Sibstar: Fintech backed by Dragons’ Den stars Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies seeking extra cash March 20, 2025 Fintech Sibstar, which is backed by Dragons’ Den stars Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies, has launched a new crowdfunding campaign in a bid to raise £350,000. The mobile app and debit card for people with dementia was founded by chief executive Jayne Sibley and secured £125,000 after appearing on the hit BBC One show last [...]
AI adoption at UK banks lags behind US rivals March 17, 2025 UK banks are playing catch up to their US and European counterparts on AI adoption, new research has revealed. Evident Insight’s latest Responsible AI Report showed US banks led the way for AI specialists, with 20 positions alone at JPMorganChase – three times the average lender. Co-founder and co-chief executive of Evident Insights Alexandra Mousavizadeh [...]
British fintech unicorn OakNorth acquires US community bank March 17, 2025 OakNorth, the British digital banking unicorn, has acquired a US community bank as it eyes overseas expansion. The firm announced on Monday it had agreed on a stock-for-stock transaction for Michigan-based Community Unity Bank (CUB). The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and follows the Federal Reserve and New York State Department of Financial Services [...]
Vanquis shares plunge as complaints costs soar March 14, 2025 Specialist lender Vanquis Banking Group said its “turnaround” was “on track” in its annual results despite suffering a loss in 2024. The Bradford-based lender reported a £34.8m loss, a drastic drop from its pre-tax profit of £17.3m in 2023. The cost of dealing with complaints related to the company’s historic lending practices soared and took [...]
The Editor’s Interview: Should the Tories be afraid of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK? March 10, 2025 In this episode, we see top Tory Andrew Griffth MP grilled by City AM Editor Christian May on the threat posed to the Conservatives by Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
Atom Bank wants to inspire staff back to the office March 10, 2025 The boss of Atom Bank said he wants to inspire his staff back to the office as he announced plans to relocate its headquarters to Newcastle. Chief executive Mark Mullen has confirmed plans to move its head office from The Rivergreen Centre in Durham to The Pattern Shop in Newcastle. The Pattern Shop was where [...]
OakNorth: Shareholders to be handed £40m as US expansion boosts profit March 6, 2025 Profit at challenger bank OakNorth has surged thanks to its expansion into the USA, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered digital bank has reported a pre-tax profit of £214.8m for 2024, up from the £187.3m it posted for the previous 12 months. Over the year, OakNorth provided more than £2.1bn in gross new lending to [...]
Lloyds shares worth 70p say analysts March 4, 2025 Peel Hunt analysts have raised their price target on Lloyds shares by 17 per cent to 70p and slapped a ‘Hold’ rating on the FTSE 100 lender. The analysts cited strengthening income trends and reduced sensitivity to interest rates as the top factors driving the bank’s “top-line performance.” The banking giant‘s full-year profits fell 20 per [...]
Ex-Barclays boss case against FCA over relationship with Epstein goes to court March 3, 2025 Former Barclays boss Jes Staley is seeking to overturn an FCA ban after he was found to have misled the watchdog over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
Close Brothers completes sale of asset management arm to Oaktree March 3, 2025 Banking group Close Brothers has completed the sale of Close Brothers Asset Management (CBAM) to global investment management firm Oaktree Capital Management. The transaction, finalised on 28 February 2025, is expected to bolster the bank’s common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio by approximately 120 basis points, from 12.1 per cent to 13.3 per cent. [...]