Standard Life snaps up Aegon UK for £2bn to create savings giant April 15, 2026 Standard Life has snapped up the UK’s largest investment platform Aegon UK in a £2bn deal. The FTSE 100 giant – previously known as Phoenix Group – said the deal would create the UK’s top retirement savings and income business with near 16m customers and £480bn in assets under administration. Standard Life expects an annual [...]
EO Charging collapses despite European EV sales boom April 15, 2026 EO Charging has gone into administration, with 69 jobs slashed, in a recent blow to the UK’s EV infrastructure sector as car sales across the continent accelerate. PwC was appointed administrator to the EV charging firm, which traded as Juuce Limited, on 8 April. The consultancy said that more than two thirds of the 93 [...]
Bank of England could cut interest rates ‘if war ends’ April 15, 2026 The Bank of England could cut interest rates this year if the war in Iran ends and the Strait of Hormuz opens up within weeks, an economist at a City broker has said. Peel Hunt’s chief economist Kallum Pickering’s current assumption is that the Bank makes two interest rate cuts at the end of this [...]
Big Bash future in limbo as Cricket Australia’s plan to copy England stalls April 15, 2026 Cricket Australia’s plans to copy The Hundred and sell off minority stakes in Big Bash League franchises have hit the buffers after some team chiefs raised the alarm. CA is exploring the sale of 49 per cent stakes in the eight teams in the BBL, its annual T20 competition, to outside investors in a move [...]
Exeter Chiefs set for US investment as Prem Rugby flurry continues April 15, 2026 Exeter Chiefs are set to become the latest in a flurry of Prem Rugby clubs to take fresh investment, with American backing set for Sandy Park. An extraordinary general meeting will be held next month to vote on plans which would see an unnamed US backer make a multimillion pound investment in the Devonshire club. [...]
Bank of England: Andrew Bailey warns AI models could ‘crack’ cyber systems April 15, 2026 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned that a new AI model designed by a Silicon Valley company could “crack” cybersecurity systems, adding that the the technology poses a continuous challenge for key institutions. Speaking at an event in New York, Bailey suggested Mythos Claude, which was created by Anthropic, presented a threat to [...]
Lidl and Iceland censored under junk food ad rules April 15, 2026 Lidl and Iceland have become the first supermarkets to have adverts blocked by regulators under the government’s crackdown on junk food. The rules cover some sugary and fatty foods, including sweets, pizza and chocolate. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been policing the new ban since January, but today’s warnings are the first it has [...]
DHL chief on English rugby ‘concern’, Formula 1 and Manchester United April 15, 2026 “I’d say it’s a concern,” Elliott Santon, the head of global sponsorships at DHL Express, says on the state of rugby in England. The global logistic giant is the front-of-shirt sponsor of Prem Rugby club Harlequins and has its distinctive yellow and red logo plastered on the quartered strip of the London team. DHL is [...]
Financial scams soar as crooks snatch phones and manipulate vulnerable victims April 15, 2026 UK banks saw a staggering rise in financial scams last year, as growing public awareness was offset by criminals pivoting towards victim manipulation to get their hands on sensitive information. Banks reported a 62 per cent rise in social engineering scams, in which attackers manipulate victims into authorising payments themselves, as they turned away from [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery as Trump eyes Iran ‘grand bargain’; Reeves to meet Bessent April 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Hopes of peace talks in the Middle East were back on the table this morning, though markets weren’t holding there breathe after weeks of bait-and-switches. Donald Trump described the war with Iran as “close to over” during an interview with Fox news. “I think it’s [...]