Exclusive: FCA licence approvals slump September 15, 2025 As few as six e-money licence applications have been granted by the UK’s financial regulator over the past 9 months, City AM can reveal, underscoring the scale of the regulatory obstacles faced by Britain’s fintech startups. Data obtained by City AM via Freedom of Information request showed that not a single authorised electronic money institution (AEMI) licence [...]
London fintech eyes IPO as Klarna’s listing puts pressure on the City September 15, 2025 UK card reader firm SumUp is weighing a stock market listing that could value it at up to $15bn (£11.04bn) – a move that could deliver a rare win for the London Stock Exchange, though the firm is also considering New York amid doubts over the City’s appeal. The London-based fintech, which makes card readers [...]
Foreign takeovers risk turning UK into an ‘incubator economy’ September 15, 2025 The UK is facing a time crunch to avoid becoming an “incubator economy” as foreign takeovers continue to sweep the London market. A collection of top venture capital investors and founders have called for crucial reforms to the markets ecosystem with a focus on pensions and the IPO environment. The reforms, as outlined in a [...]
UK fintech holds European crown but UAE threat looms September 11, 2025 UK fintech maintained a heavy level of activity in the first half of 2025 but faced new threats from growing financial hubs. Over 70 significant acquisitions of smaller rivals or complementary businesses were reported in the UK and Europe over the half. This represented a 50 per cent bump on acquisitions compared to the previous [...]
Starling Bank eyes £4bn valuation in secondary share sale September 10, 2025 UK fintech Starling is eyeing a valuation of £4bn in a new secondary share sale. The digital lender is in talks with Morgan Stanley and Rothschild to run the sale process, which the firm is hoping could help it net a valuation between £3.5bn and £4bn. The sale – the first since the group’s valuation [...]
Klarna’s IPO success could lure fintechs away from London September 10, 2025 By Oscar McDonald Swedish buy-now-pay-later giant Klarna has teed up its second attempt at an IPO, with the eyes of the fintech world set on its New York debut. The company’s valuation has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past three years, peaking at £33.6bn in July 2021 before plummeting to £4.95bn a year [...]
Clearbank brings fintech revolution to corporate banking September 9, 2025 UK fintech Clearbank has laid out plans to power up its embedded banking services and take on legacy banks on a new battlefield. The firm said outdated “one-size-fits-all” approaches from centuries-old high street banks were “no longer fit for work” and set out plans to challenge traditional transaction services in areas like travel, hospitality and [...]
London fintech Monese says it needs more cash to survive after Pockit takeover September 9, 2025 Monese has warned it will need fresh investment if it is to survive for another year as the London fintech embarks on a change in strategy to put itself on a firmer financial footing. The current account and money transfer business, which last year was acquired by fintech firm Pocket in a rescue deal, said [...]
Challenger banks face ‘profitability trap’ at growth crossroads September 8, 2025 The UK banking sector faces a profitability roadblock that will give the industry’s challengers an “existential” turning point. Fresh data from KPMG suggests the industry’s average return on equity will fall to eight per cent come 2027 down from 13 per cent four years prior. This is set to spark an £11bn reduction in pre-tax [...]
Revolut deepens Google Cloud partnership amid ambitious growth plans September 4, 2025 Revolut has announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud, aiming to scale its services to over 100m customers while enhancing product innovation through AI and machine learning. The fintech giant, which currently serves over 60 million users globally, will leverage Google’s infrastructure to improve back-end operations, fraud detection, and personalised customer experiences. Revolut will harness [...]