Standard Chartered hikes investor returns despite profit miss February 24, 2026 Standard Chartered handed out bumper investor returns following its full-year results despite the London-listed bank missing its profit target pencilled in by analysts. The Asian-focused lender recorded a two per cent uptick in pre-tax profit to $814m, falling below analyst expectations of $1.1bn. The miss came as net interest income performed weaker-than-expected, slumping 12 per [...]
Lloyds to close 95 more bank branches across UK February 11, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group is set to make a further full to its branch network with 95 sites face the shutter. The FTSE 100 banking giant announced the fresh closures on Wednesday, which will affect Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland sites. The closures will take place between May 2026 and March 2027. Lloyds will take [...]
Mandelson to Epstein: JP Morgan should ‘threaten’ UK over banker tax February 2, 2026 Lord Peter Mandelson told Jeffrey Epstein that the boss of banking giant JP Morgan should “mildly threaten” the UK Treasury over a tax on banker bonuses whilst the peer was serving as business secretary. New bombshell revelations in the latest drop of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice showed Mandelson, who worked [...]
HSBC follows Nationwide with branch pledge in bid to woo customers December 12, 2025 HSBC has promised it will not shut any branches in the UK until at least 2027 as the bank ramps up its efforts to appeal to customers. The FTSE 100 titan, which is Europe’s biggest lender, will invest £55.8m into its 327 branches in 2026, a 30 per cent increase on the £42m it spent [...]
How Natwest, Lloyds, Barclays and HSBC fired up the FTSE 100 in 2025 December 9, 2025 If 2025 was supposed to be the year of the AI bubble, nobody told Britain’s banking giants. Amidst the noise of the US tech boom, the UK’s FTSE 100 banking heavyweights, Natwest, Lloyds, Barclays, and HSBC, have staged a formidable, if understated, rally. Lloyds delivered an astonishing 75.8 per cent gain, while Barclays surged 65 [...]
HSBC taps KPMG veteran Brendan Nelson to chair banking giant December 3, 2025 Europe’s biggest lender, HSBC, has named a new chair following its tumultuous recruitment programme after the departure of Sir Mark Tucker. HSBC tapped KPMG veteran Brendan Nelson, who has also served on the boards of BP and Royal Bank of Scotland, as its new chair. Nelson joined the banking giant’s board in 2023 and has served [...]
Natwest shares jump after cost-cutting boosts profit October 24, 2025 Natwest stock surged in early trading this morning after the lender posted a major bump in third-quarter profit following its cost-cutting regime. The FTSE 100 giant’s operating profit before tax surged over 30 per cent in the third quarter to £2.2bn, up from £1.7bn last year. Shares were up over five per cent as markets [...]
Allica Bank makes major acquisition as it eyes £1bn SME lending goal October 22, 2025 Allica Bank is set to announce a fresh acquisition as the firm looks to beef up its lending capacity for small businesses, City AM can reveal. The digital bank has snapped up London-based fintech Kriya, which specialises in embedded finance and business loans. The takeover, set to be announced on Wednesday, marks Allica’s third acquisition [...]
HSBC shares sink on play to take control of Hong Kong bank October 9, 2025 HSBC shares tumbled on Thursday morning as the bank laid out plans to suspend its buyback program in order to buy out minority shareholders in Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Baak. The FTSE 100 banking juggernaut has offered to pay HK$155 per share for the 36 per cent not already owned by the bank. The proposal [...]
Barclays, Citi, JP Morgan bosses sound alarm on bank tax September 25, 2025 Rachel Reeves has been handed a warning by top banking chiefs to prioritise stability for the financial services industry amid speculation of looming tax hikes. The bosses of UK banking giants have cautioned the Chancellor on potential tax rises and stressed the sector must remain competitive. Barclays’ boss CS Venkatakrishnan – known as the Venkat [...]