Clearbank, Allica, Atom: The fast-growing future of UK fintech April 19, 2025 Fintech has planted its flag firmly in the Square Mile. Industry giants Monzo and Starling have become household names, helping London to established itself as a leading global fintech hub. KPMG’s bi-annual fintech report showed UK fintech investment was at £7.9bn last year. And now young firms are growing faster than ever, promising to send a [...]
Third of 18 to 21-year-olds ‘worry about money every day,’ says Santander April 19, 2025 More than a third (35 per cent) of Gen-Z adults aged 18 to 21 worry about their finances every day, according to research for a major bank. But only a fifth (20 per cent) of young adults said they would be interested in learning about debt management, the survey for Santander UK found. Just over [...]
Financial Conduct Authority: Lenders ‘unclear’ on bereavement policy April 14, 2025 Lenders “can improve” their treatment of bereaved customers, the Financial Conduct Authority has said. The City watchdog has published a framework outlining good and poor practice to help firms “provide the right support” to consumers who are facing difficult times. The FCA said the introduction of the Consumer Duty in July 2023 has helped provide [...]
Barclays shares explode higher as FTSE 100 rebounds April 10, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 giant Barclays rocketed in early trading after Trump rolled back his ‘Liberation Day’ levies. The bank’s stock shot up over 20 per cent as markets opened, before falling back to a 15 per cent gain. The firm topped the blue-chip index’s risers. The gains helped reverse the lender’s losses in the [...]
Bank of England asks lenders about clients’ stability as Reeves brands system ‘resilient’ April 8, 2025 The Bank of England has asked lenders about their clients’ financial well-being after Trump’s tariff onslaught triggered chaos across financial markets. The central bank asked firms for information about market liquidity and whether any of their clients were having funding problems, according to the Financial Times. The Prudential Regulation Authority, which is responsible for the [...]
HSBC and Standard Chartered shares sink as ‘outsized’ Asian tariffs bite April 7, 2025 Shares in banking giants HSBC and Standard Chartered have taken a significant hit as the global trade war ramps up. HSBC was down nearly three per cent in early trading on Monday. The lender’s losses in the last five days have now topped 15 per cent. Meanwhile, Standard Chartered plunged nearly four per cent, with [...]
Bank of England to hike FSCS protection from £85,000 to £110,000 March 31, 2025 UK depositors will receive greater protection from the Bank of England as the amount of money covered by a nationwide deposit guarantee scheme is set to rise to £110,000. The scheme provides financial protection to depositors in case banks, building societies, and credit unions become insolvent. It is funded by a levy paid by regulated [...]
Atom Bank wants to inspire staff back to the office March 10, 2025 The boss of Atom Bank said he wants to inspire his staff back to the office as he announced plans to relocate its headquarters to Newcastle. Chief executive Mark Mullen has confirmed plans to move its head office from The Rivergreen Centre in Durham to The Pattern Shop in Newcastle. The Pattern Shop was where [...]
Co-op Bank mortgage applications soar following takeover March 7, 2025 Mortgage applications boomed at Coventry Building Society’s new subsidiary, The Co-op Bank, in its first batch of financial results since the acquisition. The bank recorded £116.2m in pre-tax profit for 2024, down from the £120.9m booked in 2023 but in line with company expectations. It said lower mortgage margins and increased savings rates weighed on net interest income, dampening [...]
OakNorth: Shareholders to be handed £40m as US expansion boosts profit March 6, 2025 Profit at challenger bank OakNorth has surged thanks to its expansion into the USA, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered digital bank has reported a pre-tax profit of £214.8m for 2024, up from the £187.3m it posted for the previous 12 months. Over the year, OakNorth provided more than £2.1bn in gross new lending to [...]