Barclays takes shot at tax speculation as UK growth forecast cut April 28, 2026 Barclays has taken a shot at the wave of tax speculation surrounding the industry as the bank trimmed its growth output for the year ahead. Fears the banking sector might be targeted for a cash grab have gathered pace following the war in Iran, amid concerns over mounting cost pressures. The Middle East conflict is [...]
Motor finance lenders warned of ‘gridlock’ as £9bn scandal clogs rearview April 27, 2026 The UK’s top banks are gearing up to put the long-running motor finance scandal in the rearview mirror but warning lights on the dashboard suggest they may still face “gridlock” on the multi-billion pound saga. FTSE 250 lender Vanquis became the latest on Monday to confirm it would not lodge a legal challenge against the [...]
Natwest, HSBC, Lloyds face rules change in regulatory shake-up April 27, 2026 A number of Britain’s top lenders will on Tuesday face a rules overhaul relating to regulations around de-banking customers. HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds are among the lenders that will have to comply with the new changes that are expected to afford customers improved protections when accounts are closed. New rules – which will come into [...]
FTSE 100 banks £16bn payday to face economic reality check April 27, 2026 Provisions for sour loans threaten to take a bite out of profit growth as Barclays kicks off FTSE 100 banks earnings season next week whilst economic tensions loom over the wider financial industry. UK banks will give a snapshot of the gathering tensions in the economy next week as the nation’s top lenders update the [...]
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 [...]
Motor finance: City watchdog faces legal battle over £9bn scheme April 22, 2026 The City watchdog is set to face a legal challenge to its motor finance redress scheme after being accused of leaving motorists “out of pocket”. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed its highly-anticipated £9.1bn scheme at the end of March, which cut the headline bill for lenders from £11bn. But Consumer Voice – a group [...]
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, [...]
S&U takes ‘Margaret Thatcher’ approach as profit swells April 21, 2026 Specialist lender S&U recorded a major bump to profit in the last year as the bank said it was following the teachings of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The London-listed bank – which was founded in 1938 and once known as Sports and Utilities – posted a pre-tax profit of £31.8m in the year ending 5 [...]
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 [...]
Exclusive: Treasury and regulator to hold crunch talks with UK fintech unicorns April 16, 2026 Top fintech bosses will lock horns with Treasury and watchdog officials next week as the industry lobbies for key regulatory reforms, City AM can reveal. Several of the nation’s fastest-growing companies are set to meet City Minister Lucy Rigby on Tuesday as part of a flurry of key summits in UK fintech week. The City [...]