Uber Boats by Thames Clippers nets £59m from Natwest and Santander May 19, 2025 Uber Boats by Thames Clippers has secured £59m in funding from Natwest and Santander after experiencing a surge in passenger numbers since the Covid-19 pandemic. The London river transport provider said the joint funding package would support plans for new vessels, pier upgrades and improvements to dry docking facilities. “It’s vital that we have funding [...]
Revolut looks to France for major European expansion May 19, 2025 British-born digital bank Revolut has chosen Paris for its fresh Western Europe headquarters with a major €1bn investment. The fintech giant said it will create over 200 jobs in France, in what it calls the “largest investment in the French financial sector in a decade.” The firm has also applied for a French banking licence, [...]
Splitting the G: Is Diageo gearing up to sell off Guinness? May 19, 2025 Drinks giant Diageo has announced a huge cost-savings programme which may see it shed brands and jobs. In an update to markets this morning, the Guinness and Johnnie Walker owner said it planned to save $500m (£373m) over the next three years through “appropriate and selective disposals” as well as tighter capital discipline and organic [...]
EY audit of NMC ‘was deficient in multiple respects’ says regulator May 19, 2025 The High Court will hear a draft report by the FRC concluding that EY's audit of collapsed NMC "was deficient in multiple respects"
Natwest and Lloyds to cash in as Reeves hints at ring-fencing reform May 19, 2025 Rachel Reeves has told top bank bosses she is “open-minded” to ditch the ring-fencing regime imposed on major banks. The Chancellor was lobbied by the chiefs of HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest and Santander to scrap the 15-year-old legislation last month. Lenders slammed the system – which requires firms to keep their retail bank operations separate from [...]
Defence boom will continue long after Ukraine war, says Panmure May 19, 2025 An end to hostilties in Ukraine would only be a short-term setback for the share price of European defence manufacturers, according to analysts. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS) said last week that in the case of a mid-2025 ceasefire in Ukraine, Russia could rearm and attack a Baltic state as soon as 2027. [...]
Yodel’s £106m takeover by InPost put on ice after High Court order May 19, 2025 Yodel’s £106m acquisition by InPost has been put on ice after an injunction was filed with the High Court in the latest twist in a long-running legal spat. Last month, City AM reported that Poland’s InPost had agreed to buy Liverpool-headquartered Yodel in what was described as a “pivotal milestone” at the time. InPost said [...]
Inflation set to ramp up after ‘Awful April’ May 19, 2025 Inflation is expected to have risen above three per cent last month in data which will reflect the costly impacts of what has been dubbed ‘Awful April’ due to tax rises and bill hikes. A Bloomberg poll of economists has predicted inflation to come in at 3.3 per cent, a sharp spike from March when [...]
UK retail investors flock to gold amid market uncertainty May 19, 2025 UK retail investors are flocking to gold amid increased uncertainty over tariff policy and an uptick in capital gains tax, from which the precious metal is exempt. Almost six in 10 investors surveyed by Charles Schwab UK (58 per cent) think that gold will increase in value over the next year, the highest number of [...]
Firms delay tax payments as costs soar May 19, 2025 Unpaid business tax liabilities are averaging as much as £28bn a month this year, official data has revealed, suggesting firms are struggling to keep up with mounting costs. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £40bn tax hikes last autumn, including rises to employers’ national insurance contributions, were designed to lift the public finances and reduce borrowing. But new [...]