Exclusive: Octopus Investments appoints new CEO September 2, 2025 Retail asset management platform Octopus Investments has appointed Erin Platts, former chief executive of HSBC Innovation Banking, as its new CEO. Octopus Investments, the UK’s largest investor in AIM listed companies, is a branch of the financial services company, Octopus Group. It holds £9.9bn in funds under management. Platts will succeed Octopus Group co-founder and [...]
Is it time to add infrastructure to your portfolio? September 2, 2025 The UK has, for many years, consistently underinvested in infrastructure compared to its G7 peers. With flagship projects, the country has a terrible track record. In the past year, the long-awaited, controversial high-speed HS2 rail line saw its expansion into the north of England scrapped due to escalating costs. Meanwhile, the Lower Thames Crossing development [...]
Brits set their sights on affording comfortable retirement September 2, 2025 British adults have set their sights on affording a luxury retirement, but rising costs have soured some saver’s hopes. Nearly 8m Brits have made securing a comfortable retirement their main financial priority, according to research from consumer banking business Chase. A comfortable retirement allows more financial freedom and luxuries, such as holidays and greater non-essential [...]
Assets at Evelyn Partners hit a record high amid tax raid speculation August 29, 2025 Evelyn Partners has maintained its run of strong inflows, as speculation about pension changes drives customers to seek wealth management advice. The wealth management firm generated £3.7bn of gross inflows in the first half of the year, a seven per cent jump from the £3.5bn recorded in 2024. Assets under management (AUM) reached a record [...]
Exclusive: Female CFOs generate greater returns for investors August 28, 2025 Female chief financial officers (CFOs) in the UK are routinely outperforming industry benchmarks, according to a new study shared exclusively with City AM. According to finance management platform OneStream’s Glass Chair study, UK companies led by female CFOs have delivered an average total return 1.5 per cent above industry benchmarks. That figure grows to 3.2 [...]
What has caused the M&A surge in the UK financial sector? August 27, 2025 The UK financial sector has seen an influx of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity so far this year as investors look to capitalise on emerging opportunities in the market. Growing economic stability in both the private and public markets, following a period of instability caused by inflation and soaring interest rates, has sparked a renewed [...]
Thousands of savers overcharged on pension withdrawals by HMRC August 26, 2025 Thousands of people have claimed a refund on emergency tax on pensions after the HM Revenues & Customs (HMRC) overcharged savers an eye watering amount on their withdrawals. In total, 6,000 people successfully claimed a refund in the 2023-2024 financial year, a 20 per cent increase from the year before, according to figures obtained by [...]
Younger Brits turn to AI for financial advice August 21, 2025 Brits are increasingly turning to AI tools to access financial tips as the “advice gap” grows wider. Two thirds of people are either considering or already using AI tools to gather personal finance advice, new research from financial comparison platform Finder has found. Two in five people opted to use generative AI, such as ChatGPT [...]
Blackrock encourages investors to increase exposure to hedge funds August 21, 2025 Institutional investors should increase their exposure to hedge funds in order to generate potentially higher returns, Blackrock has said. In the latest paper of the firm’s Investment Institute, strategists encouraged more money to be placed in hedge funds, as ongoing economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions erode returns on traditional investment assets, such as bonds and [...]
Moneybox’s wealth focus helps treble inflows to record high August 21, 2025 Moneybox secured its second consecutive year of profitability in 2024 after swathes of new customers poured billions into the firm. The investment platform‘s net inflows more than trebled to £5.8bn, from £1.7bn the year prior – a jump of over 241 per cent. Assets under management also more than doubled to £11.7bn as the fintech’s [...]