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 [...]
Motor finance: BMW sets aside over £200m for car mis-selling September 22, 2025 BMW’s UK car finance arm has set aside over £200m to cover a potential hit from the motor finance scandal. The firm joins a batch of British lenders and motor companies, which have been forced to prepare provisions with millions of drivers eligible for compensation. In July, the Supreme Court handed City banks a lukewarm [...]
Fewer than 1 in 5 senior finance roles held by women September 22, 2025 Women make up less than 20 per cent of senior leadership roles at UK financial services businesses, highlighting the persistent gender gap at the top of the industry. According to new data by employment law firm Fox & Partners, out of the 66,860 senior executives in UK financial services businesses, only 12,430 are held by [...]
Lucrative law firm jobs remain dominated by men August 29, 2025 Lucrative senior dealmaking roles in UK law firms remain dominated by men, leaving female partners unable to make a dent in competitive areas of law. Men made up 80 per cent of partners hired into corporate and finance practices in the years 2019 to 2024, according to data from legal recruiter Edwards Gibson. Commercial and [...]
Exclusive: Female CFOs generate greater returns for investors August 28, 2025 Female chief financial officers (CFOs) in the UK are routinely outperforming industry benchmarks, according to a new study shared exclusively with City AM. According to finance management platform OneStream’s Glass Chair study, UK companies led by female CFOs have delivered an average total return 1.5 per cent above industry benchmarks. That figure grows to 3.2 [...]
FCA fines Neil Woodford and Woodford IM £46m after fund failures August 5, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a £46m fine against once-renowned investment manager Neil Woodford and his former firm, Woodford Investment Management (WIM). The City watchdog handed Woodford a fine of £5.88m and banned him from holding senior manager roles and managing funds for retail investors. The authority also fined Woodford Investment Management £40m. [...]
‘I only went into banking because people said it was the hardest job to get’: Propelle founder Ayesha Ofori July 31, 2025 Ayesha Ofori, former City banker and founder of investment platform Propelle, takes us through her career in this week's Square Mile and Me.
UK’s financial services stronghold slips July 10, 2025 The UK’s position as a financial services leader has cracked as under-investment and staff reductions weigh on the sector. Nearly half of senior financial professionals believe the UK’s dominance is waning, research from the CRIF found. Over 40 per cent said they would no longer consider the country a global leader in the industry. Sara [...]
Cannes Lions: Athletes, algorithms and the ascent of women’s sport June 27, 2025 At this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, sport didn’t just show up – it dominated. From athletes turned media moguls to billion-pound plays on women’s leagues, the message was clear: sport is now a strategic asset for marketers hungry for cultural relevance, real life interactions and experiences, and commercial return. The Sport Beach [...]
Banks have used AI for decades, but ChatGPT bias changes everything June 13, 2025 Banks may have been using AI for decades, but ChatGPT and its in-built biases present a massive problem for the industry, writes Lewis Z Liu.