Motor finance and wealth progress in spotlight for Lloyds earnings April 24, 2026 Investors will be looking for old wounds to be heal and crucial updates on expansion progress when Lloyds Banking Group gives its first-quarter update next week. The FTSE 100 banking titan – which is frequently cited as the UK’s most-traded stock – will give markets an insight into how it started the new year on [...]
Santander hits pause on €5bn buyback after US takeover April 23, 2026 Santander has been forced to hit the pause button on its bumper buyback programme announced earlier this year to comply with US regulation. The Spanish-headquartered bank told markets on Thursday it would temporarily suspend the €5bn (£4.3bn) buyback launched in February to comply with US regulation around its takeover of Webster. The lender struck a [...]
Barclays sweetens mortgage deals as interest rate decision takes focus April 22, 2026 Barclays has become the latest bank to wade into the flurry of mortgage rate cuts as lenders turn their attention to next week’s interest rates decision. The FTSE 100 giant cut rates across more than 20 mortgage products from Wednesday morning. It follows on from a slew of reductions from the likes of HSBC UK, [...]
UK fintech chiefs switch growth plans as capital conditions wane April 20, 2026 Over seven in ten UK fintech chiefs are switching growth plans due to the country’s ailing capital conditions. Some 71 per cent of the sector’s top bosses said they have had to adjust growth strategies as a result of tightening capital conditions, according to a fresh report from fintech advisory firm Chatsworth and market researcher [...]
Santander UK tipped for ‘large’ hike to motor finance provisions April 16, 2026 Santander UK is expected to top up its provisions for the motor finance scandal following the final outline of the financial watchdog’s redress scheme. The Spanish-headquartered banking giant has been one of the most vocal critics throughout the scandal, which relates to the use of discretionary commission arrangements (DCAS) in car financing. Banks were accused [...]
Wall Street bankers’ bonuses leapfrog City in ‘less impressive’ year April 14, 2026 Wall Street bankers have leapfrogged ahead of the City as the industry’s swelling bonus pot proved “far less impressive” than prior expectations. In the US, the average bonus scored was $154,344 (£114,00) in 2025, marking a 5.85 per cent uplift from the year prior. This also topped the industry average growth of 4.4 per cent. [...]
European banking jobs face AI reset ‘not mass job losses – for now’ April 10, 2026 European banking jobs are in line for a boost from AI despite widespread fears the integration of new tech will trigger mass layoffs, according to fresh analysis. The headcount at the top lenders is expected to get a four per cent average uplift, analysts from Bloomberg Intelligence said in a new note. The increase is [...]
UK’s best bank revealed – and it’s not a bank April 9, 2026 The UK banking sector’s top bank has been crowned – and (spoiler) it’s not a bank. A new report from Forbes and market research firm Statista analysed the global banking system for the world’s top names in the sector. Over 54,000 people were surveyed across 34 countries in 17 different languages between October and November [...]
Close Brothers and First Rand look to park motor finance row April 8, 2026 After countless speed bumps, sharp handbreak turns and a fair few false starts, the two banks that took the motor finance scandal to the top finally look to put it in the rearview mirror. Close Brothers and Aldermore owner First Rand have sought to wrap up the over two-year long saga after the financial watchdog [...]
‘Make the process look less scary’: UK banking licence applications hit zero in 2025 April 8, 2026 The number of applicants for UK banking licences plummeted to zero in 2025, raising questions over the government and regulators’ capacity to foster competition and attract overseas investment. The fresh figures – revealed in a Freedom of Information request by financial regulation consultancy Pathlight Associates – show a steep fall from the 11 licence bids [...]