Bunq: Revolut rival eyeing up UK banking licence bid June 4, 2026 Europe’s second largest digital bank is gearing up for a bid for a UK banking licence, City AM can reveal, as the firm puts its hat in the ring in the fight to claw market share from fintech leader Revolut. Bunq – which reached 20 million users in just a decade – is understood to [...]
This is why the City’s fintech IPO boom hasn’t happened yet June 3, 2026 Hopes remain high for a flurry of fintech listings, in this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at whether this could come to fruition and what could be holding it up. City officials have pinned a hefty portion of their hopes for a London Stock Market revival on the nation’s fintech stars. Rachel Reeves [...]
Losses widen at UK fintech Monese in eight month delayed accounts June 2, 2026 UK fintech Monese suffered a major widening of losses as its bottom line was hit by restructuring costs amidst its takeover by pseudo-bank peer Pockit. The London-based firm – which provides mobile-only current accounts, multi-currency wallets, and money transfer services – booked a pre-tax loss of £15.9m in the 2024 financial year. Fresh accounts – [...]
Fintech firms grew four times faster than traditional banks in 2025 June 1, 2026 The explosive growth of the global fintech sector continued in the last year, drastically outpacing its incumbent rivals but faced a challenge in cementing its market share. Fintech firms’ average growth rate was four times faster than that of traditional financial services at an average of 22 per cent in BCG’s Global Fintech Report 2026. [...]
Monzo goes mobile: UK fintech debuts cell service in tie-up with Virgin Media O2 May 28, 2026 Monzo is set to launch its mobile service this summer in the firm’s latest play at diversifying its income from its traditional digital banking roots. The London-based fintech has sealed a tie-up with Virgin Media O2 and 1Global to kick off ‘Monzo Mobile’ – a phone plan and e-sim offering. Virgin will provide the UK [...]
An Inspector Calls at Nationwide’s annual general meeting May 27, 2026 In 49 days An Inspector Calls at the Nationwide annual general meeting and in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what he could be asking. Also on the agenda… after annual report season, it’s time for Starling to go full throttle on Engine. Not since the keen-eyed Inspector Goole shattered the comfortable illusions of [...]
‘Centre of gravity is shifting’: UK fintech hiring to switch focus from neobanks May 26, 2026 UK fintech is forecast for another hiring surge as the sector matures past the high-growth era of neobanks and focus turns to the rise of software and payments focused firms. Figures from City recruiter Morgan McKinley forecast fintech hiring to rise 14 per cent in 2026, which follows on from a whopping 28 per cent [...]
‘Exceptionally challenging’: Starling puts climate target under review May 21, 2026 Starling has placed its target to reduce carbon emissions by one-third by 2030 under review after it cited “exceptionally challenging” roadblocks in its mission. The UK fintech – which published its annual report on Thursday – had targeted achieving net zero across the financial services group by 2050. On the road to this goal, the [...]
Starling’s profit slides as falling interest rates bite May 21, 2026 Starling’s profit took a dip in the latest financial year as the lower interest rate environment took a chunk out of the digital bank’s bottom line. The UK fintech notched a £217m pre-tax profit, down three per cent from the £223m secured in the prior year. This came as revenue slipped 5.6 per cent to [...]
Curve swings to £9m loss as Lloyds takeover remains incomplete May 20, 2026 Curve has swung to a loss as the Apple Pay rival’s future faces uncertainty ahead of its takeover by Lloyds Banking Group. The digital wallet provider suffered a £9.5m loss in the 2024 financial year, a major drawback from its £3m profit the 12 months prior. The tide turned on Curve’s balance sheet as revenue [...]