London hot on New York’s heels as financial centre race ramps up September 25, 2025 London is now within a whisker of ousting New York as the world’s leading financial hub, fresh rankings reveal, but risks remain over the capital’s fintech prospects. The City was chomping at the heels of the Big Apple with just a singular rating point between the two. New York once more topped the rankings in [...]
Stalling Starling revs up Engine in rebrand September 24, 2025 Veteran of the UK fintech industry Starling has overhauled its brand with a fresh colour palette, a new slogan and even a new name. The digital lender announced last week it would drop the word “Bank” from its banking arm’s name in a move analysts have described as a “significant” step in its evolution. The [...]
Revolut pumps £3bn into the UK financial services sector September 23, 2025 London-born fintech juggernaut Revolut has capped off a hefty week of investment for the UK financial services sector as the firm officially launched its global headquarters. The digital bank said it would pump £3bn into the UK and create 1,000 highly-skilled jobs over the next five years. The fresh injection of capital follows asset manager [...]
Floating in London would be my ‘signature achievement’, ClearScore CEO September 23, 2025 Floating credit score giant ClearScore on the London Stock Exchange would be “my signature achievement”, the company’s co-founder and chief executive has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered show, Justin Basini opened up about the plans being drawn up to take ClearScore public in the next couple of years. He [...]
Zilo lands £20m funding round as it eyes global expansion September 23, 2025 Zilo has secured £20m in fresh funding as the London fintech gears up for the next phase in its expansion, City AM can reveal. The Canary Wharf-based business, founded in 2020, said its Series A extension round was led by Toronto-based investor Portage Ventures alongside US bank State Street and existing shareholders and management. Zilo [...]
Exclusive: FCA licence approvals slump September 15, 2025 As few as six e-money licence applications have been granted by the UK’s financial regulator over the past 9 months, City AM can reveal, underscoring the scale of the regulatory obstacles faced by Britain’s fintech startups. Data obtained by City AM via Freedom of Information request showed that not a single authorised electronic money institution (AEMI) licence [...]
Klarna could trigger a fintech IPO boom but can London benefit? September 11, 2025 Klarna’s hot debut on the New York Stock Exchange has opened the doors for a flood of fintech listings but analysts are raising concerns whether the London market can enjoy this new stream. The Swedish fintech unicorn’s stock popped 15 per cent from its IPO price of $40. Shares closed at $45.82 after raising $222m. [...]
UK fintech holds European crown but UAE threat looms September 11, 2025 UK fintech maintained a heavy level of activity in the first half of 2025 but faced new threats from growing financial hubs. Over 70 significant acquisitions of smaller rivals or complementary businesses were reported in the UK and Europe over the half. This represented a 50 per cent bump on acquisitions compared to the previous [...]
Starling Bank eyes £4bn valuation in secondary share sale September 10, 2025 UK fintech Starling is eyeing a valuation of £4bn in a new secondary share sale. The digital lender is in talks with Morgan Stanley and Rothschild to run the sale process, which the firm is hoping could help it net a valuation between £3.5bn and £4bn. The sale – the first since the group’s valuation [...]
FCA plans to allow contactless payment limits above £100 September 10, 2025 Card providers are set to be given the powers to set their own limits on contactless payments, which are currently set at £100, under proposals set out by the City regulator. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed that it will consult industry on whether the rules should be relaxed as part of its task [...]