UK’s best bank revealed – and it’s not a bank Banking 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 [...]
JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to lead Wall Street profit haul on back of Iran war Banking Top Wall Street banks are tipped to reveal huge profit growth next week amid firm investment banking activity and soaring trading volumes on the back of volatility in the Middle East. Goldman Sachs will issue the starting gun on US banks earnings season on Monday, where boss David Solomon has already teased a boom in [...]
Revolut follows Starling with AI agent as tech arms race heats up Banking Revolut has waded into the AI arms race with the debut of its personal finance assistant as fintech firms race to beef up the tech in their all-in-one super apps. The $75bn digital banking giant has launched AI by Revolut – a financial assistant embedded into its app. The chatbot provides spending insights, investment updates [...]
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 [...]
JP Morgan to build Canary Wharf’s tallest tower – if there is a tax incentive April 7, 2026 JP Morgan has been given the green light to build Canary Wharf’s largest tower but questions still remain over controversial tax incentives to lure the Wall Street titan in. The US banking behemoth has been in talks with officials from London City Airport regarding height restrictions for the tower. The bank is understood to have [...]
Blue Owl caps private credit redemptions after investors try to pull $5.4bn April 2, 2026 Investors in Blue Owl’s multi-billion dollar private credit fund have asked to withdraw around a fifth of their money in another dramatic escalation of jitters across Wall Street and the financial ecosystem. The asset manager’s flagship $36bn fund saw redemption requests hit 21.9 per cent of outstanding shares in the first quarter, while its tech-focused [...]
Revolut slapped with eight-figure fine in Italy over misleading customers April 2, 2026 Revolut has been slapped with a fine by the Italian competition watchdog after the firm was accused of misleading customers over its fees and terms of its investment products. The London-based fintech giant is expected to cough up €11.5m (£10m) after the Italian regulator found advertisements that implied customers could trade with 0 per cent [...]
Lloyds shares slump amid questions over motor finance legal battle April 2, 2026 Lloyds shares slumped this morning even as the banking giant declared it would not have to top up its provisions following the confirmation of a motor finance redress scheme. The group – which owns the UK’s largest car finance lender Black Horse – said it had “undertaken an assessment of the implications and impact” of [...]
UK banks blast regulations for ‘penalising’ good risk management April 2, 2026 Top lenders have laid bare their frustrations with UK banking regulation in a bombshell new report that urges the removal of “excessive conservatism”. In response to the Bank of England’s review of capital requirements, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) – which represents over 150 global banks, including the UK’s Big Four – [...]