London used as ‘money-laundering base’, mafia trial prosecutor says April 28, 2021 In Italy’s largest mafia trial in three decades, the UK’s capital has been roped in as a potential hotspot for organised crime, particularly post-Brexit. The trial will see around 900 witnesses testify against more than 350 ’Ndrangheta defendants, including politicians and officials charged with being members of Italy’s most powerful criminal group. Defendants are set [...]
Compensation scheme that cost £23m to set up has yet to pay any redress April 28, 2021 A compensation scheme for victims of banking scandals that cost millions of pounds to establish is yet to pay out even a penny in redress. The Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS), which was formed in 2019 and cost £23m to set up, has run up huge bills for staff and third-party advisers, but is yet [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? April 28, 2021 City A.M.‘s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Cazoo bolsters board after $7bn NYSE listing After its $7bn New York Stock Exchange listing through its AJAX merger, UK online car retailer Cazoo has confirmed that a new non-executive director [...]
Co-op bank reports ‘resilient’ performance in first few months of 2021 April 28, 2021 Co-op Bank reported a small underlying profit in the first three months of 2021 of £2.6m, with statutory profit before tax of £7.2m. CEO Nick Slape said the bank had delivered a “resilient” three-month performance, that should position it well to deliver overall profit in 2021. “We have delivered a resilient performance by maintaining our [...]
Santander UK profit soars two-thirds April 28, 2021 Santander UK hailed a “strong” set of results this morning as profit before tax rose nearly two-thirds in the first quarter. The bank said that pre-tax profit was up 61 per cent, jumping from £114m to £184m over the three month period. It added that its return on tangible equity (RoTE), a key metric, was [...]
Metro Bank signals lending progress after slow start to the year April 28, 2021 Metro Bank said it is starting to see growth in consumer lending again, after a lockdown-led sluggish start to the year. Metro Bank saw a 17 per cent plunge in lending for the first quarter, with the company’s total net loans falling to £12.05bn for the first three months of 2020, versus £14.51bn a year earlier. [...]
Antonio Horta-Osorio signs off at Lloyds with a £1.4bn post-tax profit April 28, 2021 Lloyds bank posted a £1.4bn after tax profit for the first quarter, up nearly 200 per cent on the same time last year, in boss Antonio Horta-Osorio’s final results at the helm. The banking giant’s statutory profit after tax for the three months to 31 March 2021 was £1.39bn compared to £480m this time last [...]
Travel restrictions pull Visa quarterly profit lower April 27, 2021 Visa reported a small fall in its quarterly profit as lockdown restrictions continue to have an impact on the world’s travel and retail industries. The payments company reported net income slipped two per cent in the second quarter to $3bn, equivalent to $1.38 per Class A Share. Analysts had expected a profit of $1.27 per [...]
Prince Andrew sets up company with disgraced financier accused of sexual harassment April 27, 2021 Prince Andrew has set up a company with a disgraced former Coutts banker who quit after being accused of sexual harassment. The Duke of York has gone into business with Harry Keogh, a former banker at Coutts who resigned in March 2018 following a slew of sexual harassment claims, including that he inappropriately touched young [...]
HSBC profits surge to $5.8bn on Covid-19 recovery hopes April 27, 2021 Banking giant HSBC this morning announced a surging pre-tax profit of $5.78bn (£4.16bn) for the first quarter, up from $3.21bn a year ago and well above an average analyst forecast of $3.35bn. Revenue, however, fell five per cent to $13bn in the three months to 30 March as low interest rates in its main markets [...]