Stages of tax grief: Is it time for bankers to bargain? Banking Banks are in the firing line at the Budget and in a meeting with bosses on Tuesday chancellor John Healey played coy on any increased rates. In this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what trade-off could be made. Also on the cards, fresh data shows fintechs are lurching ahead of the incumbents on customer [...]
Informa snaps up Clarion Events in £2.2bn deal with Blackstone Media Digital services giant Informa has snapped up the world’s largest privately owned event and exhibition organiser in a multi-billion pound deal with private equity firm Blackstone. The FTSE 100 group revealed on Tuesday it had acquired London-headquartered Clarion Events for £2.2bn from Blackstone. The deal brings over 100 business-to-business live event brands under the Informa [...]
Government intervenes as BT inks deal to rescue embattled Talktalk Telecoms Broadband giant BT has agreed to snap up embattled telecommunications firm Talktalk in a move that has prompted the government to weigh in. The FTSE 100 group said on Monday it had acquired Talktalk and its wholesale arm PlatformX Communications (PXC) out of administration on a debt-free basis. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, is [...]
Revolut and Nubank want to make neobanking their world September 30, 2026 Nubank’s takeover talks with Monzo shocked the City. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman takes a look at how and why a deal might emerge and the battle that lies ahead with Revolut. Around a decade ago, a handful of colourful plastic cards found their way into Brits’ wallets. Monzo was one of the first, [...]
Abolish stamp duty on shares to reverse London’s IPO slump, say top fintechs September 9, 2026 The group that represents the UK’s fastest growing fintech companies has called for the government to scrap stamp duty on shares to boost London’s flagging initial public offering market. Innovate Finance – which counts Revolut, Monzo and Zilch among its members – has called for the Treasury to ditch the 0.5 per cent levy on [...]
Cavendish taps top adviser to fend off foreign takeover interest August 10, 2026 Cavendish has drafted in advisers from a top corporate consultancy to help it fend off low-ball takeover bids amid a wave of consolidation in Britain’s financial services sector. Top brass at the boutique investment bank enlisted the help of specialists at Teneo last year, City AM can reveal, who conducted a valuation exercise to “support [...]
Easyjet extends window for another Castlelake bid August 3, 2026 Easyjet has extended the window for another takeover bid from asset manager Castlelake after its offer was usurped by investment giant Apollo last month. The budget airline said on Monday that it was still set to recommend the Apollo deal to shareholders, which values its stock at £7.15 per share, but would extend Castlelake’s deadline [...]
Government intervenes on foreign takeover bids for UK defence firms July 2, 2026 Ministers have intervened in a flurry of foreign takeover attempts on British defence firms in the past year over concerns the bids posed a threat to national security, City AM can reveal. The government unit that scrutinises takeovers “called in” 24 proposed bids from foreign buyers between the first quarter of 2025 and the end [...]
‘Sh*tloads to come’: London takeover spree set to accelerate June 29, 2026 At a gathering of some of London’s top bankers in the City of London last week, the mood was one of uncertainty. On the one hand, London’s dealmakers are not in want of work. In the past two weeks alone Easyjet has opened the door to an approach from American private equity firm Castlelake, Ramsdens [...]
FTSE 100 Segro shares rocket as it fights off £12.6bn swoop by US real estate giant June 24, 2026 Real estate investment firm Segro has rejected a £12.6bn bid from a US fund looking to combine the two companies into one mammoth investment trust. Prologis said it had gone public with its offer in a bid to convince Segro shareholders to back the deal. As part of Prologis’ offer, Segro stocks would be valued [...]