Stamp duty on shares is ‘biggest handbrake’ says UK bank chief Markets The boss of a London-listed bank and former Labour party donor has called for stamp duty on shares to be ditched in the Autumn Budget to boost trading from retail investors. Ian Corfield, the boss of Secure Trust Bank, told City AM one of the firm’s “biggest challenges is trying to generate liquidity into the [...]
Revolut lands fresh banking licence after wrestling with Europe friction Fintech Revolut has been granted a new full-fat banking licence with approval from the European Central Bank following previous friction with the prudential regulator. The $75bn fintech giant – which is currently undergoing a secondary share sale expected to value it at $115bn – revealed on Monday its European arm will accelerate its continental push under [...]
Metro Bank profit jumps as it bucks branch closure trend Banking Metro Bank secured its highest half-year profit on record in the first six months of 2026 as it bucked an industry-wide trend of branch closures and grew its small business offering. The FTSE 250 bank recorded a £60.7m pre-tax profit, up 41 per cent from the same period last year. This was driven by a [...]
Lloyds beats profit target as bank sets sights on more cost-cutting July 30, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group beat its profit forecast for the first half of the year as the bank’s top boss laid out plans to make further cost savings in the years ahead. The FTSE 100 lender – which owns the Bank of Scotland and Halifax – recorded a £4.3bn pre-tax profit in the first half of [...]
How the boss of Zilch became UK fintech’s power broker July 8, 2026 Last year, Zilch founder Philip Belamant sat down with then-boss of Monzo, TS Anil. As the two friends caught up, Belamant was fizzing with ideas to turn his $2bn British fintech into a global powerhouse, according to sources familiar with the matter. Not long ago, Zilch had set up shop across the pond, and Belamant [...]
UK banks’ digital ID bid is a game of optics – and the odds are not in their favour July 1, 2026 A digital ID row has dominated headlines in the last year, and banks are set to join the row. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman takes a look at what they might be in for. Britain’s banks have voluntarily thrown themselves into one of the most toxic culture wars of the decade. Few subjects evoke [...]
Lloyds accused of debanking left-wing media outlet The Canary June 30, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group has been accused of debanking the left-wing news website The Canary in a move that has left the media outlet with “barely any funds”. The bank was slammed by the media firm on Tuesday for allegedly “withholding a substantial amount of our money” and debanking them after nearly a decade of use. [...]
Barclays splashes £750m on Canary Wharf base in ‘strong endorsement’ of London June 30, 2026 Barclays has taken control of its global headquarters based out of Canary Wharf in a £750m deal hailed as a “strong endorsement” of the financial district and the capital itself. The blue-chip lender has entered a long-term leasehold interest agreement with Canary Wharf Group that grants the bank to use the property – based at [...]
Badenoch sets sights on battle with the Bank June 24, 2026 The City is in the mood for a regulatory bonfire and Kemi Badenoch hopes to be the one to light the flame. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman looks at the roadblocks she may face on her pursuit. “Don’t forget about Andrew Bailey.” That was the parting shot I got from a former Bank of [...]
House of Lords lashes out at Labour for ‘eliminating’ its oversight of financial watchdogs June 18, 2026 An influential group of peers have hit out at the government for ditching the Lords’ oversight of financial watchdogs as part of legislation passed in the King’s Speech. Writing in her capacity as chair of the Lords’ Financial Services Regulation Committee, Baroness Noakes said the government had “eliminated” an “integral” part of the regulatory system. [...]