due to the regulatory freeze. It was imposed by the Biden administration, as is typical for new administrations. The rules are still a proposal.

The request for comments comes when the market is experiencing another volatility wave. It added to the demand for increased regulatory oversight. By market capitalization, Bitcoin is the largest crypto in the world. It was trading at $18,776 earlier on Monday. It was down 4.8 percent from late Sunday’s levels before recently rising above $19,000.

The Treasury Department gets anticipated to outline the dangers. It is about the beliefs cryptos pose to consumers. Apart from these, the financial system in a series of reports scheduled to go public this month.

The Treasury’s analysis of crypto markets will get included in the reports. It is currently finishing and sending it to the White House. Each report will focus on one of four topics. These are the payment system and consumer protections. Also, illicit finance, and financial stability. But it is unlikely that many specific policy recommendations will be provided.

Conclusion

The March order of President Biden on digital assets commissioned the reports. It asked other agencies to produce an analysis. His administration released a more comprehensive set of frameworks from many agencies. It concerned regulatory approaches to developing the ecosystem of digital currency. The Department of Justice said a few things. It tapped over 150 federal prosecutors across the country. It was to bolster law enforcement efforts. It was for combatting the rise in crime related to crypto use like Bitcoin. 

Top autumn destinations revealed, as Irish holidaymakers get €100K in cashback from Revolut Stays

Today is World Tourism Day (27th September), Revolut, the global financial superapp with 2 million Irish customers, and 20 million globally, released its Revolut Stays Register for Autumn 2022, to reveal its top 10 most in demand destinations of the season.

The Register, based on Revolut Stay’s pre-booked trips, shows that while summer travel is coming to an end, the appetite for travel continues. Since its launch, Revolut Stays has given over €2M in cashback to its customers globally, of which its customers in Ireland have received over €100K in cashback, the equivalent of over 1000 free nights.

Revolut customers get up to 10% instant cashback, depending on the customer’s Revolut plan, on their accommodation booked with Stays – based on a customer’s average holiday spend, that’s an extra €50. Additionally, Revolut Stays offers exclusive rates, doesn’t charge booking fees, and customers can pay nothing until they get to the property. From hassle-free bill splitting to great exchange rates, Revolut Stays has everything holiday-goers need to supercharge their accomodation.

Christopher Guttridge, General Manager of Lifestyle Products at Revolut, said: “As summer comes to an end, it’s the perfect time of year to go for a weekend city break, or continue your summer with a week spent in autumn sun. This quarter’s Revolut Stays Register shows that  customers in Ireland are doing exactly that, with the bookings to Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Salou already stacking up for the next few months.

“With Stays, you can save more of your money to spend when it matters – when you’re actually on holiday. We’re delighted to have given over €2 million in cashback to our customers globally, since our launch in July last year – the equivalent of 13,000 free nights.”

The latest Revolut Stays Register reveals the top destinations of the upcoming season, top rated accommodation suggestions, and how you can spend that cashback on exciting experiences.

Revolut Stays Register, IE – Top Autumn 2022 destinations

Based on pre-booked trips

 

  1. London, England

    • Highly-rated hotel: Sea Containers London

    • What to do: London Cocktail Week, October 13th – The capital’s best bars are taking part, creating cocktails for October. It gives you the chance to do a cocktail crawl or just slope into top spots.

  2. Amsterdam, Netherlands

    • Highly-rated hotel: Hotel Estheréa

    • What to do: Amsterdam Music Festival, October 22nd – A fun electronic dance music event, with this year’s confirmed acts including Afrojack and Tiësto.

  3. Paris, France

    • Highly-rated hotel: Hôtel Francois 1er

    • What to do: Nuit Blanche, October 1st – The contemporary all-night art festival takes place across the city’s streets and monuments. You can engage with sculptures, projections, concerts and spectacular installations by national and international artists around the city.

  4. Barcelona, Spain

    • Highly-rated hotel: W Barcelona

    • What to do: Sitges Film Festival, October 6th – The festival specialises in fantasy and horror films, and airs a selection of the best ones and also awards prizes to actors, filmmakers, and films. Attendees make the most of the occasion by dressing up in their goriest costumes.

  5. New York, USA

    • Highly-rated hotel: Roxy Hotel New York

    • What to do: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, November 24th – Drawing thousands of spectators to New York City, the parade boasts balloons, floats, clowns, marching bands, cheerleaders, and even celebrities.

  6. Salou, Spain

    • Highly-rated hotel: PortAventura Hotel Gold River

    • What to do: PortAventura World, attracting around 3.5 million visitors per year, is the most visited theme park in Spain and the sixth most visited theme park in Europe.

  7. Berlin, Germany

    • Highly-rated hotel: 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin

    • What to do: Festival of Lights, October 7th – Many landmarks, historical places, streets, squares, trendy neighbourhoods and interesting places of recent Berlin history will be spectacularly illuminated for ten days.

  8. Manchester, England

    • Highly-rated hotel: The Lowry Hotel

    • What to do: Manchester Science Festival, October 21st – From family-friendly games and tinkering to after-hours adult events, there’s something for everyone, including inspiring experiences and entertaining events.

  9. Glasgow, Scotland

    • Highly-rated hotel: Hotel du Vin & Bistro Glasgow

    • What to do: GlasGLOW, October 26th – The show is an ‘epic dinosaur adventure into The Land That Time Forgot.’

  10. Tias (Lanzarote), Spain

    • Highly-rated hotel: 5 Suites

    • What to do: Timanfaya National Park – A breath-taking stretch of volcanic land that covers a quarter of the island, was created over six years of near-continuous volcanic eruptions.