Going for growth is a game of risk that ministers must embrace January 21, 2025 In the words of the Lord Mayor of London, “the only way you get growth is via risk.” Alastair King made this observation early in November last year, before it was fashionable. These days, it seems everyone’s discovering their appetite for risk. The notion that professional regulators could magic up some pro-growth policies has attracted [...]
FCA: Going for growth means taking risks January 20, 2025 Ashley Alder, chair of the Financial Conduct Authority, says the financial services sector has long recognised that effective regulation can be a powerful enabler of growth. The question now is not should we embrace risk, but how much? January is a time to reflect, re-balance and re-focus. And this year, the relationship between regulation and [...]
Reeves ramps up pressure on regulators in bid for growth January 16, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds are set to meet with a group of watchdogs today as they kickstart plans to cut red tape from the economy and drive growth through regulation. The chiefs of various regulatory agencies, including Competition and Markets Authority, Ofcom and Ofwat, have been summoned to Downing Street. Officials [...]
UK stock funds suffer worst year on record as investors pull nearly £10bn January 8, 2025 UK-focused stock funds suffered their worst year on record last year as investors yanked nearly £10bn from the market, new figures have shown. While equity vehicles globally raked in a record £27.2bn through 2024, UK funds haemorrhaged some £9.6bn in their most sluggish year ever relative to the performance of the wider market, according to [...]
Lloyd’s of London insurer snubs the City with New York IPO plans January 6, 2025 A Lloyd’s of London insurer has dealt a fresh blow to the City by snubbing the London Stock Exchange in favour of New York for its planned IPO, piling fresh pressure on the capital’s bourse after it shrank at the fastest pace on record last year. Aspen Insurance, an underwriting firm which operates out of [...]
Motor finance scandal: FCA boss tells unhappy customers to complain December 10, 2024 Treasury Committee chair Dame Meg Hillier on Tuesday described the ongoing saga over the sale of car finance as "one unholy mess."
The rise of the regulators December 10, 2024 Regulators have expanded massively over the last 50 years, in terms of headcount, expenditure and scope. This has created a risk aversion ratchet which is hampering growth and damaging democracy – there is another way, says James Vitali Over the past fifty years, a silent revolution has taken place in the British constitution. While central [...]
Former City minister quits Westminster group over scathing FCA report December 4, 2024 The former City minister John Glen has quit a cross-parliamentary group on fairer finance after it released an incendiary report on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) accusing it of “incompetence”. In a letter to the Financial Times, Glen, who served as City minister between 2018 and 2022, said he was “dismayed” by the report and [...]
FCA slammed by crowdfunding industry for over-regulation December 2, 2024 The UK economy has lost out on billions of pounds of investment over the past five years due to the City watchdog’s over-regulation of the crowdfunding industry, a leading lobby group has claimed. In a letter to City minister Tulip Siddiq, the UK Crowdfunding Association called on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for a new [...]
City minister warned FCA ‘several times’ over name and shame plans November 29, 2024 The City minister said she warned the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) “several times” that its controversial ‘name and shame’ rules could harm companies before the regulator moved to water down the plans. Following intense criticism from firms and ministers, the regulator confirmed on Thursday that it would soften plans to publicly name companies facing investigation [...]