Starling founder Anne Boden cuts stake in £4bn fintech February 6, 2026 The founder of UK fintech Starling has slashed her stake in the digital bank during a secondary share sale, City AM can reveal. Anne Boden, who launched Starling in 2014 after stints at Allied Irish Banks and Lloyds, cut her holdings in the digital bank to near 2.7 per cent from a previous 4.3 per [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Full map of closures: Santander axes another 44 branches putting 291 jobs at risk January 29, 2026 Santander has made another cull to its branch network as the Spanish banking giant ploughs ahead with its digital transformation. The lender said it would close another 44 branches, which will put 291 jobs at risk of redundancy, as the bank turns its focus to its digital offer to keep at pace with its fintech [...]
Wise reports jump in users ahead of US dual listing January 20, 2026 Money transfer firm Wise delivered a bumper third-quarter as the UK fintech continued to lay the groundwork for its US dual listing. The payments firm recorded a 26 per cent surge in cross-border volumes to £47.4bn in its latest quarter as its customer base swelled. Wise said it now served near-11m users, up by a [...]
Revolut, Mastercard, Visa lose legal battle on card fees cap January 15, 2026 Revolut, Mastercard and Visa have lost a legal battle against the UK’s payments watchdog amid plans to introduce a cap on card fees for overseas transactions. The trio of payment giants brought a judicial review to the High Court following a decision by the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) in December 2024, confirming that it would consult on the [...]
UK fintech stamps its authority on Europe but faces global threats January 8, 2026 The UK tightened the grip on its European fintech crown in the last year but came under growing pressure from fast-growing competitors ramping up their influence. A surge in investment in the second half of 2025 helped UK fintech hold onto the second place spot for total investment. The UK attracted $3.6bn (£2.7bn) last year, [...]
UK fintech Zilch eyes deals spree on march towards public debut January 7, 2026 Consumer payments giant Zilch is eyeing more deals after snapping up a Lithuanian challenger bank ahead of its long-awaited public debut. The UK fintech has acquired Fjord Bank, helping it to secure a European banking licence and accelerate overseas plans. “We needed a regulatory umbrella that would allow us to go and move really fast [...]
Europe’s second largest neobank joins rush for US banking licence January 7, 2026 Europe’s second biggest digital bank has become the latest fintech aiming to capitalise on President Donald Trump’s deregulation agenda after filing for a US banking licence. Bunq has set its sights on the US after lodging an application for a national charter to operate as a bank with a US Treasury Bureau. The Dutch challenger [...]