Brits lost £500m to fraudsters in first half of 2018 September 25, 2018 Criminals lied and tricked their way to stealing £500m from the UK public in the first half of the year, new figures today reveal. While the finance industry managed to protect £2 in every £3 targeted by fraudsters, they managed to steal £503.4m, using it to fund terrorism, people smuggling and drug trafficking, according to trade association UK [...]
Q&A: Adam Tooze on the financial crisis, Trump and the City of London after Brexit September 25, 2018 Ten years after the start of the financial crisis, Columbia University historian Adam Tooze’s epic work of economic history, Crashed, describes a world still coming to terms with its aftermath. He spoke to City A.M. about the US, the City of London, and where the next crash could come from. Why write this book [...]
Tesco Bank to face City watchdog’s largest ever cyber security fine September 24, 2018 The banking arm of supermarket chain Tesco could be facing a fine of more than £30m from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), over its role in a cyber hack on its systems in which numerous customer accounts were compromised. Tesco Bank is thought to be contesting the fine in active negotiations with the regulator, which could be reduced [...]
Euro zone banks led by Germany in hoarding more cash, European Central Bank says September 24, 2018 Banks in the euro zone, led by Germany, have been storing more and more money to avoid European Central Bank (ECB) charges. In a research bulletin, the ECB said the amount of vault cash held by Europe's major banks had increased by €21.1bn – to between March 2016 and December 2017, having been at €50.1bn [...]
German watchdog calls for Deutsche Bank to crack down on money laundering September 24, 2018 Germany’s financial regulator, BaFin, has called on sector giant Deutsche Bank (DB) to take action against money laundering and terrorist financing, appointing a special auditor to monitor its progress. In a statement, BaFin called on the bank to adopt “appropriate internal safeguards” and “comply with general due diligence obligations”. It said it had appointed a [...]
Frankfurt winning race with Paris for Brexit bank moves September 24, 2018 Frankfurt is winning the race to attract the banking jobs moving out of London because of Brexit, with 25 lenders having moved operations there ahead of the UK's departure from the EU, new research published today shows. Paris, which has been aggressively courting the City's financial institutions, has attracted nine moves, while Luxembourg and [...]
Digital bank Monzo reaches a million current account customers September 24, 2018 Digital bank Monzo has reached the million-customer milestone just weeks after it was revealed it will join the ranks of Britain's fintech "unicorns". The millionth customer for the app-based bank signed up over the weekend, Monzo announced today. Some 20,000 new customers sign up for the bank per week, an acceleration even from August, [...]
Revolut to bid for fresh European licence as it reveals losses September 24, 2018 Fintech powerhouse Revolut has revealed its post-Brexit strategy amid the publication of its 2017 financial accounts, which put a heavy spotlight on the banking app’s operational losses. Primarily, a spokesperson for the London startup confirmed to City A.M. it had applied for a second e-money licence in Luxembourg, in addition to its 2017 application for a [...]
Bank Pekao backs London as post-Brexit gateway to Poland September 24, 2018 The boss of Poland’s biggest corporate and investment bank has backed the City to remain Europe’s top financial hub as he targets increased investor interest in the growing Polish economy. Michal Krupinski, Bank Pekao’s chief executive, will today unveil a new London office to serve the large British investor community looking for Polish assets, as [...]
PPI scandal turning ‘portions of Britain into fraudsters’, Barclays boss claims September 23, 2018 The PPI scandal has turned “portions of Britain” into fraudsters, Barclays chairman John McFarlane has claimed. McFarlane, said it was “inconceivable” that all the payment protection insurance mis-selling claims that had helped fuel a “flat-screen television” buying spree were genuine. He also accused the government of being complicit in the weakening of the banks by [...]