Budget 2026 Live: Healey introduces pension tax allowance and lays out bank surcharge plans October 28, 2026 Welcome to City AM‘s Budget liveblog. The Chancellor has delivered his Budget speech in the House of Commons. John Healey announced a range of measures to tackle the cost of living but the market will keep a close eye on his tax and spending plans as the government looks to balance the books. Healey has [...]
HSBC ‘encouraged’ by Burnham agenda despite tax threat and growth downgrade October 27, 2026 HSBC’s finance boss said the bank is “very encouraged” by Andy Burnham’s agenda, despite slashing its UK growth forecast ahead of a potential tax raid. Pam Kaur, HSBC’s chief financial officer, said: “The UK is our home market, our focus in the UK is supporting customers with their growth ambitions.” But when asked about a [...]
City grandees call for revival of ‘animal spirits’ on Big Bang anniversary October 27, 2026 City grandees have called on the government to revive “animal spirits” in London’s capital markets and accelerate regulatory reform on the anniversary of the Big Bang. Industry leaders told City AM the City has enjoyed decades of success since the sweeping deregulation of the Square Mile in 1986 but Britain’s financial services industry is now [...]
HSBC shares sink after revenue misses expectations October 27, 2026 Shares in HSBC plunged this morning with billions wiped from its market value after the bank missed revenue expectations in the third-quarter. The FTSE 100 bank’s stock slid seven per cent in early trading to 1,269.0p in a move that shed around £16bn from the firm’s market capitalisation. It also put it on track to [...]
The anatomy of a bank tax: what can the UK learn from Europe? October 26, 2026 With days to go until John Healey delivers a Budget expected to target banks with a cash raid, Samuel Norman looks at the UK bank tax framework and other experiments across Europe. For years City lobbyists managed to bat away demands for a bank tax hike. As Chancellor, despite delivering two tax-heavy Budgets, Rachel Reeves [...]
Braddick sets out her vision for banking watchdog with £2bn overhaul October 22, 2026 Katharine Braddick has kicked off her revamp of the UK banking’s watchdog with a regulatory overhaul aiming to generate £2bn in savings for City firms. The Prudential Regulation Authority chief, who took the reins in July, told a City audience on Thursday evening the watchdog would focus on four key priorities of resilience, growth, innovation [...]
Barclays to axe 5,000 jobs by end of year after banking on AI savings October 22, 2026 Barclays will wield the axe on some 5,000 jobs in its global headcount as the firm ramps up its cost-cutting targets and leverages artificial intelligence. The FTSE 100 bank’s reductions will cover five per cent of the group’s global workforce and are expected to be mainly concentrated in support functions, including developers. “They’re across the [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 losses ease as oil higher after Saudi drone attack October 22, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. London’s blue-chip index is sliding this morning after a shaky week for trading. Oil pressures have climbed higher after a drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field killed two people. The incident renewed tensions in the Middle East and heightened concerns over further disruptions to [...]
UK banks brace for sour loan spike as household savings run dry October 21, 2026 UK banks are bracing for a potential surge in unpaid debts as cash reserves at UK households plummet to their lowest levels in three years. The country’s top lenders are expected to provision a combined £4bn for loan-losses in 2027, according to an analyst consensus, but this risks coming up short as households are squeezed [...]
Barclays set for investment bank boost as Venkat’s overhaul in focus October 20, 2026 Barclays‘ investment bank could be in line for another major boost. But Samuel Norman takes a look at the progress investors will be wanting to hear on its latest strategy plans. When CS Venkatakrishnan laid out his sweeping restructuring of Barclays he promised a “simpler, better and more balanced” bank. Key to this was reducing [...]