Rachel Reeves’ banking reforms ‘unlikely to be transformative’ November 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ financial services growth mission faces a major blow with top City voices warning her regulatory reforms won’t be transformative. The Chancellor unveiled her Leeds Reform package intended to “rewire the financial services industry” in July this year. Whilst the moves were cheered by industry bigwigs, analysts have raised concerns the changes will fail [...]
Complaints to banks ombudsman fall after Treasury clamp down October 29, 2025 Complaints to the banking ombudsman have tumbled in the three months to September 2025 after the Treasury launched its own clamp down. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) recorded 46,300 complaints in the quarter, down from 73,700 in the same period last year. In the three months to June, 68,000 complaints were recorded. The fall followed [...]
Labour’s payments regulation overhaul more ‘reshuffle than reform’ October 28, 2025 The Labour government’s plan for a payments system revolution has fallen flat, a top trade body has warned, despite the Treasury’s promise of an “ambitious rethink” of regulatory structure. Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled her National Payments Vision (NPV) in her 2024 Mansion House address where she said the plan would include “decisive action to progress [...]
Labour to use tech to ‘shock’ UK economy into growth October 27, 2025 The UK’s Labour government is positioning deregulation and AI adoption as two key levers used to address its inherited ‘growth emergency’. Peter Kyle, business secretary and former tech secretary, recently doubled down on this strategy, articulating the dire need for the UK to aggressively “innovate its way out” of a low-growth cycle. “I’ve never known [...]
Rachel Reeves launches ‘Scale-up Unit’ in bid to woo fintechs October 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves will today launch the Treasury’s latest initiative to woo the UK fintech sector with the introduction of a “Scale-Up Unit”. In a visit to Leeds, the Chancellor will pledge to “super charge” UK innovation with the new body, which will be jointly led by the financing and banking watchdogs. The service will first [...]
Lord Mayor calls for ‘attitude shift’ in City October 22, 2025 The UK’s world-leading financial services sector must adopt a more positive attitude that puts innovation and entrepreneurial spirit at its heart, the Lord Mayor will say in a speech in which he is also expected to urge City regulators to redouble their efforts to slash red tape. In what will be some of his last [...]
Fintech industry takes aim at ‘logic-defying’ banking watchdog October 20, 2025 The industry body for UK fintech will today take aim at the banking watchdog in a scathing report that will blast “logic-defying” regulation. A fresh report from Innovate Finance, seen by City AM, will accuse the Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) of “excessive” requirements that create an “uneven playing field for UK challenger banks, placing heavy [...]
Motor finance lenders gear up for ‘forensic test of discipline’ over redress scheme October 8, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has softened the motor finance blow for lenders but experts say firms won’t be able to shift into a new gear just yet. The City watchdog has priced the cost of its industry-wide redress scheme at £11bn – a hefty sum but far below the eye-watering £44bn previously floated. Just over [...]
Andrew Bailey: Regulation is not hampering growth October 3, 2025 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned of the dangers associated with paring back financial regulation, in a speech in which he also denied that the abundance of red tape foisted on the financial sector after the Great Financial Crash had impeded economic activity. Addressing the Klass Knot Farewell Symposium, Bailey, who was recently [...]
London hot on New York’s heels as financial centre race ramps up September 25, 2025 London is now within a whisker of ousting New York as the world’s leading financial hub, fresh rankings reveal, but risks remain over the capital’s fintech prospects. The City was chomping at the heels of the Big Apple with just a singular rating point between the two. New York once more topped the rankings in [...]