Standard Chartered evacuates Dubai offices amid Iran war March 11, 2026 London-headquartered Standard Chartered has begun to evacuate staff from its offices in Dubai following the latest escalations in the war in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 giant boasts a large presence in the region as part of international expansion efforts across the United Arab Emirates but has now found itself caught in the growing [...]
Revolut lands full UK banking licence after four-year wait March 11, 2026 Revolut has landed its full UK banking licence following a four-year wait for the permit. The $75bn fintech juggernaut has been in the mobilisation stage for over 18 months after being granted approval for the licence last July. The final green light from the banking watchdog hands the digital bank permission to formally start lending [...]
Mortgage lenders pull deals at fastest pace since mini-Budget March 11, 2026 Mortgage lenders are pulling deals at the fastest rate since Liz Truss infamous mini-Budget amid growing agitation around the economic consequences of the Iran war. Nearly 500 homeowner mortgages have disappeared from the market in mere days, according to finanical information platform Moneyfacts, as average mortgage rates breeze past the five per cent mark. Moneyfacts [...]
JP Morgan marks down private credit loans amid AI jitters March 11, 2026 JP Morgan has marked down the value of specific loans held by private-credit groups, tightening its grip on the sector as boss Jamie Dimon warns of a looming AI reckoning. The bank’s move specifically targets software companies, which it now views as highly vulnerable to being replaced by artificial intelligence. By devaluing these assets, JP [...]
European fintechs ride the Trump train to Wall Street March 11, 2026 The new set of aspiring American dreamers are landing on the shores of the Atlantic. But these digital-first visionaries printed in venture capital green aren’t looking for a white picket fence. Instead, their sights are locked on a federal banking charter. Last week Europe’s most valuable fintech company Revolut became the latest in a boat-load [...]
KKR-backed fintech takes £13m hit from motor finance scandal March 10, 2026 A UK fintech backed by investment giant KKR has posted a hefty loss after being forced to set aside cash for the brewing motor finance scandal. Oodle Finanical Services recorded a pre-tax loss of £38m for the financial year ending 30 June 2025, after the firm was forced to set aside a whopping £12.8m in [...]
Barclays joins run of mortgage rate hikes in blow to borrowers March 9, 2026 Barclays has become the latest in a flurry of mortgage lenders to hike their rates amid mounting fears the Bank of England will keep the base interest rates higher for longer following the war in the Middle East. The blue-chip banking giant has slapped a 0.1 per cent increase on rates on a selection of [...]
Monzo slammed for ‘shaming’ end of year reviews March 7, 2026 Digital bank Monzo has been accused of overstepping the mark by using data it holds on customers to call out their spending habits and lifestlye choices. The bank used data to tell one customer with a past eating disorder that she eats a lot of fast food, spends “more than most” on Just Eat takeaways, [...]
Grounds for expansion: Airwallex’s Europe chief bets on London in licence pursuit March 6, 2026 As payments giant Airwallex laid out plans to double down on Europe, they turned to a man with experience at a multi-billion dollar deposit holder. The $8bn cross-border specialist was looking for someone to steer the ship amid expansion plans across Europe but in that endeavour didn’t poach a veteran of Wall Street or the [...]
Revolut makes second bid for US banking permit March 5, 2026 Revolut has made its second play for a US banking licence to crack the North American market as efforts for a UK permit continue to drag on. The London-born fintech juggernaut said on Thursday it had filed for a US bank charter as it named its new boss for the North America region. Nik Storonsky, [...]