Exclusive: Starling’s top investor withdraws support for London IPO February 4, 2026 Starling’s elusive billionaire backer has gone cold on his ambition for the digital bank to list in London, City AM can reveal, in a move that will heighten fears of the fintech heading to New York for its highly-anticipated IPO. Harald McPike had lobbied for the group to launch its initial public offering in London [...]
12 predictions for AI in 2026 December 18, 2025 A year of building an AI business has given Lewis Liu a lot to think about. He gives us his 12 AI assumptions to live by in 2026.
Crypto firms face clamp down from Treasury and watchdog December 15, 2025 Cryptocurrencies will face regulation like any other financial products under new laws announced by the Treasury. Firms that offer crypto products will fall under the Financial Conduct Authority’s jurisdiction as part of new rules requiring digital assets providers to meet a set of standards from the City watchdog. The Labour government said the new legislation, which comes into [...]
US sets AI standard, leaving Britain on the back foot December 13, 2025 When Donald Trump sat down in the Oval Office this week to sign off on a national AI framework, he delivered a global message. The US has committed to one standardised, federally regulated set of rules for AI. The executive order sweeps away the threat of 50 different state-level approaches to regulating AI – a scenario [...]
MPs push for stricter AI rules as UK lags December 8, 2025 Over 100 UK parliamentarians have called on the government to tighten the reigns on AI regulation, warning that ministers risk letting the technology race ahead unchecked. The cross-party push, led by figures including former defence secretary Lord Des Browne and ex-environment minister Lord Zac Goldsmith, argues that superintelligent AI could become “the most perilous technological [...]
FCA launches ‘safe space’ for AI as City firms rush to deploy new tech December 3, 2025 The City’s top regulator has opened the doors to its first-ever ‘AI live testing‘ scheme, giving major financial firms a controlled environment to trial AI without fear of tripping regulatory wires. NatWest, Monzo, Santander, Scottish Widows, Gain Credit, Homeprotect and fintech Snorkl are among those in the inaugural cohort. The FCA says the scheme is [...]
Natwest chief: UK ‘closer to start than finish line’ on regulation mission December 2, 2025 The government’s mission to overhaul regulation still has a long distance to go, the boss of Natwest has said, as he warned of “trade-offs” in the pursuit of cutting red tape. Paul Thwaite, the chief executive of Natwest, praised the government and the City watchdog in edging forward in its regulation mission, referencing recent changes [...]
AI-powered regtech lands £2.1m to help banks dodge FCA fines November 13, 2025 An AI-powered regulation tech firm has landed £2.1m in funding to help banks avoid getting fines from the City watchdog. Adclear, which uses software to ensure lenders’ books are in order, has capped off a funding round which has included backing from Clearscore founder Dan Cobley and Coinbase’s UK managing director Keith Grose. With Adclear’s [...]
FCA doubles down on AI testing over regulation November 12, 2025 The UK’s financial regulator has doubled down on its decision not to draft new AI-specific laws, insisting that the best way to manage the tech’s momentous rise is through testing and collaboration rather than rushing to legislate. Speaking at the City & Financial Global AI regulation summit, Charlotte Clark CBE, the Financial Conduct Authority’s director [...]
Can Britain’s AI growth lab speed up innovation without risking safety? October 24, 2025 The UK government’s recent unveiling of an AI ‘growth lab’ – a sandbox designed to let companies trial AI under relaxed regulatory conditions – has been hailed as a bold step to accelerate innovation. At the Times Tech Summit on Tuesday, tech secretary Liz Kendall dubbed it as a chance to remove the “needless red [...]