Budget whiplash: How bank shares were hit by the Treasury’s ‘hokey cokey’ leaking Banking Last week the House of Commons speaker reprimanded the Treasury for what he called a “hokey cokey” Budget. “Can I just say it isn’t normal for a Budget to be put in the press,” Sir Lindsay Hoyle said in his dressing down of ministers. “One minute it’s in, next minute it’s out.” Few sectors have [...]
Barclays shares rise after new buyback launch and jump in income Banking Barclays has set out plans to shift to a quarterly share buyback after the firm recorded a surge in total income for the third quarter. The FTSE 100 titan netted £7.2bn in total income, breezing past as internal analyst consensus of £7bn. The figure was also up nine per cent year-on-year. The bank said it [...]
Banker bonus rules are getting watered down. Will anyone shed a tear? Banking When the European Banking Authority published its guidelines on executive pay in 2015, the report pronounced on 126 separate rules spread across 173 pages. Any banker able to get through the whole rulebook without falling asleep surely deserved every penny of the eyewatering bonus they received – provided it met the guidelines. The EBA’s voluminous [...]
Bankers to get bonuses much sooner as PRA relaxes rules October 15, 2025 Bankers will be able to collect their bonuses much sooner under a relaxation of remuneration rules unveiled by the UK’s prudential regulator. The new rules will allow part-payment of bonuses for the most senior bankers from year one, rather than year three under previous rules. The amount of time that senior bankers must now wait [...]
Lloyds: FTSE 100 giant’s slow wealth progress sparks takeover talk October 7, 2025 Lloyds’ “slow” progress in wealth management has sparked talks of a potential takeover as the banking titan looks to beef up its offering for high net worth individuals. The FTSE 100 giant exited the area in 2013 as part of a simplification drive after the financial crisis, with the reduction of its stake in St [...]
HSBC sells UK life insurance arm in latest European retreat July 3, 2025 Banking juggernaut HSBC has marked its latest retreat on European operations after selling its UK life protection arm to insurance firm Chesnara. HSBC have offloaded the division for £260m, which Chesnara will fund through a combination of external resources, credit facility and a equity raise. The move comes amid Georges Elhedery‘s sweeping changes at the [...]
High street banks’ SME lending comeback won’t rattle challengers June 20, 2025 High street banks are flocking back to small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) lending but face a battle against fintechs which have captured their spot. The Big Four banks have shed their market stronghold in SME lending. Research from the British Business Bank in March revealed challenger banks make up around 60 per cent of gross [...]
Peel Hunt: Bonuses scrapped for third year running June 18, 2025 Peel Hunt has scrapped bonuses for its top executives for a third year running as losses at the investment bank continued. Chief executive Steven Fine took home a pay packet of £465,000 for the year to 31 March, 2025, while chief financial and operating officer Sunil Dhall received £316,000, according to its latest annual report. [...]
Starling Bank: The rise and fall of a fintech darling May 30, 2025 Over a decade ago three fintechs entered the banking scene and set their sights on reshaping its landscape. Starling, Monzo and Revolut rapidly expanded as they leveraged modern tech to streamline banking operations, enhance consumer experience and disrupt traditional financial models. The trio of fintech darlings ballooned customer bases in record numbers. But as two [...]
HSBC UK to slash bonuses for staff not turning up to office May 21, 2025 HSBC has told its UK-based retail workers that failing to show up to the office could see their bonuses slashed. Europe’s biggest bank informed staff in the retail and domestic commercial arm that if they are not following the firm’s three-day minimum requirement to work in office they could be paid less as a result. [...]