A £3bn reckoning that will reshape buy now, pay later July 15, 2026 Buy now, pay later providers are cheering the arrival of new regulations.In this week’s column Samuel Norman considers how the industry could be reshaped. Five years ago, the government revealed plans to crack down on the buy now, pay later market after an industry review found financial risks posed by the ease with which consumers [...]
Government accelerates social media crackdown with midnight curfews July 14, 2026 Teenagers will face a default midnight social media curfew and stripped-back social media feeds under the government’s latest crackdown on addictive online features – but they will be able to switch the restrictions off themselves. Tech secretary Liz Kendall has announced social media platforms will disable auto-play and infinite scroll-style recommendations and restrict overnight access [...]
Bank of England governor opens door to ‘simplifying’ financial rulebook July 14, 2026 Andrew Bailey opened the door to simplifying the UK’s financial rulebook as he joined Rachel Reeves for the Chancellor’s third and final Mansion House speech on Tuesday evening. The Bank of England governor distanced himself from capping taxes on banks and financial institutions, but said existing rules should help “flush out supranormal profits” by “reducing [...]
Tom Kerridge: No good restaurant has ever been run by accountants July 14, 2026 No good restaurant or pub has ever been run by accountants, celebrity chef Tom Kerridge told City AM as he pushes for a VAT cut for hospitality firms. The TV personality and restaurateur has spearheaded lobbying efforts for the government to slash VAT for hospitality companies, a move which he says would offer the struggling [...]
England v Argentina: Bellingham bounce attracts more bets than Messi to score July 14, 2026 Jude Bellingham’s emergence as England’s World Cup hero has seen him backed by more punters than Lionel Messi to score in Wednesday’s semi-final with Argentina. Data from Sportradar, which processes betting tickets for 250 gambling firms worldwide, reveals that Bellingham has accounted for more than half (52 per cent) of wagers in the goalscorer market. [...]
Sadiq Khan urges tougher Ofcom action as UK prepares social media ban rules July 14, 2026 Sadiq Khan has called on social media companies to change algorithms that promote violent and misogynistic material, as London launches a £5m programme to tackle the effect of online harms on young people. The mayor of London also believes the state should be ready to intervene where platforms cannot or will not change their recommendation [...]
‘Ugly moment’ for software stocks as IBM suffers biggest one-day slump in decades July 14, 2026 IBM shares are poised to suffer one of their worst-ever trading days after the tech giant warned customers were diverting spending away from software and into AI infrastructure. The warning wiped more than $50bn (£37bn) from IBM’s market value, sending the stock down more than 20 per cent and putting it on course for its [...]
Politicians call for easing of private school stranglehold on elite rugby July 14, 2026 Politicians have called for an easing of the stranglehold private schools have on providing England with elite rugby players. Nearly two thirds of the matchday 23 that played Fiji at the weekend had some form of private or independent education, underlining concerns about the shortage of state-school pupils making it in the sport. Just last [...]
Aston Villa sign £20m a year Visit Rwanda shirt sponsor deal July 14, 2026 Visit Rwanda have kept their presence in the Premier League by agreeing to become the front-of-shirt partner to Aston Villa. The Paul Kagame-linked tourism board concluded a sleeve deal with Arsenal last season after mounting pressure from fans but have now signed a £20m-a-year deal with, according to The Athletic. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will [...]
City watchdog eyes rules overhaul for UK asset managers July 14, 2026 The UK’s financial watchdog has proposed a host of reforms aimed at simplifying reporting for asset managers and end industry confusion over complicated regulations. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the modernisation of the rules will tailor requirements for asset managers, cut costs for firms and provide better data for the sector, saving managers £128m [...]