Airtel and Sumup set to kick off London’s fintech IPO test August 12, 2026 Airtel and Sumup are set to hand a potential $20bn boost to the London Stock Exchange with long-awaited IPOs that could help pave the way for a host of fintech firms to come to market. Telecommunications giant Airtel is planning to list its mobile money business in London before the end of the year, its [...]
The European fintech American dream is being called into question August 12, 2026 A double US banking application blow has called into question the fintech dream of landing on Wall Street. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman takes a look at the expansion roadmap for Europe’s top fintechs as well as the latest response to the booming profits in UK banks half-year reports. Denied, denied, withdrawn. That is [...]
Plus500 splashes cash on investors after US expansion bears fruit August 10, 2026 Plus500 has kicked off another round of bumper returns to shareholders after delivering its highest customer income in five years following expansion into the US market. The FTSE 250 fintech recorded revenue of $462.9m for the first half of the year, up 12 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile customer income, which measures revenue generated directly from [...]
Starling plans to ‘come out swinging’ in diversification bid August 6, 2026 Bernadette Smith has a spring in her step as she sits down in Starling’s headquarters to discuss her new role. The fintech’s new banking boss is buzzing with energy that she wants to pass onto customers and investors. “I want everyone to be talking about us,” she says, envisaging how she will measure success in [...]
Revolut founder’s wealth set to balloon amid talks of share award at $500bn valuation August 5, 2026 The billionaire founder of Revolut is set to see his wealth balloon following reports of a pay package that would land him a major stock windfall if the fintech reaches a $500bn valuation. The digital bank, which is currently undergoing a secondary share sale seeking to value the firm at $115bn, is in discussions to [...]
Chrysalis marks down Starling stake again and reduces Klarna holding August 3, 2026 Chrysalis Investments has slashed the price tag of its Starling stake for the second straight quarter. The British investment trust marked down the value of its holding in the digital bank by five per cent to £356m in the second quarter. This helped contribute to an overall drop of 2.35p per share in Chrysalis’ net [...]
Wise denied US banking licence in blow to expansion plans July 24, 2026 Shares in Wise plunged on Friday after the firm was denied a US banking licence by regulators, setting back the payments giant in its biggest growth market just months after it switched its primary stock market listing to New York. The London-founded fintech said the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) had [...]
UK fintech Pockit recruits founder of Burger King Kazakhstan July 21, 2026 A top British fintech has hired the founder of Burger King’s Kazakhstan franchise in an eye-catching board appointment. The Cardiff-based business, which offers prepaid accounts to customers without a credit score, has recruited Kazakh businessman Anuar Utemuratov to become a director, according to company filings seen by City AM. Utemuratov worked as an analyst for [...]
A £3bn reckoning that will reshape buy now, pay later July 15, 2026 Buy now, pay later providers are cheering the arrival of new regulations.In this week’s column Samuel Norman considers how the industry could be reshaped. Five years ago, the government revealed plans to crack down on the buy now, pay later market after an industry review found financial risks posed by the ease with which consumers [...]
Apple sues Open AI accusing them of stealing ‘trade secrets’ July 11, 2026 Apple has accused Open AI and two of its former employees of stealing top secret information as the two biggest names in Silicon Valley prepare to compete in the consumer electronics market. The iPhone maker said in a lawsuit filed on Friday in a California federal court that the theft of its trade secrets was [...]