Natwest shares sink after bank unveils £2.7bn wealth deal Banking Natwest has beat its banking rivals to snap up wealth manager Evelyn Partners and laid out plans to kick off a new round of shareholder returns. The FTSE 100 banking giant, which returned to privatisation last year, said it had sealed a £2.7bn deal to purchase the firm from its private equity owners Permira and [...]
NatWest nears £2.5bn Evelyn Partners takeover Banking NatWest Group is closing in on a £2.5bn takeover of Evelyn Partners, in what would be its biggest corporate acquisition since the bank’s taxpayer bailout in 2008. NatWest Group is in advanced talks to buy the wealth manager from its private equity owners, Sky News reported on Saturday, after seeing off competition from Barclays in recent days. An announcement [...]
Havas keeps quiet on whether Ian Osborne will stay on board after Epstein files Business Havas is keeping quiet on whether Ian Osborne will stay on its board as the French PR giant weighs the impact of fresh details concerning the relationship between the British exec and Jeffrey Epstein. Osborne, who is a non-executive director of Havas, launched his own consultancy business, Osborne and Partners, in 2009 and offered advice [...]
Boss of Mandelson’s Global Counsel quits amid Epstein file fallout February 6, 2026 The chief executive and co-founder of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm Global Counsel has quit with immediate effect after revelations about his and his company’s connection with Jeffrey Epstein caused clients to sever or reconsider ties to the firm. Benjamin Wegg-Prosser has stepped down with immediate effect, the group’s board said in a statement, which also [...]
Barclays and Natwest set for bidding war in race to beef up wealth arms February 4, 2026 Barclays and Natwest are set for a bidding war as the banks prepare to make their play to snap up Evelyn Partners amid the race to beef up wealth management arms. The blue-chip lenders are both gearing up to table offers of over £2bn for the London-based wealth manager. A successful takeover would help enhance [...]
‘Well done Petey’: Epstein advised Mandelson on $6m Deutsche Bank role February 2, 2026 Peter Mandelson sought advice from convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein on a possible job offer worth up to $6m from Deutsche Bank as part of a joint campaign to land the former business secretary lucrative roles in finance after Labour lost the 2010 election, newly released emails show. According to messages published by the US Department [...]
Women’s Super League chief paid £531,000 as it made £2.4m loss January 29, 2026 The highest earner at the independent company set up to run the Women’s Super League, believed to be chief executive Nikki Doucet, was paid £531,000 as it made a £2.4m loss. Accounts published by Companies House reveal the finances in the first year of Women’s Super League Football Limited, which took over management of the [...]
Nationwide reigns supreme in bank switch war as Santander falters January 29, 2026 Nationwide maintained its top spot in the tussle for current account switchers in the third quarter of 2025 as the mutual sweetened its offer for new joiners. The building society – which was slapped with a £44m fine in December for failing to flag Covid fraud – secured a net gain of 41,450 switchers after [...]
HSBC seals $300bn price tag as FTSE 100 banks rally January 27, 2026 Shares in Britain’s banking giants were helping lift the FTSE 100 out of the red this morning as blue-chip lenders rallied ahead of earnings season. HSBC topped the index’s risers with a gain of nearly three per cent to 1,278.20 – an all-time high for Europe’s largest lender. The rally came after Citigroup raised the [...]
Bank bosses brace for interrogation in FTSE 100 lenders’ earnings season January 21, 2026 Britain’s banking heavyweights are gearing up to report full-year earnings with top bosses set to face the crunch on the progress of their overhaul strategies. Lloyds chief Charlie Nunn will be the first of the City’s top bankers to go under the microscope when the FTSE 100 giant releases its annual report on 29 January. [...]