Close Brothers shares fall as motor finance scandal threatens worst returns in Europe Banking Close Brothers shares tumbled on Monday morning after a damning broker downgrade warned the bank was poised to deliver the “lowest value-creation” of Europe’s top 50 banks. The FTSE 250 bank’s stock was down nearly nine per cent in early trading to 401.70p as investors scurried for the exit door. The loss came on the [...]
Mining boss: Platinum to become a central bank reserve asset Mining Central banks could turn to platinum as the next frontier of their shift to bolster reserves with precious metals in favour of the US dollar, the boss of a leading miner has predicted. Valterra Platinum chief executive Craig Miller said that the world’s reserve banks are increasingly likely to view platinum as a safe haven [...]
AI infrastructure boom helps power Halma to record sales and profit Tech The AI infrastructure boom helped underpin another record year at Halma as the FTSE 100 safety and equipment maker delivered more than £2.5bn in annual revenue for the first time. The 130-year-old group, which owns dozens of specialist businesses across safety, healthcare and environmental tech, posted record revenue and profit, extending a growth streak that [...]
BT overhauls dividend policy as it vows ‘enhanced distributions’ for shareholders May 21, 2026 BT has refreshed its dividend policy as the telco giant vowed to deliver “enhanced distributions” for shareholders. The FTSE 100 member declared a final dividend of 5.87p, increasing its full-year dividend by 2 per cent to 8.32p. BT said its new policy would be to “grow the dividend by low to mid single digit percent [...]
Power Probe launches dividend bonanza after growth surge April 27, 2026 One of the newest members of AIM is gearing up for a dividend bonanza just months after its London IPO. North Carolina-based Power Probe, which makes power tools for the motor industry and debuted on AIM in December, raising $15m (£11.1m), declared an initial dividend of 1.6per share on Monday. The firm, founded in California [...]
Vanquis boss defends scrapping dividend as bank swings to profit February 26, 2026 The boss of Vanquis Bank has said he makes no apologies for a “conservative” approach to capital distribution as he launched a staunch defence of the group’s decision to axe its dividend for the second consecutive year. Ian McLaughlin, who took the helm at Vanquis in August 2023, said the bank’s “number one priority” was [...]
Standard Chartered hikes investor returns despite profit miss February 24, 2026 Standard Chartered handed out bumper investor returns following its full-year results despite the London-listed bank missing its profit target pencilled in by analysts. The Asian-focused lender recorded a two per cent uptick in pre-tax profit to $814m, falling below analyst expectations of $1.1bn. The miss came as net interest income performed weaker-than-expected, slumping 12 per [...]
Games Workshop shares slip despite Warhammer sales surge January 13, 2026 Games Workshop has dished the cash back to its shareholders after a record-breaking half-year performance driven by a surge in global demand for its Warhammer miniatures. The £6bn gaming giant – which entered the FTSE 100 in December 2024 – reported a 10.9 per cent increase in revenue, breaking £332m for the half-year ending 30 [...]
HSBC to cough up £230m over dividend tax-fraud claims January 8, 2026 European banking juggernaut HSBC is set to cough up nearly £230m to settle an investigation relating to tax-fraud claims. The FTSE 100 titan was accused of helping foreign investors evade taxes on dividends through a sophisticated financial manoeuvre known as ‘cum-cum’ trading. This relates to a series of transactions between 2014 and 2019, which were [...]
Betfred rakes in £1.5bn as founders enjoy jackpot payday January 5, 2026 The billionaire brothers who founded Betfred have shared a bumper payday after the betting giant raked in almost £1.5bn. The Warrington-headquartered business has posted a turnover of £1.45bn for the 78 weeks to 30 March, 2025. New accounts filed with Companies House also show Betfred made a pre-tax profit of £188.6m over the same period. [...]