Farage: ‘Loathsome’ banks should not be hit with new tax Banking Nigel Farage has said that banks should not be hit with new taxes at this week’s Budget in a partial U-turn on his previous position. Earlier this year, the Reform UK leader vowed to scrap interest payments lenders receive on deposits at the Bank of England, a move that would be widely regarded as a [...]
The anatomy of a bank tax: what can the UK learn from Europe? Banking With days to go until John Healey delivers a Budget expected to target banks with a cash raid, Samuel Norman looks at the UK bank tax framework and other experiments across Europe. For years City lobbyists managed to bat away demands for a bank tax hike. As Chancellor, despite delivering two tax-heavy Budgets, Rachel Reeves [...]
Sadiq Khan urges banks to stay in London as tax raid looms Banking Sadiq Khan has urged London’s biggest banks to keep investing in the UK, days away from an expected tax raid on the sector. On Monday, the Mayor of London said the City’s banking sector is “really important” but refused to say whether he opposed the tax raid, adding that “those with broader shoulders carry the [...]
Revolut to take fight to high street banks with UK personal loans October 26, 2026 Revolut is ramping up its battle with high street banking giants with the launch of personal loans in the UK market. The digital bank said on Monday it would begin offering loans between £2,000 and £25,000, which will be repayable over one to five years. The firm has insisted loans will have “transparent terms” and [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 up on defence boost; oil falls back as Trump weighs Iran deal October 26, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 live blog. The FTSE 100 has enjoyed a major rally on the back of booming defence stocks ahead of an expected investment from the government at the forthcoming Budget. This is also coming alongside a modest relax in oil prices on new diplomatic hopes in the Middle [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 slides as oil surges to five-month high October 23, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Friday morning and London’s blue-chip index is set for a flat open as pressures on markets persist. The price of a barrel of oil has surged to $114 per barrel, trading at its highest level in over five months. It follows escalating Houthi attacks on [...]
Braddick sets out her vision for banking watchdog with £2bn overhaul October 22, 2026 Katharine Braddick has kicked off her revamp of the UK banking’s watchdog with a regulatory overhaul aiming to generate £2bn in savings for City firms. The Prudential Regulation Authority chief, who took the reins in July, told a City audience on Thursday evening the watchdog would focus on four key priorities of resilience, growth, innovation [...]
Barclays to axe 5,000 jobs by end of year after banking on AI savings October 22, 2026 Barclays will wield the axe on some 5,000 jobs in its global headcount as the firm ramps up its cost-cutting targets and leverages artificial intelligence. The FTSE 100 bank’s reductions will cover five per cent of the group’s global workforce and are expected to be mainly concentrated in support functions, including developers. “They’re across the [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 losses ease as oil higher after Saudi drone attack October 22, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. London’s blue-chip index is sliding this morning after a shaky week for trading. Oil pressures have climbed higher after a drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field killed two people. The incident renewed tensions in the Middle East and heightened concerns over further disruptions to [...]
UK banks brace for sour loan spike as household savings run dry October 21, 2026 UK banks are bracing for a potential surge in unpaid debts as cash reserves at UK households plummet to their lowest levels in three years. The country’s top lenders are expected to provision a combined £4bn for loan-losses in 2027, according to an analyst consensus, but this risks coming up short as households are squeezed [...]