Secure Trust Bank sells motor finance arm after £21m hit February 5, 2026 Specialist lender Secure Trust Bank has offloaded its motor finance arm, becoming the latest UK bank to retreat from the sector, which has been wrapped up in scandal. The bank sold its remaining vehicle finance loan book to European Alternative Investment Fund Manager LCM Partners in a move expected to increase the bank’s CET1 ratio – a [...]
Payments watchdog won’t be abolished ‘any earlier than 2027’ February 4, 2026 The boss of the payments watchdog has said he doesn’t expect the regulator to be officially abolished any earlier than the first quarter of 2027 as criticism grows over the slow progress of reforms in the sector. David Geale, managing director at the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), said he had “not seen the outcome” of [...]
JP Morgan’s Chase sets sights on UK insurance market February 4, 2026 Global banking giant JP Morgan has set its sights on the UK insurance market with its consumer arm Chase set to enter the scene. The new offering, branded as Chase Protect, will envelope its essential coverage bundle into one single month fee, designed as an add-on for current account holders. While JP Morgan has operated [...]
Exclusive: Starling’s top investor withdraws support for London IPO February 4, 2026 Starling’s elusive billionaire backer has gone cold on his ambition for the digital bank to list in London, City AM can reveal, in a move that will heighten fears of the fintech heading to New York for its highly-anticipated IPO. Harald McPike had lobbied for the group to launch its initial public offering in London [...]
Crispin Odey firm discovered dozens of ‘inappropriate conduct claims’ February 3, 2026 Crispin Odey’s wound down hedge fund unearthed nearly 50 allegations of “inappropriate conduct” made by female staff about the disgraced hedge fund manager during an internal investigation, newly released court filings show. In evidence submitted by the Financial Conduct Authority, the founder of Odey Asset Management is accused of engaging in at least 46 instances [...]
Insurance industry must do more to build consumer trust, says FCA deputy executive February 3, 2026 The insurance industry must do more to build consumer trust amid outdated practices and a flurry of corporate scandals, the boss of Britain’s financial regulator has said. Speaking at the annual Association of British Insurers conference, Sarah Pritchard, deputy chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), noted that despite ongoing innovation within the sector [...]
Bank of England names first fintech cohort for scale-up regulator February 3, 2026 The Bank of England has named the first handful of UK fintech talent which will be overseen by the new regulatory ‘Scale-Up’ unit. Small business lenders OakNorth and Allica Bank – which was named the fastest-growing fintech ever by Deloitte – were listed as two of the firms that had been accepted into the first [...]
UK payments stuck with ‘bolted on’ European regulation, says PSR boss February 2, 2026 The boss of the UK’s payments regulator has said the body’s consolidation with the City watchdog will allow it to ditch overhanging red tape from Europe. David Geale, who heads up the Payments System Regulator (PSR) and leads on payments at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said: “There are bits of payments regulation that have [...]
Fitzwalter backs off Auction Tech after hostile bidding campaign February 2, 2026 Investment giant Fitzwalter has backed off Auction Technology Group after a hostile campaign between the two led to 13 different takeover attempts of the latter. The London-headquartered said on Monday ATG’s Board had unanimously rejected its proposed offer of 400 pence per share. The offer sat above the UK market median for similar cash transactions [...]
London fintech Guavapay founder quits ahead of Mastercard court battle January 21, 2026 The founder of London fintech Guavapay has resigned as a director as the firm gears up for a court case brought by payments giant Mastercard. Azerbaijani entrepreneur and Russian university graduate Orkhan Nasibov, who launched the company in 2017, has stepped back from his role at the helm of the company due to “fatigue and [...]