Bank of England ‘killing’ UK stablecoin ambitions, body warns April 29, 2025 The Bank of England risks “killing” London’s potential to become a global hub for stablecoins with its “prescriptive” rules, an industry body has warned, as it called for the rapid creation of a regulatory regime to support use of the digital assets. London’s dominance of the foreign exchange market, in which it accounts for as [...]
How AI-powered compliance could fight financial crime April 25, 2025 The financial services sector is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid advancements and accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI). No longer an experimental concept for the future, AI is being deployed at scale today, fundamentally changing how every financial institution operates globally. The rise of generative AI, in particular, has spurred adoption, with around [...]
Shawbrook eyes £5bn Starling merger instead of IPO April 24, 2025 Shawbrook Group is weighing up a £5bn merger with fintech giant Starling, in a move that would be emblematic of a tougher outlook on stock market listings. The mid-cap lender has reached out to Starling in the last two months to initiate talks on a potential deal, as reported by Sky News. The proposal remains [...]
Exclusive: Goldman Sachs International boss joins non-dom exodus April 24, 2025 Goldman Sachs’ most senior banker outside America is joining the growing ranks of wealthy foreigners leaving the UK to avoid the government’s crackdown on non-doms, City AM can reveal. Richard Gnodde, the investment banking juggernaut’s vice chairman, is moving to Milan to avoid changes the Chancellor made to the non-dom regime and foreign-held trusts in [...]
Crisis, debt and a £46bn bailout: Inside Natwest’s return to private ownership April 24, 2025 Natwest is set to end one of British banking’s longest running sagas, as the lender stands inches away from returning to private ownership for the first time in nearly two decades. The FTSE 100 giant has whittled the UK government’s share in the bank to under three per cent, with a full exit expected in [...]
City bonuses beat Wall Street after cap scrapped April 22, 2025 UK financial services handed out the industry’s highest bonuses last year after taking advantage of the lifting of pay restrictions. Workers pocketed an average $149k (£114k) bonus in 2024, according to fresh data from jobs platform eFinancialCareers. This marked a 25.7 per cent jump from 2023 and sent the UK above North America, which rose [...]
Santander to spin off motor finance division from UK business April 22, 2025 Santander is poised to spin off its litigation-hit motor finance division as part of a major overhaul of its UK operations. The Spanish lender has sought permission from regulators to separate its car loan business, which is facing a near-£300m payout as part of the ongoing motor finance scandal, from the rest of its British [...]
HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds: Lenders bank on interest rate cut as mortgage ‘price war’ heats up April 17, 2025 Top UK lenders are offering more mortgages to prospective house buyers, the Bank of England has revealed, as falling interest rates stir up a “price war” on the high street. The Bank’s credit conditions survey revealed that the burgeoning supply of mortgages would come against a levelling off in demand in the three months to [...]
Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs: Wall Street cashes in on market volatility April 15, 2025 Wall Street’s banking giants pocketed record revenues in the first quarter of 2025 as market volatility ramped up. Top lenders were able to smash profit expectations after reaping the rewards of a trading boom caused by President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff agenda. Trump’s bait-and-switch on tariffs triggered countless sell-offs as traders across the globe ditched [...]
S&U shares slump after motor finance drags profits down April 15, 2025 Shares in specialist lender S&U dropped nearly two per cent on Tuesday after annual profits tumbled due to challenges from the motor finance scandal. Pre-tax profit for the financial year ending January 31 2025 fell to £24m, compared to £33.6m in the previous period. Impairment charges rose to £35.6m for the group, reflecting a near [...]